Okay, so the other day, my trusty old hair scissors just gave up on me. Like, mid-snip, they just felt… dull. Mushy, almost. Tried cutting a stray thread, and it just folded. Useless. So, I needed new ones, and I’m out here near the 66506 area, you know, around Manhattan.
Starting the Hunt
First thing I did was just kinda think about where I usually get stuff like that. My brain immediately went to the big places, like Target or Walmart. They usually have a health and beauty aisle, right? Figured they’d have something. But then I remembered the last pair I got from a big box store… they didn’t last very long. Felt cheap from the start.

So, I thought, maybe a drugstore? Like Walgreens or CVS? Sometimes they have surprisingly decent little tools. I hopped in the car, thinking I’d just swing by the closest one first. Drove over there, parked, went inside. Scanned the hair aisle, found some options. They looked okay, maybe a step up from the super cheap ones, but still didn’t feel quite right in my hand. A bit flimsy.
Digging a Little Deeper
Stood there for a minute, wondering if I should just grab a pair and hope for the best. But I really wanted something that felt solid, something that would actually cut cleanly. I remembered there’s a Sally Beauty Supply not too far, still kinda sorta “near 66506” if you stretch the definition a bit, but definitely reachable. I’d gotten stuff there before, usually hair color, but figured they must have decent scissors.
Decided against the drugstore pair and headed back to the car. Made the drive over to Sally’s. Walking in felt different, more focused. Went straight to the tools section. And yeah, they had a whole wall of shears and scissors. Different sizes, different brands, different price points. Now this was more like it.
Making the Choice
I started picking them up, feeling the weight, opening and closing them. You can kinda tell by the smooth action if they’re decent quality. Some felt stiff, others too loose. Found a couple that felt pretty good. Then I remembered reading something somewhere… a little trick. Someone mentioned testing sharpness by trying to snip a latex glove. If it cuts clean, they’re sharp enough for hair. Obviously, I didn’t have a glove on me, and I wasn’t about to ask the staff if I could start snipping their supplies!
But keeping that idea in mind helped. I focused on the blades, how finely they met, the overall solid feel. I wasn’t looking for super professional $200 shears, just a reliable pair for home trims.
- Looked at the steel type mentioned on the packaging.
- Compared handle comfort.
- Checked the tension screw (if it had one).
Finally settled on a pair that felt balanced, sharp just by looking at the blades, and wasn’t outrageously expensive. Paid for them, felt pretty good about the choice.
Back Home
Got home, took them out of the package. They had that nice snick sound when closing. Didn’t have a latex glove handy, but I did test them on a piece of paper and then a single strand of my hair. Cut clean through. Much better than the old pair. Success! Sometimes it takes a little extra effort, driving to an extra store, but finding the right simple tool feels really satisfying.
