​​How do Electric Hair Clippers Work? Modern Electric Clipper | Curiosity Tea

​​How do Electric Hair Clippers Work?

Modern Electric Clippers are handheld and build on the innovations of early electric clippers. The main component of a hair clipper is the motor design. Attached to the motor is a piston that holds a set of small, sharpened blades shaped like a comb full of teeth.

When the motor is powered by electricity or a battery, it moves rapidly in a horizontal fashion. There is also a slight vertical axis movement. These movements cause the blades to rub against each other at a speed that allows it to cut hair. Since the blades are self-sharpening, they cut hair without pulling the entire follicles out of the scalp.

Electric clippers require little maintenance beyond brushing hairs out of the blades and applying one or two drops of lubricating oil during every other cut. The motor is housed inside a plastic case that is usually designed for handheld use.

A barber typically runs the blade perpendicular to the scalp with a scooping motion at the end. Hair clippers typically come with guards of different lengths. You simply choose a guard and snap it into place. This protects the scalp and determines how long the hair will be cut to.