How To Sharpen Your Beard Trimmer: The power of well-shaved beards can’t be underrated when it comes to the cuteness of men. Well-shaved beards make men look younger, matured and handsome.
Well, many men lost their masculine look due to poor beards shaving. The best shaver that could give men the professional and clean look is a beard trimmer.
Some men did not get a breathtaking look because of what they used to shave their beards. Hair clippers and scissors can not shave neatly like beards trimmer because they are not designed to do so.
So you might then be wondering if there is a difference between a beard trimmer and a hair clipper. Yea there is. A huge one.
Though People hardly know the difference, I will differentiate it without confusing you.
The hair clipper and beards trimmer are two different electrical appliances the role of one can not be given to another to perform but the two work perfectly according to the way they are designed to work. So let’s start from the hair clipper.
The hair clipper blades are made of thick steel while beards trimmer blades are Thinner. The hair clipper is designed to cut a larger portion of hair in the twinkle of an eye. It can cut through any type of hair.
Either thick curly or soft hair. While the beard trimmer blades are made to cut only thin hairs like the facial hair.
The Beard Trimmer Blades Can Cut Pretty Close To The Skin while The Hair Clippers can not uproot one follicle of hair. The hair clipper takes more time than beards trimmer. Since the beards trimmer can cut close to the skin this makes shaving faster and easier.
To be honest, a beard trimmer needs to be cared for like other accessories. If a beard trimmer lacks proper care, there is the probability that it would start to misbehave. Don’t be shocked if your beards trimmer stopped functioning as it used to when it was newly purchased.
But before we processed, let’s answer the question of the day.
How to sharpen your beard trimmer
- To sharpen your beard trimmer, use a coarse sharpening stone.
- Place the blade anywhere from thirty-degrees to a forty-five-degree angle on a sharpening stone and continuously move the blade forwards across the stone surface.
- Repeat the process for about five or six times until you achieve a shiny surface at the edge of the blade.
- Make sure you wipe away some grounded metal powder or residue on the trimmer blades with a fine dry towel.
- The metal power will occur because you are actually grinding down the metal of the blades while sharpening.
- The same process should be applied to the other part of the blade.
Sharpening both edges of a beard trimmer blade with a coarse sharpening stone will give you a shiny sharpened beard trimmer.
How do you know your beards trimmer is in urgent need of good maintenance?
Annoying sound from the trimmer
The moment your beard trimmer starts to give the humming annoying sounds, it needs proper care urgently either oiling, washing or sharpening.
Low cutting power
Recutting the same portion of beards over and over again without it being closer to the skin is giving you a sign. The trimmer needs proper sharpening.
Discolouration or rust
The moment the blade of your beard trimmer starts to change in colour, know it needs a good cleaning and disinfecting.
Rusting may be a result of resembling wet blades into the trimmer so when next you wash your trimmer, remember to dry it.
Painful shaving
When your trimmer is pulling your beards instead of cutting it, it is giving you a sign that it needs a thorough sharpening.
Do not mistake blunt blades for spoilt ones.
That your beards trimmer is giving you all or some of the signs above does not mean it is spoilt. All you have to do is to go through this article so as to know how to sharpen your beards trimmer.
In this post, I will shed light on how you can disinfect, sharpen and store your beards trimmer.
Though how often you sharpen your beard trimmer depends on the instructions given in the manual by the manufacturer and how frequently you use it, that does not mean you should not maintain it after every use. There are two types of a beard trimmer.
What if your beard trimmer is washable?
There is no crime if you wash your trimmer but before washing it carefully read the manual to know if your beard trimmer can be washed. If waging is not indicated in it do not wash it so you won’t ruin it but if washing is indicated, here are simple steps on how to wash it.
Wash the shaver head underwater to clean the blades better. This will help remove hairs, grease, and debris from the trimmer itself. Be sure that when you are cleaning the trimmer underwater, add an antibacterial soap then turn the trimmer on.
You can put a rag very close to you so you would clean every mess you splash on the floor. Either your beards trimmer is washable or not, disinfecting your beards trimmer is a must.
Spending five minutes on your beard trimmer immediately after use is not too much to do. This will extend the durability of your beards trimmer. Cleaning the beards trimmer after use also prevents you from some Health issues like rashes after shaving. Properly disinfecting of the trimmer will save you some cash.
How to disinfect your beard trimmer
Germs are stored in the trimmer blades after every shave. To avoid rashes and other skin-related issues disinfect your beards trimmer with alcohol.
When disinfecting your clipper with alcohol, stay away from the kitchen because alcohol is flammable.
