How To Use Hair Clippers

Hair clipper picture

A hair clipper

Electric or battery powered hair clippers are among the most useful of all tools when it comes to cutting and styling hair. Invented in the 1920s and used extensively by barbers and stylists around the world, clippers are now available for purchase and use in one’s own home. Therefore, it is a good idea to have some understanding of how to use hair clippers.

Clippers often come with an assortment of attachments. Most of these are simply guide combs that make it possible to cut hair a uniform length. These can vary from 1/16th of an inch up to about 1 inch. In order to use them, one must cut the hair against the normal direction of growth.

If one has a particular hairstyle in mind when getting a haircut, it is best to wash the hair and allow it to dry thoroughly. While scissors work well cutting wet hair, clippers can be easily overloaded or choked down. Dry hair is essential to the smooth operation and uniform cutting one desires with clippers.

The next step is to comb one’s hair into the desired style. For example, if a man wants to wear his hair parted on one side and combed over, but off the ears and collar, he would comb his hair to the style he wants. Then the clippers are used to remove the hair that hangs over the ears and to shorten the hair at the nape of the neck.

The actual recommended order for cutting hair with clippers is to start at the nape of the neck and move up the back, do the sides next to get the desired style around or over the ears, then cut the top to the desired length. With a little practice, learning how to use hair clippers can be easy, fun, and save a great deal of money on visits to the barber shop.

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