How to Keep Clippers From Getting Hot – (Preventing Overheating)
Why do the Clippers get hot? It’s a simple answer but can get quite complex as you think of hair clippers as a whole.
In the article, we will go in-depth on the topic and I’ll go over the 5 common reasons why your clippers get hot.
The subtle steps you can put in place to resolve the problem and what you can do in the future to prevent the problem.
So with that said, let’s get into it.
Wahl clippers overheating
The brand doesn’t matter, clippers get hot for the same reasons here are the possible causes:
- Lack of oiling
- Too much power within you Clippers
- Lack of maintenance
- Dull blades
- Hair too tough or dirty to cut through
The list above is a quick run-through as to why your clippers are getting hot.
In all of this hair, clipper maintenance is critical.
Ignoring hot hair clippers can be dangerous these are some of the possible negatives:
- Reduced cutting efficiency
- Damage to the blade
- Safety hazards for the user
It may look daunting to troubleshoot all of these clipper problems but don’t worry, I will provide you with solutions.
To an extent, your hair clippers getting hot is normal.
However, if your clippers get hot within 5 minutes of use and do not cool down afterward, then there’s a problem…
All you need to understand is that the heat from clippers Simply happens when the top cutting blade and the front cutting tail blade slide past each other aggressively.
Once you can understand this, you can apply that logic to all points in the list above and you will quickly begin to see how we can tackle each one.
Still unsure I’ll explain further next.
Hair clippers overheating
If you don’t remember anything from this article, remember this:
Hair clipper blades are like an engine.
Your engine will struggle without oil and that is just how your clippers are struggling too and the heat is a sign to you to use oil.
The increased speed over the years has made hair clippers of all kinds very robust machines, however, it just means that the blades themselves become susceptive to wearing down and heat.
Hair clipper oil such as wahl hair clipper oil or Oster blade oil should be readily at hand.
Look to oil your clippers every 1-2 uses, apply 3 drops of oil across the front cutting tail and 2 down the sole plate
You can grab some from below:
Too much power
While clipper blades are meant to be powerful, sometimes they can be too powerful.
Some clipper brands boast about how fast they can run, which may sound attractive at first but can aid in creating more heat.
If you find your blades are getting too hot check the level of power they output if you see no cooling from piling your clippers.
Here is the process to check the power output of your clipper:
This over-optimization of power can cause your clipper blades to overheat quickly.
To fix the problem you will need a screwdriver.
- Find the power screw of your hair clipper, it should be on the side of your clipper
- Turn the screw anti-clockwise until you see a drop and power or your clippers begin to sound quieter
( However, do not overdo it. Just turn until your clippers stop when you hold down the blade firmly, you still need power in your blades)
This should reduce the high amount of friction between blades but like I said you must still frequently boil your blades.
Here’s a video on the process but reverse it.
Lack of maintenance
This is a big one!
Maintenance is all you really need to stop your hair clippers from heating up. Dirt oil and debris can get issues with your hair clippers very easily and build up rapidly.
Hair and debris can get stuck in parts of a hair clipper such as the blades and from there aid in creating friction and heat.
Want makes it worse is hair and debris can also act as an insulator, trapping heat and making your clippers heat up even more.
You should be constantly brushing the hair of your clippers as you use them, to keep as much out of your blades.
You should also make the hair you are cutting as straight as possible.
Not only does this reduce the likelihood of hair becoming tangled around your blade, but it also reduces the friction and work against the blade as it cuts.
Afterward, you should thoroughly clean and sterilize your clipper every few uses and you should oil your clippers every 2 uses.
These are the basics of hair clipper maintenance and should be practiced consistently to stop your clippers from heating up.
So check if your clippers are actually in their best condition before you start cutting hair.
If you’re looking for a full guide on how to clean your clippers, check out this article below:
How To Clean Clippers (Say Goodbye to Dirty Clippers)
The blade itself
Heat on hair clippers mainly stems around the blades.
