Exercising your hands for just 10 minutes a day can prolong your career. Coupled with proper ergonomics, this practice will prevent injury, reduce fatigue and allow you to maintain sustainability behind the chair.
Here are the exercises I've done every morning for 49 years.
Pro Tips:
- Focus on the action hand (the one that does most of the work), to reduce overusing the same muscles all the time.
- For optimal wellness, train both hands to prevent stressing out the muscles in the first place.
- Take tools home and practice with the less dominant hand to condition it to be as useful as the dominant hand.
Exercises (do 2-3 reps of 10 daily):
- To cut a straight line, the top fingers of the hand need to stay level and still, so practice holding them stationary while moving thumb up and down.
- Hold hand out straight and one by one fold each finger down, the goal is to get them strong enough so each one folds down without dragging another one with it.
- Hold hands out and stretch wrists down and back, then up and back.
- Hold hand out with palms facing forward and pull pinky and ring finger back to stretch tensions in the arm/wrist.
- Hold arm out with palm facing the face and spread fingers
- flex the entire hand (spread fingers, then make a fist)
- fold thumb in and out while holding other fingers still
- connect thumb, middle and ring and fold pointer and pinky in and out
- hold pinky, ring and middle and fold pointed down
- hold ring and pinky and fold middle down
- hold pinky and fold just ring finger down without moving other fingers
- hold all fingers and fold just the thumb in and out
- Pinch the pressure point between pointer and thumb, massage and pull to the end of the hand.
Adopting ergonomic practices is an investment in your future. It’s the reason I designed shears with a forward-set handle. I was having issues with too much tension on my thumb while using traditional shears, so I designed a forward set handle to allow it to rest naturally without pressure on my hand and wrist.
I honestly would not have made it this far in my career if I stuck with “classic” shears; it was a game changer for me.
By caring for your hands, you are investing in your craft. Every snip, every stroke and every style begins with the health and strength of your hands. Cherish them, nurture them, and let them continue to transform not just hair, but lives.
Sam Villa is co-founder and chief creative officer of Sam Villa and Global Artistic Ambassador for Redken. Learn more ergonomic tips and tricks from Sam Villa and his team on YouTube and book customized in-salon education here.