There are two methods you can use to disinfect your beards trimmer with alcohol. The method you will use depends on your beard trimmer model.
After carefully reading the manual guide, you will know whether your beard trimmer can be used for both dry and wet shaving. Whichever shave it can be used for, you can try any of the methods
- Soaking of blades
- Locate the two bolts attaching the blades to the beards trimmer.
- Unscrew it with a screwdriver and keep the bolts in a safe place so you won’t get them misplaced.
- Brush out the debris from the blades with your beards trimmer brush but if you can’t lay your hands on it any longer, an old brush will do.
- Some models of beards trimmer do have a counterpart that stores hair well by emptying it.
- Soak the blades in rubbing alcohol for five minutes or clean the blades with a soaked alcohol pad.
- Dry the blades with a towel, liquid-absorbing cloth or rag. Though alcohol dries faster it is not a crime if you dry it with a towel.
- Rearrange the blades back to the trimmer, insert the bolts back to its holes and screw tightly.
- If the blades are not properly set and tightly screwed, the trimmer will produce a louder sound.
If you find the first method time taking, try this second method.
- Unplug your beards trimmer from the socket.
- Pour ¼ of rubbing alcohol into a measuring cup. A bowl or sink is needed at this stage.
Hold the trimmer with one hand and the cup of alcohol with the other. - Pour the alcohol into the blades of the trimmer.
- The hairs in it will be washed into the bowl. The cleaner the alcohol going into the bowl, the cleaner and the beard trimmer.
- Continue pouring the alcohol into the blades till hair stops coming out of it.
- When the alcohol is free from a string of hair that means the trimmer is clean and highly disinfected.
Now that you have been taught how to disinfect your beards trimmer, it is time to learn how to sharpen and store your beards trimmer.
How do you sharpen your beard trimmer? — Details
Many models of beards trimmer are designed to self sharpen although the sharpening devices quickly fade away in some due to lack of proper cleaning and oiling.
To sharpen your beards trimmer, you will need a toothbrush (either new or old) simple, screwdriver and sharpening stone.
Firstly, use the screwdriver to remove the bolts from the beards trimmer. Carefully pay attention to how the blades were positioned before you remove it so as to know how to position it when returning it.
If the blades are wrongly repositioned after sharpening, the beards trimmer won’t function.
Keep the bolts in a safe place!
Gently brush out the hair from the blades and the inner part of the beards trimmer.
The hair in the blades is the reason why the blades are blunt.
Examine the blades if they have started rusting. Don’t panic if the blades are rusting it will soon be back to it normal colourless blades
The hair in the blade is stocked in it is an avenue for germs but by removing the hair, you are one step away from having a dull and harmless beard trimmer.
Soak the blades in blade wash or white vinegar for three minutes and gently dry it up with a dry clean towel. Be careful when dealing with your trimmer blades because they cut sharper and deeper than razor blades.
Get your sharpening stone ready
The sharpening stone has been in existence for centuries and can be purchased from the local hardware store.
Apart from sharpening stone, sandpaper is another coarse element you can use to sharpen your beards trimmer but I’ll focus mainly on sharpening stone in this post.
Slowly pull the surface of the blade on the stone forward and backward five times. Do this to the other blade. Pull the blades on the stone till you have a shining and even blade surface. Clean the metal powder with a rag or towel and Reassemble the beards trimmer.
After cleaning the metal powder away from the blade surfaces, position the blades back to the case the exact way you met it when opening it.
Tightly screw the blades back with the screwdriver. You can turn it on to check how sharp it is. If it is not sharpened enough you can repeat the sharpening process.
Let’s talk about Oiling the blades
For the blades and other parts of the beard trimmer to function in a normal fiction, use the lubricant. The major reason why there is a small bottle of oil in the pack of your trimmer is for you to lubricate it.
Pour two drops of oil on the blades and turn on the beards trimmer so as to let the oil get into the inner parts of the trimmer.
If you have exhausted the lubrication oil that came with your beards trimmer, check the manual of the beards trimmer if using another oil won’t damage it. If other oils won’t affect it in any way, vegetable oil, olive oil or coconut oil are the best oil you can use to substitute the lubricating oil.
When oiling your trimmer, do not apply thick oil like engine oil or Vaseline on your beards trimmer so as to avoid damaging it further. Do not add too much of the lubricant. One to two drops is fine.
What if you are not chanced to do all this?
You can actually meet a professional to do this for you or better still, you can send it back to the manufacturer for sharpening. Before sending back to the manufacturer, make sure you contact them first and make inquiries if you can actually send it to them for sharpening.
