I wanted to discuss keeping blades sharper longer. The 2 best ways of keeping blades sharper longer is to clip, clean and dry subjects along with keeping blades properly lubricated.
I know it's not always possible in a professional setting to clip clean dry clients, but just know that when clipping dirty hair you are dulling the blades at a faster rate than normal. Now, blade lubrication is a much longer subject and I am going to try to clear up some myths about lubricating clipper blades. First of all, not all oils are created equally. I only suggest using manufacturer recommended "clipper blade" oil, from companies such as Oster, Andis, Lister, etc. I have heard everything from Vaseline to motor oil being used for lubrication. The problem is you wouldn't drive your car using WD-40 in the place of motor oil, so I don't recommend using it in place of clipper oil. Don't get me wrong, I use WD-40 for a list of reason's just not on clippers or clipper blades. WD-40 tends to gum up when blades begin to heat up and this causes them to get sticky and then hair and dirt do not fall away all it does is just gum everything up. Other oils (sewing machine, 3 in 1, etc) just are not designed for the heat clipper blades produce during use. Cooling products; such as Kool Lube, etc, are designed primarily to cool blades with minor lubrication. These products should not be used in place of clipper oil. Lack of proper lubrication causes blades to overheat and dull prematurely. With today's faster speeds it is very important to not only lubricate the blades, but also give them time to cool. I recommend rotating through several sets of the same size blades, but if you don't have enough sets to do this I would recommend using a cooling product, then apply clipper blade oil. And you should reapply clipper oil every couple of minutes while using. I recommend every 2 min with the super speed clippers and every 3-5 for slower single speeds.
I hope these tips help. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Jason Emory
