How should I oil my blades?

We love being asked the question, “How should I oil my blades?” because it means that someone is thinking about oiling their blades!  A lot of the blades that we see in the shop only get oil on them when we oil them, and then the blades do not get another drop until they come back to us for sharpening.  You are decreasing the cutting ability of your blades, you are decreasing the life of your blades and your clipper/trimmer, and you are causing your client pain because your blades are getting HOT due to friction.

Okay, I am off my soapbox and going to answer your question now:  3 drops on the cutting edge and 1 drop on each side.

You only need 3 drops along the cutting edge of the blade (Figure 1) and 1 drop on each side (Figure 2a and Figure 2b), and then let your clipper/trimmer run for about 10 seconds to spread out the oil.  Finally, wipe off the excess oil.  You are now ready to start cutting your next client with well-oiled blades.

 Figure 1

 Figure 2a

 Figure 2b

Finally, ANY clipper oil is fine.  Andis oil works on Oster blades, Wahl oil works on Andis blades, etc.  So, go dig out those little tubes of oil that came with your clippers and trimmers and start using them right now!  If you do not have any oil, then buy some TODAY!  You are wasting money by not using oil, and you are hurting your clients by touching them with blades that are getting extremely hot extremely fast.

Not oiling your blades is the same as throwing money away because you will need to buy more blades more often or have them sharpened more often.  Also, you are placing stress on your clippers and trimmers that causes them to wear out faster which means more money spent on repairs or on new tools.

Save money!  Use oil!