Leaf

Leaf is a young brand with a hairdresser’s CV behind it. Founder Steve McManus came up the long way, apprentice to Art Director at Toni and Guy, then Head of Education and Talent Development at Headmasters, before a salon consultancy and finally launching Leaf out of Wimbledon Village, London in 2019. That background shows in the products: this is a shear line designed by someone who spent twenty years on the floor and then teaching others how to use the tool.

The sustainability angle

Leaf is built around an environmental story that, refreshingly, is more than a logo. Packaging is plastic-free and recyclable, every purchase plants a tree through a reforestation partner, and the shears carry a lifetime warranty, which keeps them out of the bin in the first place. Take or leave the ethics; the long warranty is a practical reason to look.

What they make

The range covers cutting shears, thinning models, and genuine left-handed scissors, the last point being personal: McManus is left-handed himself, which is exactly why the Foundation Left-Handed exists rather than a flipped afterthought. Blades are handmade from 440C Japanese stainless, running from the entry Foundation up to the titanium-coated Black Edition. Listed techniques span blunt cutting, texturing, slide and point work, weight removal, line softening, layering, and blending.

Pricing sits in the mid-range, roughly 200 to 400 dollars, though entry models like the left-handed Foundation start lower, and subscription payment options ease the cost. There is also a steady stream of technique and business content on the brand’s YouTube channel. Leaf sells direct at leafscissors.com and through SalonCentric. More UK makers are in our UK hub.