Be Sharp

LP recently sat down to chat with Nick Cutter, president of the National Shear Sharpening Guild (NSSG) and owner of Edgemaster USA, a professional hair scissor sales and sharpening firm based in Southern California. 
 

A second-generation sharpener, Cutter is a certified judge and authorized hands-on trainer for the NSSG and is one of four professionals in the country to hold the title of Grand Master Sharpener.

After nearly three decades in the beauty business, Cutter has heard and seen it all when it comes to shear sharpening horror stories.

To help avoid the pitfalls, he offers the following advice about the care and feeding of your best investments—your haircutting tools.

—Amy Dodds


What is the National Shear Sharpening Guild NSSG?

The NSSG is the longest-standing association (over 20 years) in the United States for educating and board certifying sharpeners of professional haircutting scissors. It sets the standard and qualifies sharpeners to be knowledgeable and skilled in their profession much like each state board works for licensing Cosmetologists. The NSSG website is the best resource for haircutters to find reliable sharpeners in their area or by mail.



As a Grand Master Sharpener, what is the best piece of advice you can give a salon professional these days?

You would not let just anyone off the street cut your hair, so don’t let just anyone sharpen your shears. Make sure you have a board certified professional handing the sharpening of your shears. After all, they are one of your greatest professional investments.