Finely kept sharp hair scissors cut hair buy snipping each strand at the exact point at which the scissors are placed.  Quality hair shears will make such a sharp snip that you’ll be able to hear it!  You’ll also be able to cut a section of hair easily and accurately.  These are signs that your scissors are sharp and safe to use.

If you allow the hair shears to become dull, they will bend the hair over the scissors and tear it, rather than finely cut it.  This will result in a poorly executed, uneven cut that will damage the ends of the hair.  Not to mention, it can pull the client’s hair and be quite painful.

It is vitally important to sharpen your hair scissors often, and well.  You should always employ the skills of a professional when sharpening your shears because they will do the best job possible.  It’s likely that you spent a lot of money on these hair scissors, so you’d hate to ruin them by trying to sharpen them yourself.

Try these 5 products that cost less than $5 to look your best, without breaking the bank!

N.Y.C. New York Color Waterproof Mascara – $2: Every girl should have a go to tube of waterproof mascara.  Even if you’re not going to the beach, sweat, rain and tears can make your mascara run and ruin your look.

Tropez Irresistible Illuminator – $4: Get that lustrous glow all year round with a great bronzer or illuminator.  It’ll make you look fresh and sexy and give you an irresistible glow.

E.l.f. All Over Color Stick – $1: A great buy for two reasons!  First of all, it’s only a buck!  And secondly, it gives you ALL OVER color!  It’s perfect for dabbing at the corner of your eyes and on your cheekbones to make sure you look a bright as you feel.

Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick – $1: Bold lips make a bold statement, especially when it cost you just ONE DOLLAR!  Slather your smoocher with a bright color (try Sevilla Sangria) and pair with neutral eyes for a classic beauty.

Bonnebell Lip Lites – $4: You can wear this sexy gloss alone, or slick it over your lipstick for an extra dramatic style.  Either way, it’s a great buy and will make you POP in any outfit.

On the one hand, these are expensive, professional grade hair scissors and you wouldn’t want to do anything to compromise their ability.  On the other hand, you’re a professional stylist and you’ve been working with shears for a long time, so why aren’t you qualified to sharpen them?  How hard can it be, right?

YES, you should sharpen your shears at home.

You’ve already spent a lot of money on your hair scissors, so why spend any more on sharpening?  You have to do this often because of how much you use the scissors, so sometimes it’s just not feasible to send them out or take them somewhere to be sharpened.

There are endless Web sites that teach  people how to sharpen their hair scissors and YouTube is wild with instructional videos on everything.  In addition, many suggest sharpening your hair scissors with varying grades of sand paper, just like you would with any other scissors.

NO, you should NOT sharpen your shears at home.

Don’t ruin them by trying to amateurly sharpen them.  If you are truly a professional hair stylist, you should have your own or at least have access to a back-up pair of hair scissors.  It may be inconvenient to schedule a sharpening, but these scissors are you livelihood, so it’s worth it.

Although the Internet has so many places to explain hair scissor sharpening, who are these “experts,” really?  How can you be certain these people know what they talking about?  Can you truly learn all you need to from a paragraph or short video?

T. C. Kuster

The most important thing to do is find a good piercing salon.  Make sure that it is in a sanitary environment and you could even ask for Health Department records. If you want a tongue ring, don’t let price affect your decision.  NEVER choose a questionable salon just because the price of a tongue ring is cheaper.  You may spend less money now, but you’ll pay for it in the future.

The first thing that will happen when you get to the piercing salon is paperwork.  They will ask you to provide some information, as well as provide idea to ensure that you are old enough to get a tonue ring.

After you select your new tongue ring, the piercer should take you to a clean and sterile environment.  The piercer will mark your tongue after selecting a spot that will not interfere will blood vessels and nerves.  This is another reason to go to a trained professional; he or she will have been educated in the anatomy of the tongue and know how to perform the piercing safely.

The next step is to place a clamp on your tongue after the piercer has ensured that you like the location.  The clamp sort of looks like a long pair of scissors with two circles on the end where the needle will pass through.  The piercer will use a hollow surgical grade needle to actually pierce the tongue.  This is a tool that should come in a new, sterile package.  Your piercer will hold out the clamp and push the needle through your tongue.

At this point, the piercer will be ready to inster the tongue ring.  First they will remove the bottom ball, then put the end inside the hollow part of the needle.  This makes it easy to actually insert the body jewelry. As the piercer pulls the needle the rest of the way through, the tongue ring will remain in position inside the tongue.

The whole piercing process will only take about five minutes.  Most tongue rings are 3/8″ but they may use a longer tongue ring to allow for swelling during healing.  Between two and four weeks later, your tongue should be fully healed.  At this time you can change your tongue ring to one that expresses your personal style.