Your blades could be heating up rapidly because you have the wrong blades on your clippers.
If you purchase your clippers second hand they may have the wrong blade in place from previous owners.
Be sure to check the model of your clipper and the blades that match it, if your clippers are brand new, you should be fine.
This is especially the case if your Andis clippers overheating or your wahl clippers overheating.
If you wish to improve the blade on your clipper and get a more heat-resistant blade, you can look into purchasing titanium or ceramic blades if your clipper model allows it.
Most Clipper blades are made of stainless steel. Stainless steel is good but it doesn’t offer the properties of the other two blades.
Here are the benefits of titanium blades compared to stainless steel blades:
- Stay cooler for longer
- Can handle more sharpening ms
- More robust
- Stays sharper for longer
- Corrodes less.
While titanium blades may be slightly pricey they can be a worthwhile investment if your clippers can take them.
When it comes to replacing your stainless steel blade with a ceramic top cutter blade, the Benefits are subjective.
However ceramic blades that cannot be sharpened are quite prone to damage which can be irreversible as they cannot be sharpened, but when it comes to reducing heat between blades, they can certainly help.
Dull blades
Speaking of sharpening…
Dull blades attract heat. Dull blades need to be sorted out quickly if you want your blades to stop heating up and perform at their best.
However, you shouldn’t just sharpen your blades simply for the sake of sharpening your blades.
As I said above, your blades have a limit to the amount of time they can be sharpened so you need to know when they need sharpening.
Fast-heating hair clippers are one sign. But the main sign you should look for is hair-pulling.
Hair pulling is when your clippers need multiple passes to cut a certain portion of hair and instead of cutting the hair clean, it drags it along.
If you have these two signs. You can sharpen the surface of the two blades.
Doing so creates a smoother interaction between both reducing heat, as well as improving the cutting performance of your clippers.
Here’s a guide on how you can sharpen your hair clippers at home.
How To keep Clippers From Getting Hot
Now we have been over how we are going to fix your hot clippers away from curing, next, we’ll go over how you can reduce your hot clippers whilst in use.
The aim is to continuously reduce as much friction with anything .. and that includes hair too.
If you can wash, blow, and straighten the hair you cut, it would help to reduce the friction in your blades.
Coarse, knotted, or dirty hair not only makes the hair cutting hard, but it will also aid in heating your clippers.
Reduce the chance of it happening as much as possible.
Actively swap between blades
If you regularly cut hair, such as a barber or a groomer, you should look to get multiple blades and clippers.
This reduces the stress you place on one particular blade. Spreading the workload can reduce the wearing down of your blade.
Keep checking the temperature of your clipper every 10 minutes with a touch test.
When you feel a certain blade bending to get hot, just substitute it out and let it cool down.
Coolant sprays
Cooling sprays are a good solution to cool your hair clippers down.
However, I will go against the grain and advise you to reduce how much cooling spray you apply to your clippers.
Cooling sprays provide lubricant but not nearly as much as pure hair clipper oil and it can rapidly build up. Especially if you’re spraying your clippers for 10 minutes.
You should employ all the other methods and restrict the use of cooling spray, but if the image is controlled, it can be helpful.
Here are some of the best cooling sprays at their best price:
Andis Cool Care Best OVERALL
Clippercide Spray DEEP CLEANER
H-42 Barber Spray Best Solution Based spray
Conclusion
In this article, we went over, How To Keep Clippers From Getting Hot.
You can now confidently fix your hair clippers and prevent them from getting hot in the future.
However, if they do occur again you can spot possible problems by going through the list below:
- Lack of oiling
- Too much power within you Clippers
- Lack of maintenance
- Dull blades
- Hair too tough or dirty to cut through
- Cutting hair too coarse or dirty
- Placing too much pressure on one blade
If you have found this article helpful, please leave a comment and take a look at other related articles below.
