Thinning vs Texturising Scissors: Tooth Counts Explained

“Thinning” and “texturising” get used interchangeably, but the tooth count tells you what a blade actually does. Here’s the cheat sheet.

It’s all about the teeth

A toothed blade removes a percentage of the hair it passes through, and the number of teeth sets that percentage:

• Fewer teeth (≈7–20): removes more per pass — texturising. Use it to carve out weight, add visible separation and movement, and de-bulk thick hair.
• More teeth (≈25–40+): removes less per pass — blending/thinning. Use it to soften a weight line, blend a graduation, and finish without leaving channels.

So a 40-tooth blade is a gentle finisher; a 14-tooth fishback is a shaper. Neither is “better” — they do different jobs.

What this means when you buy

If you want one do-everything finisher, a ~30-tooth blade is the sweet spot — enough to blend cleanly, enough bite to remove some weight. If you already own a blender and want to add movement, drop to a lower count. We list the tooth count on every thinning scissor so you can match it to the job.

Two honest notes

A high-tooth blade won’t bulk-reduce thick hair quickly, and a low-tooth blade can leave lines if you’re heavy-handed. And toothed edges want a sharpener who understands them — see the care guide. Buying a matched cut-and-blend pair? The sets range pairs them for you.