Hair Clipper Oil Alternatives – (Your Best Weapon Against Rust)
Our hair clippers need oil. It’s without question. For them to last as long as they should, you need to lubricate them with the correct oil.
But what do we do when we have no hair clipper oil?
In this article, we’ll learn about the best hair clipper oil alternatives, (I will give you at-home oils you can use on your clippers to help them fight rust.)
I will also provide you insight on which oils to avoid if you wish to protect your clippers.
Take a look at the table of contents below, and let’s begin.
Hair clipper oil alternatives
The best hair clipper oil alternatives are:
- Baby oil
- Pure Mineral oil
- 3-in-1 oil
- Gun oil
The oiling clipper is a small part of clipper maintenance.
You can get all you need on cleaning, sharpening, and basic troubleshooting in one guide.
Now back to the article.
Why hair clipper oils are still the #1 choice
Hair clipper oils are made for hair clippers.
They are light, meaning they have a low viscosity. This is because all hair clipper oil formulas produced by well-known brands such as Wahl, Andis, and Oster are made out of mineral oil.
The range changes depending on the brand, but mineral oil is the majority ingredient in each hair clipper oil, ranging from 95%-100% of the entire formula.
The remaining 0-5% is made up of synthetic oils and lubricating agents, but these play a minor role in the effectiveness of mineral oil within hair clipper oil formulas.
Mineral oils’ light nature means they can get in and out of your blades without clogging up and attracting dirt and oil to your blades.
This isn’t the case for other well-known home oils but we’ll get to those later.
Mineral oil also has a high boiling point. It ranges from 300-600 degrees Fahrenheit (149-316 degree Celsius).
This means mineral oil can work to lubricate your blades without becoming deformed. But honestly, if your blades are touching this type of temperature there is something majorly wrong.
Hair clipper oils, deeply lubricate the blades on your hair clippers keeping them smooth, preventing high friction, and stopping the formation of rust.
Here are the best hair clipper oils I would recommend to you.
WAHL HAIR CLIPPER OIL Best overall
ANDIS HAIR CLIPPER OIL Rust prevention
OSTER HAIR CLIPPER OIL Quick spreading
So, now you understand the properties an oil needs to be a good hair clipper oil, which oils/products can best act as a hair clipper oil substitute?
Hair clipper oil Substitute
The best hair clipper oil alternative should be able to lubricate your blades without staying and clogging them up. The best alternatives to hair clipper oil are:
- Baby oil
- Pure Mineral oil
- 3-in-1 oil
- Gun oil
Potential Drawbacks of Using Alternative Oils on Hair Clippers
While these oils are great alternatives, you must realize that they are not specifically made for hair clippers.
You may use them, but they should be for temporary use while you look to get hair clipper oil produced for hair clippers specifically.
With that said, these are the best hair clipper alternatives you can use on your hair clippers.
Baby oil
Baby is commonly found at home. It has great lubricating properties for the skin and fortunately, these lubricating properties can also be beneficial to hair clipper blades too.
Baby oil is a solid alternative to hair clipper oil. Baby oil is essentially a type of mineral oil with added fragrances. The percentage of mineral oil within each type of bottle varies depending on the brand but mineral oil tends to make up 90 – 100% of baby oil formulas.
The remaining 0-10% of baby oil is made up of fragrances. However due to the high concentration of mineral oil within baby oil, the fragrances within don’t obstruct the positive benefits of the baby oil.
If you have some baby oil, you can use it to oil your hair clippers if you need a rapid solution but I always advocate using 100% mineral for the best as the best alternative. That’s next.
Pure Mineral oil
Mineral oil itself is the best oil you can use in your hair clippers. Pure mineral oil is a type of oil that comes from hydrocarbons. It’s colorless and odorless.
Mineral oil is a non-drying oil meaning it doesn’t evaporate or dry out over time. This makes it a great oil for your hair clippers as it stays on your blades, keeping them lubricated without drying up rapidly from heat.
If you have 100% pure mineral at home, free to use the oil on your hair clippers, it will give them the lubrication to reduce friction within your blades.
3-in-1 oil
3-in-oil oil can be a quick solution to your hair clipper problems. 3-in-1 oils are multi-purpose oils that have other benefits other than just oiling hair clippers. These are cleaning, lubricating, and protecting blade metal, hence the name, 3-in-1.
