A man getting his hair cut on the side of his head with a Wahl hair clipper.

How to Use the Inverted Clipper Technique

You can use an inverted clipper techinque for detailing and touching up your haircut. This is great for your neckline, the area around your ears and your sideburns. This technique is a way to get the results of Wahl trimmer when you only have a clipper.

Steps for Using the Inverted Clipper Technique

  • 1

    For detailing around the ears, sideburns and neckline , try the inverted clipper technique. Just turn the clipper upside down so the blade is facing downward and touch up the areas that need it.

  • 2

    Hold the clipper in your hand as if it were a thick pencil. Then, do your touch up and detailing as you normally would with a trimmer.

  • 3

    Touch the blade to the skin. There’s no need to press firmly.

What to use

Elite Pro™ High Performance Hair Clipper Kit

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Lithium Pro® Hair Clipper and Trimmer Kit

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Deluxe Chrome Pro® Haircutting Kit with Trimmer

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Color Pro® Hair Clipper Kit 79300-1001

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Clip 'N Trim® Hair Clipper with Built-in Trimmer

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Need help deciding what you need?

Having the right tool for the job can make all the difference when it comes to at-home haircutting.

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More Haircut 101 Tips

Adjusting Your Clipper Taper Lever

Someone adjusting the taper lever on their Wahl hair clipper.

The taper lever allows you to change the closeness of your cut between guide comb lengths. Move the lever up for the closest cut, and down for a longer cut.

Cleaning the Hair from the Taper Lever

Someone removing hair from the taper lever on their Wahl clipper so it doesn't get jammed.

If your blades ever become jammed with hair, simply move the lever up and down several times. This action will help free the blades.

Use a Brush to Clean the Taper Lever

Someone brushing away excess hair from the taper lever on their Wahl clipper.

Then brush the blades with the small brush accessory to remove hair.

Related Videos

Inverted Clipper Taper Lever