Things to consider when buying a beard trimmer
If you want to save yourself the stress of sharpening blades or replacing them frequently, you will need to make a very good choice when buying any beard trimmer.
There are some important features of a beard trimmer that shows how long blades will last and how soon they will begin to dull.
When you want to maintain your beard, a beard trimmer is a very required tool. We have some that have low battery capacity and some that don’t.
Among others, there are a few important characteristics they should have inbuilt in them.
Of course, a beard trimmer with self-sharpening blades is efficient to avoid waste of money replacing dull ones.
In addition to that, here are some features that every good beard trimmer should come with.
Quality of the trimmer
One of the major qualities of a beard trimmer that will last long is the high quality. That is why I advise users to go for beard trimmers manufactured by well-known brands. The likes of Wahl, Braun and others.
Still on the page or quality, a good beard trimmer should possess a very good grip for users. Some wacky trimmers with low grip will slip accidentally.
You may choose to go for a corded or cordless beard trimmer but your choice will depend on how and where you want to use it. All in all, someone who is always caught on rush hour and multitasking scenario will opt for a cordless type of beard trimmer.
Length options
You will hardly come across a beard trimmer without adjustable combs. These combs allow the trimmer to adjust into different cutting lengths. It is wise to pick a beard trimmer with varying options.
If you’ve heard of a precision trimmer, they are extra minor blades that can be joined to the main blade but are often not obvious. This is one of the things to have in mind.
Dry or wet trimming
When you talk of beats trimmers in general, it is used to style or trim the beard. You can choose to use it in the shower or visit a barbers shop. Either way, there is dry and wet trimming. A good beard trimmer can accommodate both wet and dry trims.
Price
Lastly, a good beard trimmer will not come cheap. Cheap trimmers are often bad and not quality. There are some best beard trimmers that can be used not only for facial hairs but hairs on the chest, head and legs.
So in other words, the price of any trimmer will depend on their features and, well, the brand/manufacturers. Ultimately, A good trimmer can range from around £30-£100.
How can I store my beard trimmer?
As it is always written on every drug,” keep away from children”. This applies to your beard trimmer also. You have to keep it away from the reach of your children and pets. This is for the safety of the children and pets.
You have to know where and how to keep your beards trimmer. Storing your beards trimmer in a safe place would help you in the long run because you won’t have to be cleaning, washing, disinfecting and sharpening every now and there. This will even prolong the longevity of the trimmer.
Get a small grooming box that can contain the beards trimmer and its cleaning tools such as brush, the bottle of oil, screwdriver and so on. Keeping everything in a box would save you the stress of searching for one item or the other in the house when next you want to maintain your beards trimmer.
Also, keeping your beards trimmer in a grooming box will prevent it from being damaged.
In addition, don’t ever detach the batteries from the beards trimmer even if the batteries are detachable. Always keep the batteries in it because taking out the batteries often can damage the charging capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions on Using Beard Trimmer
Do beard trimmers get dull?
Depending on how often you use them, beard trimmers can dull after some time of frequent use. Once your trimmer struggles to cut hairs even after oiling it, then the blades are dull.
There are various ways to treat a dull blade. Instead of replacing, you can sharpen them with a coarse stone.
Can you sharpen beard trimmers?
It is important to sharpen your beard trimmers regularly. The only exception is when the beard trimmer has the feature of a self-sharpening blade.
The process of sharpening a beard trimmer has been explained earlier on but if you are not clear about it, you can leave your questions in the comment section.
Why are my clipper blades pulling hair?
You may be in a situation where your clipper blades begin to pull the hair. This is not a big deal and can be solved easily. The major cause of blades picking hairs is that they are not sharpened or they need replacement.
But if this happens while you are using it, you can apply two drops of clipper oil to stop it.
Can you use baby oil on hair clippers?
I will not advise you to use baby oil on hair clippers or trimmers because they are liable to clogging and being heavy.
Each time you apply oil on your trimmer, you will only need a few drops. In other words, baby oil can be used. But, understanding the effects, I will not recommend it.
How often should clipper blades be cleaned?
I will clean my clipper blades after each use. This is the best way to maintain it.
But depending on how well you use it, it should be cleaned weekly. Get rid of all the debris inside the clipper by removing the cap of the blade. In case of higher-speeds clippers, oil them every 3 to 4 weeks.
Now that you’ve been taught how to properly maintain your beard trimmer, if you follow the simple steps, your beard trimmer will last longer than you can ever think of.