What Can I Use to Oil My Hair Clippers
Examples of 3-1 oils can are:
- Sewing oil.
- Wd40 3in1 oil
- Universal oil
This type of oil is made with metal in mind. It is a light machine oil that is designed to clean and oil tools, machines, and appliances.
It can leave a light coating on your blades to prevent rusting without attracting dirt and debris, unlike vegetable oil, more on that later.
While 3-in oil is a viable alternative for your blades, it must be used sparingly, and apply minimal amounts to your blades to avoid greasing up your blades.
3-in-1 oil will not leave your clippers as easily as hair clipper oil so in the long run, they will clog up within your hair clippers attracting dirt and debris which can decrease the performance of your hair clippers.
Use this type of oil in small amounts until you get proper hair clipper oil.
Gun oil
Gun oil is an oil made for machinery, and guns to be more specific. It’s made from a combination of mineral oil and other additives which help to prevent corrosion and reduce the friction between moving parts of guns.
Some gun oil also has solvents that help to clean the gun, removing debris and almost acting as a 3-in-1 oil.
The same properties that make gun oil great for guns are the same qualities that make gun oil a good alternative to hair-clipper oil.
However, while the high concentration of mineral oil within gun oil is a benefit to your hair clippers in terms of lubrication the other parts of gun the gun oil formula can be problematic.
The level of additives and other components within gun oil varies between manufacturers. Gun oil is specifically made for the metal components within guns, not hair clippers.
So although it may lubricate your clippers, depending on the condition and make of your blade, it may react differently.
Use this oil sparingly once more as you look for a viable hair-clipper oil.
Bad Hair Clipper Oil Alternatives
You need to keep these types of oils far away from your hair clippers. These oils are vegetable oils/ cooking oil.
These are the vegetable oils you should keep away from your hair clippers.
- Coconut oil
- Sunflower oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Corn oil
- Soybean oil
- Canola oil
- Jojoba oil
- Avocado oil
- Almond oil
- Peanut oil
Vegetable oils have a completely different purpose than hair clippers and have different properties.
First and foremost, vegetable oils are made for cooking, not hair clippers. They have 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 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.
On top of this, vegetable oils can go rancid over time, which can cause your hair clippers to develop an unpleasant odor.
For the longevity of your blades, avoid using vegetable oil.
How to Use Hair Clipper Oil Substitutes
Now you know some hair clipper oil substitutes, below I guide you on how to apply the oil to your blades.
How to oil hair clippers.
- Step 1:
Turn off your hair clippers
- Step 2:
Apply three drops of hair clipper oil at the point where the top cutting rail meets the clipper. The oil should be applied all across that front.
- Step 3:
Apply a drop of hair clipper to either side of your hair clipper blades.
- Step 4:
Turn the hair clippers on and then by moving the lever up and down, massage the oil onto your blades. Do this for 30 seconds.
- Step 5:
Afterward, turn them upside down to allow excess hair clipper oil to slide out.
Remove any excess hair clippers from the blade using a cloth.
I provide a more detailed walkthrough on how to oil hair clippers, but be sure to consistently oil your hair clippers if you want them to last longer.
Conclusion – Substitute for Clipper Oil
You should know which hair clipper alternatives you should run to if you need a quick at-home solution and you know which ‘alternatives’ you should stay away from.
To recap, a good clipper oil substitutes
- Baby oil
- Pure Mineral oil
- 3-in-1 oil
- Gun oil
But following this, should stay away from vegetable oils such as:
- Coconut oil
- Sunflower oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Corn oil
- Soybean oil
- Canola oil
- Jojoba oil
- Avocado oil
- Almond oil
- Peanut oil
While these oils can lubricate can blade, the damage they cause is not worth it and can leave a rancid smell on your blades over time.
FAQ
The best oil to be used on hair clippers is oil made for hair clippers. But an oil that is light and easily spreads are properties that make a good alternative hair clipper oil. Look to avoid vegetables as they can clog hair clippers and cause internal damage.
WD-40 is a penetrating oil and water-displacing spray that is designed for use on mechanical parts and tools. It has the capability to lubricate clipper blades, however, that was the purpose of the oil when made, so it can leave a sticky residue after application.
If you have found this article helpful please leave a comment and check out other hair clipper oil-related articles below.
