Do Beard Trimmers Need Oil?

When you first start using your beard trimmer, you will find a small tube of clear mineral oil that seems almost misplaced with the packaging. However, you will eventually start wondering why the oil was included and the purpose of the thin tube when it is on your bathroom cabinet.

You must oil your beard trimmer after every use, making sure that the oil reaches the smallest, deepest components of the trimmer. An unoiled beard trimmer will quickly become unusable as the blades rust and hair becomes clogged inside the smaller moving parts of the trimmer.

Understanding the point of oiling your beard trimmer will save you from having to replace the trimmer when it becomes clogged without maintenance. Many people forget the importance of just a few drops of oil after the trimmer has been used, quickly leading to wasted money.

What Happens If You Don’t Oil Your Beard Trimmers?

If you do not oil your beard trimmer, the smaller components in the beard trimmer will become rusted, leading to malfunctions. The blades will also become rusted, which can cause them to either become chipped or simply entirely blunt, causing them to pull your hair out instead of cutting them.

A beard trimmer that is never properly oiled will quickly become broken to a point beyond repair; it is important to remember this when leaving your trimmer to the side. Many first-time owners get frustrated when their trimmers break in a few months, unable to understand why.

The blades of beard trimmer, even smaller ones, are made from high-carbon steel, which makes them great for cutting but susceptible to rust. The beard oil will remove the moisture from the trimmer after each use and will further stop any rust from developing on the blades.

How Do You Maintain a Beard Trimmer With Oil?

There are only two real steps to maintaining your beard trimmer; the first is to clean it with a brush when you are done trimming, which should be easy to do. However, applying oil can and has caused some issues as people apply the oil at the wrong time or in the wrong way.

There are two parts to oiling your beard trimmer, both of these need to be done at the right time and in the right way. Many people have learned that when the beard oil is not applied properly, it can cause more problems than it can solve, causing headaches when you want to trim your beard.

When To Oil

The beard trimmer needs to be oiled with a few drops every time you have used the trimmer; this will remove any of the moisture clinging to it. The oil also removes and lifts most of the smaller hairs stuck inside the machine, helping to keep it clean and ready.

Most beard lovers do their trimming session then drop a small amount of beard oil on the trimmer blades, leaving the trimmer to stand upright. However, it should be noted that if you are using the beard trimmer each day, we recommend dropping a few extra drops on the trimmer once a week.

How To Oil

When you are done trimming everything, we recommend holding the trimmer over your washbasin, dropping the oil onto the bottom of the blades. Twisting the trimmer in a clockwise fashion while adding a few more drops will ensure the oil is mixed in properly.

Once the oil has been dropped onto the blade, it must be put in the holder that the trimmer comes with, the blades facing upwards. If you have only trimmed a little bit of your hair, you can put the trimmer in the holder and put a few drops on the tips of the blade, allowing the oil to flow down.

What Oils Are The Best For Beard Trimmers?

As it currently stands, the included mineral oil that you received with the beard trimmer will only last around a month if you are using it carefully. Many beard trimmer lovers become desperate near the end and think that beard oil will work to clean your beard trimmer.

Having the right beard trimmer oil will mean the difference between replacing the beard trimmer after a month of having it seemingly forever. We have six different beard oils that we know and trust, each with its properties, ranging from affordable to slightly more expensive.

  • WAHL Blade Oil: This is what we consider to be the standard beard oil; with a price of only $6.35, it can comfortably be used on any beard trimmer. Wahl has been making this simple beard trimmer oil since 2015, and it is the standard oil they include with their trimmers.
  • Oster Premium Blade Lube: We recommend buying the Oster Premium Blade lube when you have a larger beard trimmer, as the price is only $2.49. Allowing you to oil each trimmer multiple times without having to stress about the overall cost of the oil you are using.
  • ESC Premium Lubrication: The ESC premium lubrication moves into the realm of costing more for higher quality oil, coming in at $8.99. This clear mineral oil will easily last you several years as you will need to use less each time to keep the clippers going.
  • Andis Clipper Oil: A good universal oil can be used on almost any clipper that you may have the Andis clipper oil 4-ounce bottle is enough to last a long time. At $5.40, it is priced in the middle of the other oils we love; we recommend this for first-time users.
  • WAHL Premium Oil: The premium oil from Wahl is just a few cents more than their normal oil at $6.84 but will last a lot longer. Created to be used on larger clippers, this oil will reach deeper trimmer parts while cleaning the blades.
  • Premium Oil: We usually recommend this to salons with multiple clippers around, but the premium nature of the oil may be perfect for you to use. Coming in at $12.99 will provide the average beard trimmer with enough oil to last over ten years.

Why Can You Not Use Any Oil On The Trimmer?

The oil made for beard trimmers is a lot thinner than other oils, allowing the oil to reach deeper parts, but will not simply run off the trimmer either. When thinking about this oil, it is important to remember that oils like WD40 will flow away if allowed, while beard oil will be too thick.

An oil that does not stay on the parts cannot protect the parts when moisture in the bathroom increases, causing rust and damage over time. This is why normal oils used in the garage will not work; further, these oils all have strong smells stuck to the trimmer and your beard.

While beard oil can stick to the parts inside the trimmer, it is too thick to reach these parts, meaning that the oil only sits on top of the blades. Eventually drying out and becoming sticky, causing further damage than even an unoiled trimmer would have had.

Conclusion

Your beard trimmer will need beard oil to keep all the parts from rusting and being damaged by the natural moisture levels inside a bathroom. If you trim after bathing or showering, this trimmer oil becomes even more important to protect your beard trimmer from rust.

Please, never leave your beard trimmer extremely wet when you are not using it; the blades will become useless!