Can I Use Dog Clippers on Human Hair? (Read This First)
Can I use dog clippers on human hair?
It’s a question that was asked a lot during difficult times (especially during quarantine)
But can it be done? What are the possible dangers you should be aware of?
In this article, we’ll answer all of the questions and more.
Let’s get into it.
Dog Clippers vs Human Clippers
Quick answer:
However, it’s a best practice that you change your blades/disinfect your blade before use.
Dog clippers are powerful and should not have a problem cutting human hair.
But, while you can use dog clippers, I’d advise actual human hair clippers if you are after detail, precision, and comfort.
Now, this is just a quick answer, There other things you should weigh up
Such as the type of dog clippers and how they can affect your cutting experience.
In the rest of this article, we cover just that, let’s begin
Using Dog Clippers on Human Hair
Now I’m sure if you are a professional dog groomer you should know the difference between dog clippers and hair clippers.
can you cut human hair with dog clippers?
But just in case you didn’t, we’ll cover what they are and how they affect whether you should put that type of clipper on your head.
Skip-tooth blade
A skip-tooth blade has wider teeth with more significant gaps between them.
This type of blade is typically used on thick fur like
matted fur.
The larger gaps between the teeth allow for more efficient cutting and prevent the blade from becoming clogged with hair.
Fine–tooth blade
A fine-tooth blade, on the other hand, has smaller, more closely spaced teeth. (Like most traditional human clippers)
This type of blade is better suited for precision trim use as it cuts close without cutting the skin.
You’re in luck if you have fine tooth blades on your clippers.
These would be the best type of blades you could use if you’re trying to get a look regular human clippers would provide.
So it works out best.
Now, skip tooth blades can work too, however, you will have a harder time with these types of blades as they do not grab and keep human hair in place as well as fine tooth blades would.
Overall, your hair-cutting experience may vary depending on what type of blade you have but the ability of a dog clipper to cut human hair doesn’t change.
I’ve seen groomers cut people’s hair with their equipment. (especially in lockdown as things got tricky.)
Human hair won’t do anything to your clippers that dog hair doesn’t.
You certainly don’t have to worry about them damaging your clippers. (But the other way around and it may be a problem.)
Your clippers may appreciate it as human hair will be a lot easier on them compared to dog hair.
The only main difference between grooming clippers and regular hair clippers is that guard on said Clipper tends to be longer, but the guard blade is only there to hold the hair in place, the cutting itself isn’t a problem.
As far as cleanliness though…
If you can I would highly advise, you to get a replacement blade a make that blade the one you use for human hair.
It saves you from forking out a huge fee for ‘human clippers’ and it helps for sanitary reasons.
But if you are just going to use the same blades, wash your clippers beforehand and your hair afterward.
You simply don’t know what’s on those blades and you obviously should clean them for sanitary reasons.
You should use a disinfectant spray.
Then afterward, do a proper clean of your blades with a blade wash.
Below would be the best blade sterilization I would recommend to you.
If your wish to know how to use both in a full cleaning routine, check out my article on how to clean clippers.
Advantages of using dog clippers on human hair
If you do choose to use dog clippers on human hair, you may be surprised to know there are some benefits.
Here are some benefits:
Safer:
Weirdly enough, you may be safer with dog clippers than human hair clippers.
Clipper guards for one, are larger than human Clipper guards, this keeps the cutting blade far away from your skin, overly keeping you safe from knocks and cuts.
Fast:
Dog clippers have power.
And that can be for your benefit.
Dog clippers have a powerful motor as their blades have to cut through a mass of human hair, however, with human hair, it doesn’t have to.
You may find that you get through cutting human hair a lot faster than you could’ve imagined.
Less noise:
Now, this does depend on your clippers but ergonomically designed dog clippers are actually very quiet.
This is to stop the machines from scaring dogs.
So if you might be pleasantly surprised when your clippers produce little noise as you cut hair!
Can You Use Dog Clippers on Human Hair?
However, there are some disadvantages you should be aware of too.
Uneven cutting:
Dog clipper blades are designed to cut through thick animal fur, which is typically thicker and coarser than human hair.
This may have misaligned the blades causing them to not be straight and slightly wonky.
Using these blades on human hair can result in uneven cutting, so just make sure your clipper blades are straight before use.
Skin irritation:
Once again, dog clippers have varying hair lengths which can cause irritation.
Using these blades on human hair can cause skin irritation, redness, and even cuts or abrasions.
Take it lightly, to begin with, and see if you are comfortable using those types of clippers on your skin.
Damage to hair:
Human hair is much more delicate than animal fur.
Dog clippers especially skip-tooth hair clippers are made to get the job done with not much detailing.
Sadly if you have a skip tooth dog clipper, you could get spilled ends and slightly damaged hair if you use it on human hair.
Also, you may not get the style your particular and detailing will be difficult.
Conclusion
In this article we asked the question, can I use clippers on human hair?
Although dog clippers can be used on human hair, I wouldn’t advise it.
There may be:
- Sanitary
- Clippers irritate the skin
- You aren’t as precise
But cutting itself won’t be a problem as ding clippers can easily Handle human hair due to their sheer power.
FAQ
No, on average, it isn’t particularly safe to use dog clippers on human hair. Using dog clippers on human hair can irritate Skin, damage the hair, and hygiene concerns and some clippers hold feces and bacteria.
It’s possible to achieve decent results with dog clippers on human hair, but it won’t be as precise or polished as with professional human hair with lever clippers.
