Hair Clipper Guards
The clipper guard also serve as a good tool to help styling the hair you are cutting
To get a good, even result, particularly when you are cutting very close to your head, it is important to use a hair clipper guard with your hair clippers.
Most home clippers tend to come with hair clipper guards to help the user control the size of hair that is left behind after the haircut.
Once you have learned the basic art of cutting hair with the clippers, you can then go on to create cuts of different lengths using the various sizes.
Hair Clipper Guard Sizes
Human scalp hair have been found to grow on average about one eighth inch per week or one half inch per month.
Most hair clipper guards are therefore numbered in eighths of an inch.
The label number on the guard represents the number of week’s hair growth that will be left on the scalp when a clipper with a certain numbered guard is guided over the head with the guard in contact with the scalp.
The standard principle is that the higher the label number, the more hair is left on the head after the cut
For example, a #1 hair guard will be expected to leave 1/8″ (3mm), which is, one week’s growth of hair on the scalp if used;
A #2 hair guard will be expected to leave 2/8″ (6.3mm), which is, two week’s hair growth, on the scalp;
A #3 guard is expected to leave 3/8″ (9mm), which is, three week’s hair growth on the scalp; and so on
Although the lengths are standardized, there are some subtle differences between the numbering system used by different hair clipper guard manufacturers.
The 3 major brands are Oster. Wahl and Andis.
Besthairclippers.info have created a list below of some of the most common clipper guard and blade sizes.
Hair Clipper Guard Sizes
Hair clipper guards are usually numbered and each number tends to correlate to a specific length.
You can cut your hair to a predetermined length by using any of the hair clipper guard combs below
A list of the hair clipper guard sizes of the top hair clippers| Guard Number | Andis Guard Sizes | Oster Guard Sizes | Wahl Guard Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1/16" (1.5mm) | 1/16" (1.5mm) | N/A |
| 1/2 | N/A | N/A | 1/16" (1.5mm) |
| 1 | 1/8" (3mm) | 1/8" (3mm) | 1/8" (3mm) |
| 2 | 1/4" (6mm) | 1/4" (6mm) | 1/4" (6mm) |
| 3 | 3/8" (10mm) | 3/8" (10mm) | 3/8" (10mm) |
| 4 | 1/2" (13mm) | 1/2" (13mm) | 1/2" (13mm) |
| 5 | 5/8" (16mm) | 5/8" (16mm) | 5/8" (16mm) |
| 6 | 3/4" (19mm) | 3/4" (19mm) | 3/4" (19mm) |
| 7 | 7/8" (22mm) | 7/8" (22mm) | 7/8" (22mm) |
| 8 | 1" (25mm) | 1" (25mm) | 1" (25mm) |
| 9 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | N/A | 11/4" (32mm) | 11/4" (32mm) |
| 11 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | N/A | N/A | 11/2" (38mm) |
Hair Clipper Blade Sizes
Hair clipper blades are usually numbered too and each number tends to correlate to a specific length.
You can cut your hair to a predetermined length by removing and changing the blade on your clipper to a different size if you have a detachable hair clipper
A list of the hair clipper blade sizes of the top hair clippers| Blade Number | Andis Blade Sizes | Oster Blade Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| 000000 | 1/250" (0.1mm) | N/A |
| 00000 | 1/125 (0.2mm) | 1/125" (0.2mm) |
| 0000 | 1/100 (0.25mm) | 1/100" (0.25mm) |
| 0000A | 1/75" (0.4mm) | |
| 000 | 1/50" (0.5mm) | 1/50" (0.5mm) |
| 00 | 1/30" (0.8mm) | |
| 0A | 3/64" (1.2mm) | 3/64" (1.2mm) |
| 1 | 3/32" (2.4mm) | 3/32" (2.4mm) |
| 1A | 1/8" (3.2mm) | 1/8" (3.2mm) |
| 11/2 | 5/32 (4mm) | 5/32 (4mm) |
| 2 | 1/4" (6.3mm) | 1/4" (6.3mm) |
| 3 | N/A | N/A |
| 31/2 | 3/8" (9.5mm) | 3/8" (9.5mm) |
| 33/4 | 1/2" (13mm) | 1/2" (12.7mm) |
| Flattop T | N/A | 1/50"(0.5mm) |
| 18 Skiptooth | N/A | 1/8" (3.2mm) |
| Texturing Blade | N/A | 1/8" (3.2mm) |
| 5 | 5/8" (16mm) | N/A |
