Three Quick Ways To Maintain Your Clipper Like A Pro

As a barber, your primary trade tools are your clippers and trimmers. You must keep them in excellent condition so your customer's experience will be memorable, and there will be no need to replace them often.

Clippers and trimmers are quite a big investment for barbers. They can cost anywhere from $99 and go as high as $650 for a set.

So, as a barber, how can you make the best use of these tools? How can you maintain them so they can work optimally for as long as possible? We'll be covering ‌these in this article, so stick around.

Here are some telltale signs:

• Your clipper/trimmer does not help you achieve a clean cut.
• Your clipper/trimmer makes a loud/sharp noise.
• Your clipper/trimmer makes a rattling noise.
• Your clipper/trimmer powers off and on while in use.
• Your clipper/trimmer lever feels loose.
• Your clipper/trimmer blade cannot cut hair.

So, you're probably wondering how you can service and maintain the quality of your tools? Here's how... 

 1. 

Brush Your Blades After Every Cut.

Hair build-up is one of the primary reasons your clipper might not run effectively or even last long.

Accumulated hair between the blades will dull the blades and sometimes cause the blade to pinch your clients' skin during a haircut.

Most clipper sets come with a brush you can use to get rid of hair in your clipper's blades.

Most barbers prefer to use a fade brush as a better alternative to the supplied brush because they are larger, and are more effective at getting rid of hair between the blades.

There are‌ a ton of fade brushes out there. Our top picks are the Gold BaBylissPro Barberology Fades & Blades Cleaning Brush or the Black Andis Fade Brush.

You could also use a new toothbrush to keep your blades hair-free.

Tip: It is essential to brush your clipper after every use!

2. 

Use Clipper Cooling Spray

A lot of heat is generated between the blades when used. Using a cooling spray is vital for maintaining your clipper.

Most clipper cooling sprays dissipate the heat from the blades and also disinfect and lubricate your clipper, all at the same time.

The Andis Cool Care Plus 5-in-1 clipper spray is an excellent example of a cooling spray that disinfects, lubricates, cleans, and prevents your blades from rusting.

3. 

Oil Your Clippers Regularly

Earlier, we mentioned that hair build-up was one of the principal culprits of clipper damage. The second reason is insufficient lubrication. A poorly lubricated clipper will need to be replaced soon. It is essential to brush and oil your clipper after every use. You can use a product like Andis Clipper Oil which will take less than 30 seconds.

Here's how to do it:

After brushing hair from your clipper, use the 5-point oiling system.

1. Apply three drops of clipper oil across the teeth of the blade and one drop each at the back of each rail.

2. Turn on and hold the clipper sideways and let it run for 5-10 seconds to disperse the oil.

3. Wipe any excess oil off with a clean cloth.

Tip: There are other oil alternatives if you run out of clipper oil. A lightweight alternative to clipper oil is vegetable or olive oil (not the extra virgin oil--it cannot withstand high heat). You can also use oil that comes with other gadgets in your house, as they are similar.

DO NOT use heavier oils like grease, motor oil, and other heavy oils intended for heavy machinery.

It is ideal to have extra bottles of clipper oil so you don't have to use unsuitable oils.

Maintaining your clipper is vital to keeping your clipper running for longer, but as a professional barber, keeping your clipper sanitary is essential for proper hygiene.

 Deep Cleaning

The rule of thumb is that you should do some deep cleaning at the end of every workweek. We recommend every 2-days if you already do a lot of quick cleaning in-between. You can use many solutions for deep cleaning your blades.

To deep clean, the first thing to do is to unscrew the blades off your clipper.

Solutions you can use to disinfect your barbering tools thoroughly:

• Barbicides: Barbicides is the industry's standard for disinfecting your barbering tools like combs, scissors, blades, etc. They are effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. To use it for your blades, mix ¼ cup of barbicide concentrate in 4 cups of water. Soak in your blades for a maximum of 10 minutes.Take them out, and rinse with water. Dry the blades properly before you screw them onto the clipper. A Barbicide Disinfecting Jar is a very effective and simple way to disinfect your tools.

• 70% Isopropyl Alcohol: Immerse the blades into a cup of isopropyl alcohol. Don’t leave it in for longer than 3 minutes. Take them out, rinse with water, and allow to dry before screwing them back onto the clipper.

• Distilled White Vinegar: If you run out of barbicide, clipper cleaning liquid or even isopropyl alcohol, distilled white vinegar can also get the job done. Get a bowl with enough distilled vinegar to submerge your blades, leave them in there for up to 60 seconds, rinse the blades underwater, and dry them properly.

Note: Do not use water as a substitute for cleaning your clippers. Your blades will rust.

Quick Cleaning:

Quick cleaning is done between haircuts. A quick clean is necessary to get rid of hair and dirt and whatever nastiness lies between the blades before using them on another customer.

• Clipper Sprays: Having an all-in-one clipper spray is excellent for disinfecting quickly and cooling your clipper's blades before using them again. Turn the clippers on, hold the can a few inches from the blades, and spray lightly. Let the clippers run for a few seconds. Turn off the clipper and wipe the excess off.

• 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (Quick clean): Here, pour a little alcohol into a bowl or tray, turn on the clipper and put the tip of the blades into the tray of alcohol. This disinfects the clippers and gets rid of hair residue between the teeth of the blades.

• Compressed Air Cans: Compressed air cans do not sanitise your clippers but help remove hair clogging up your (already sanitised) blades. A blast of compressed air will get rid of excess hair instantly.

Finally:

Remember to lubricate your clipper after every clean and after every use. While the clipper is on, apply some oil, and let it spread out evenly. Taking care of your clipper and trimmer should be a daily part of your routine as a professional barber.

Some of these steps can also clean other tools. Follow these simple steps above, and your clipper and the trimmer will last you a long time.