Clipper guards, how do they work?

We get a lot of questions regarding clipper guards. So let’s break the different guard numbers down and how they will work with your kiddos hair. Clipper guards are simply small pieces of plastic or metal that can be placed over the clippers' cutting blade to change the length or angle of the cut depending on the desired style. With the help of these guards, a set of clippers can be used in all manner of cuts and styles.

Hair clipper basics

A hair clipper is just another instrument for cutting hair. You may have heard them called buzzers after the sound they make while working. A blade in the clipper moves side to side quickly underneath a toothed stationary metal plate called the "comb". Hair is cut as it is guided into the blades by the "comb" and any attached guards. Clippers are an extremely safe and reliable tool thanks to the way that the blade cuts behind the "comb", making sure nothing but hair makes it to the blade. Though many parents are worried their kids will be afraid of the loud sound, our stylists are well equipped to introduce them in fun ways your child will enjoy!

What are clipper guards?

These guards, in any of their styles, fit onto the "comb" of the clippers to change the length or angle of the hair as it comes to the blade. They are rated by numbers generally 0-12, which can vary by brand. 0 is no guard moving to higher numbers leave longer hair. Jumping a bit down the clipper number line #6 guards leave about finger-length hair, as shears would, but clippers tend to blend the hair better. A #8 guard leaves 1” of hair which will lay down nice and is easy to style. These two numbers tend to be very common in a lot of cuts, but the other numbers work the same bigger number longer hair.

How do they work?

Guards all function similarly by creating distance between the skin and the "comb". But how they are used can have a large effect on the end result. This is where your stylist's knowledge about their tools and how to use them properly comes in. Even with the right tools, it takes skill to blend and cut hair properly. As you can imagine this becomes even more difficult on less stationary clients. Our stylists rock out not just Haircuts but Haircuts on wiggling little humans.

Hopefully this went a bit of the way towards getting you more familiar with the tools we use to style your kiddo's hair. If you have any other questions or comments for new topics, or just want to say "Hi!", feel free to get in contact with us!