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Can I Use Vegetable Oil On Hair Clippers? ( The Pros and Cons)

Patrick Boulang

January 21, 2024

Hair needs oiling but is cooking oil the best at-home alternative?

In this article, you’ll find out whether you can use vegetable oil on hair clippers (and more).

With that said, let’s get into it.

Can You Use Vegetable Oil on Hair Clippers?

Quick summary:

You should avoid using vegetable oil on your clippers.

While vegetable oil has some properties that make it possible to be used on clippers, its thick nature can be a problem when frequently placed on hair clippers.

Look to use another at-home alternative for lubricating your clipper blades.

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So, what exactly is vegetable oil?

What are the true negatives? And how do you oil hair clippers?

All of these are answered in the rest of this article.

Let’s get into it.

What is vegetable oil?

Can You Use Vegetable Oil on Clippers…

Vegetable oil is not an independent oil. Any oil derived from plant seeds, nuts, and grains can be classed as a ‘vegetable oil’. 

Types of vegetable oil can be sunflower oil corn oil or almond oil.

Vegetable oil is soybean oil, It’s just marketed as vegetable oil as it makes things easier for manufacturers. 

The marketing of the oil allows manufacturers to tamper with vegetable oil. Manufacturers of the oil can add other oils to ‘vegetable oil’ without having to change the name or rebrand their product. 

Vegetable oil is typically made up of soybean oil. However, at times, some manufacturers mix corn oil into vegetable oil.

Vegetable oil is light-colored and flavorless. It is distilled and refined to remove impurities. 

The result of this is vegetable oil becomes quite neutral and highly versatile.

This is great but does this mean it’s good as a hair clipper oil?

I talk about this next.

Can You Use Vegetable Oil On Hair Clippers?

First and foremost, we must realize vegetable oil is not made for hair clippers.

vegetable oil is made for cooking. It has high fat content which is a type of lipid. Lipids are greasy and stick to metals very easily. 

Unlike the light mineral oil used in hair clippers, vegetable oils, once in your hair clippers, stick to everything within your clipper. 

They may be able to lubricate and partially reduce friction from your blades but not nearly to the degree of actual hair clipper oil. 

On top of this, they stay inside your clippers, and the vegetable oil’s stick nature attracts dirt and debris which can reduce the performance of your blades or damage them permanently.

And worse, vegetable oils can go rancid over time, which can cause your hair clippers to develop an unpleasant odor.

So if you have to use oil and vegetable oil is that option. it should be the last option and you should be careful with the amount you use.

Although it’s not ideal, vegetable oil has properties that can make it a good lubrication, it’s a natural lubricant that is highly resistant to heat.

Hair clippers can become very hot. This is because of the tension and friction which builds between fast-moving blades. 

The top cutting rail and the top cutter are constantly sliding against each other. The friction and heat build-up can easily deform any oil that cannot handle heat well. 

A deformed oil is pointless as it cannot stay in the right state to offer the lubrication your blades need.

However, this is not the case for vegetable oil. Vegetable oil has a ‘smoke point’ of 450f (232c).

This is more than enough capacity to handle any heat potential heat from your blades. 

Vegetable oil will not be deformed and it will stay in its liquid oil state while effectively lubricating your hair clippers.

While vegetable oil does fall quite high on the viscosity index compared to oils like hair clippers oil and mineral oil.

This is a benefit in a way as it means that the oil does not change form depending on temperature. 

On the other hand, petroleum oils such as hair clipper oil and baby oil will change their viscosity increases in cooler temperatures and may not be as effective.

This makes vegetable oil somewhat viable as a hair clipper oil. But remember I still advise against the use due to its flaws… 

Vegetable Oil For Hair Clippers

Vegetable lacks sufficient oxidative stability. This means that the oil oxidizes rather quickly becoming very thick. 

It gains a plastic-like consistency if left exposed to air over a long period. You must be cautious when using your hair clippers.

Vegetable oil is a highly viscous oil that will struggle to leave your clippers too.

The build-up inside your clippers can ultimately reduce the performance of your hair clippers.

Also, vegetable oil contains synthetics and other oils that can cause build-up too.

As mentioned earlier, vegetable oil is soybean oil and can contain other oils.

With this possible mix of oils, if you are unaware of the other oils in the vegetable oil you use, It could mean ‘vegetable oil’ builds up rapidly inside your clippers without you ever knowing…

Scary.

If proper hair clipper cleaning and maintenance are not practiced, every time you use the oil, you leave your hair clippers at risk of major internal damage. 

Only be used temporarily as a stopgap while you look for better alternatives to actual hair clipper oils like the ones Below are some of the best clipper oils used by barbers at their current best price.

You can read more on each in my best hair clipper oil guide.

Benefits of oiling hair clippers

There are many benefits of oiling your clippers with petroleum mineral oil lubrication. 

Smooth operation: Oiling your hair clippers regularly can help them to run smoother. 

When your hair clipper runs well it reduces the chance of hair pulling and overall, you get a lot more from your clippers.’

Prolonged lifespan 

Oiling your hair clippers can also help to prevent your blades from becoming dull or damaged. 

This can greatly extend their lifespan, reducing your need to get them replaced or Sharpened.

Reduced heat and friction

Oiling your clipper blades can help reduce the amount of heat and friction produced by your clippers

This can help to prevent the blades from overheating and potentially damaging the motor.

(Also, I’m sure you wouldn’t want hot blades near your skin. 

Prevent rust and corrosion

Regular oiling can help prevent your blades from rusting or corroding

Most hair-clipper oils leave a light coat of oil on your blades to stop water from attaching and producing rust.

We know the benefits of oiling hair clippers, but how often should it be done?

You should always oil brand-new hair clippers before you use them. 

Whether you use your clippers casually or frequently, always oil your clippers after you have deep cleaned them and before storing them away.

How to oil hair clippers

Oil Your Clippers Every 2-3 uses and at the end of the month remove your blades and wipe away and hair clipper oil grease as yes… even hair clipper oil can build up (at times) if you don’t clean them too.

Conclusion

You came to this article asking yourself, can I use vegetable oil on my hair clippers?

The answer is no but if it is an emergency it can be used in the short term. Vegetable oil can lubricate and has good heat-resistant properties.

However, its viscosity can build up slowly after application so you must make sure to always remove any excess vegetable oil after application.