Is your hair clipper pulling your hair in the middle of a grooming session? Are you getting annoyed day by day because of the same recurrence?
Let me tell you, you’re not alone on this. I’ve had such experiences in the past and had to look around for a viable solution.
There are quite a few reasons behind your hair clipper pulling on your hair. I’ll help you address those issues in this article.
On top of that, my guide will teach you how to prevent your hair clipper from pulling your hair in the future!
5 Common Reasons Why Clippers Pull Hair
Here, you’ll get to learn the reasons why mostly hair clippers tend to pull on your hair while trimming.
#1 Dull or Rusty Blades
Over time, hair clipper blades tend to lose their original properties and get blunt or even rusty if not cared for properly.
This situation will make the hair clipper tug on your hair instead of completing cuts properly. This factor disrupts zero-gap clippers even more due to the thin blades.
For a greater understanding of zero-gap clipping devices, you can check this article out on Nafi’s Grooming Lab – a resource that dedicates itself to reviewing and testing the most popular hair clippers.
Signs: Uneven trims, discomfort while stroking, hair pulling etc.
#2 Dry or Dirty Blades
You must oil your clipper blades on a regular basis, even if it’s the finest from the lot. Otherwise, dry blades won’t perform the trimming actions properly by creating friction.
Also, unclean blades with tons of hair build-up can cause tugs very easily. You must’ve noticed barbers keep a brush to regularly dust off stray from the blades in the middle of trimming.
Not just the procedural cleaning, but also a lack of frequent cleaning of the blades can lead to tugging or pulling issues.
#3 Misaligned or Loose Blades
If you’ve been using a hair clipper for quite some time, these tools can very often cause troubles like misaligned or loose blades.
These are harmful for both the clipper and your scalp. On top of that, the cutting actions are not going to be optimum at all.
Loose blades leave some space for the hair to get stuck and as you can realize, it pulls on your hair every time you glide.
#4 Low Battery or Weak Motor
Those of you who are using a cordless hair clipper, you might be riddled with issues like battery dying out. Even when that’s not the case, a damaged battery can slow down your device.
It can happen without you realizing it. A decayed battery can deliver lower than optimum power to the motor, causing it to slow down.
And that leads to less efficiency with the trimming actions and tugs or pulls might occur every now and then.
If your device is corded, then it could be a faulty cable or in rare cases, a motor that’s malfunctioning.
#5 Wrong Technique or Speed
I hope you already know how to properly use a hair clipper. If not, that could be an issue behind the hair clipper pulling.
If you haven’t been using the clipper at the correct angles or gliding over coarse/textured hair too fast, hair tugging or pulling can certainly occur.
How to Fix Clippers That Pull Hair?
Now that you’ve recognized your issues, let me tell you the ways you can solve them at home, by yourself.
Sharpen or Replace Blades
There are some ways to restore damaged blades, like removing rust or sharpening them manually.
If that feels overwhelming for you, there’s always the option to replace the blades. If your hair clipper is something like Wahl or Andis, it’s very easy to buy replacement blades online.
Clean and Oil Blades Regularly
It’s essential for you to clean your hair clipper blades regularly. This isn’t very difficult to do, you only need to perform it after every grooming session.
As per oiling goes, the regular procedure begs you to demand your blades at the end of each grooming session if you’re a barber.
For regular groomers, you may lubricate your blades once every week. Once in a while, you may want to lubricate the motor head as well.
Realign or Tighten Blades
If you believe it’s an alignment issue for your hair clipper, you can realign the blades. Heavy duty clippers might demand you to use a screwdriver for this purpose.
There are tools you can buy online that make things easier for blade realignment. For tightening, only screwing in suffices.
Keep the Battery Charged / Use Corded Power
You have to assess whether your battery unit is undamaged. If that’s the case, the easy method is to fully recharge the device before performing a haircut.
Otherwise, to avoid hair clipper pulling, you can consider corded usage as it’s the safest option among the two.
Improve Cutting Technique
Finally, you may want to check out a few blog articles or YouTube videos to improve your skill with the clipper.
But nothing beats frequent first hand practice. So keep stroking once you get the basic lessons and you’ll figure out the more efficient, pull-free techniques yourself over time.
Preventing Hair Pulling in the Future
The major thing that often prevents hair pulling for a clipper is regular maintenance. So make it into a ritual that you perform every time you groom.
Storage is another solution in this case. Make sure to store your hair clipper in a dry, moistureless and safe spot, preferably inside a solid case.
Also, if you’re planning on buying a new hair clipper, avoid the cheap ones and spend some money on tools with powerful motors or the blades that contain self-sharpening properties.
The initial investment might be over your budget, but it’ll help you walk past pulling issues and pay you back with durability in the long run.
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve found your answers to the question: why do hair clippers pull hair? What I’ve covered here are the most common and basic issues.
Your particular scenario could fall into one or more than one of these given categories for around 95% of the time.
But there are unique circumstances that are beyond our control. If that’s the case, you should consult a grooming mechanic.
Otherwise, buying a new hair clipper would be the final and unavoidable solution.