Through the feedback of our clients, we continuously ask about what clippers they have found that they love, are good quality and clip the hair nicely to blend well with their Scalp MicroPigmentation.
The ideal clipper or shaver is one that takes the hair down to a very short level, one that you can get a few days out of clipping so there is less maintanance. If you have very advanced hairloss, taking the hair right down to a blade or 00 shaver is preferable so there is minimal hair to the sides if there is no hair on-top. If you have sparce hair on top of the scalp – you can be a canidate for beard trimmers.
Depending on how fast your hair grows can also impact the decision on how often to cut your hair and with which style of shaver or clipper. If your hair is very dark, only grows to the side of the head and low in the crown, the best look is most likely a razor shave. If your hair is white/blonde and has a thin coverage everywhere, you will most likely enjoy using a beard trimmer.
Beard trimmer length can depend on a few factors, the main being how often are you wanting to use the beard trimmer, the colour, the degree of hair loss and how fast your hair grows.
- Pro: It allows a slightly darker apperance to the SMP, it can look more realistic as there is physical 3D hair adding to the SMP effect, you can feel the hair when you or someone touches your scalp, and Beard Trimmers require little maintance. Most guys will use a beard trimmer ranging in size from 0.2mm to 0.5mm blade length and shave 2-3 times per week depending on how fast the hair grows.
- Con: The beard trimmer needs to be used every second day for some clients, it is more awkward to shave your own hair with as there is a higher chance of missing bits of hair from behind the ears and lower neck. Trimming can take longer than using a blade or rotary shaver.
Rotary or Foil Shavers are by far the most popular choice by those who have little hair with Scalp MicroPigmentation. These shavers are very easy to use, we sell the Skull Shaver Gold Pro on our website for this exact reason. The shavers are simple and quick to use and will give a nice close shave in less than a minute when used every day or every second day.
- Pro: Very quick to use, low chance of missing areas, leaves just enough stubble to feel to the touch, softer look, minimal 3D of hair remains so is the best option next to a razor shave for those with advanced hair loss. The hair that is cut goes into the clipper head so is neat and easy to use.
- Con: These will eventually need a replacement blade sooner than a beard trimmer. These do take the hair very short. A great trick is to use the rotary shaver at night, so by the next morning there is a nice amount of shadow to blend in perfectly with the Scalp MicroPigmentation.
TroubleShooting Hair Length and Depth of Colour:
If you have had Scalp MicroPigmentation in the past and are feeling like it isn’t dark enough, the first step is to try trimming the hair back shorter. I have personally had a few instances where clients return for a review of their SMP thinking that it has faded, where it was a grooming issue. By clipping the hair back to the correct length, it instantly blended perfectly. I see many photos on instagram of new SMP Artists where they either don’t understand the importance of the correct hair length for SMP or they are too pleasing to the client who wants to keep their hair longer but the SMP will never blend well enough if the right hair length isn’t worn.
The other main issue we see coming in more and more to our clinics is results achieved by other artists that place too much colour in the skin trying to make the result darker to match hair that is worn at the incorrect hair length. This is heartbreaking for us as artists as well as the client who now needs to go down the path or laser SMP removal or sit on the result until it naturally fades over the next 5+ years. We urge our clients to please listen to our advice when we tell them that they are at their limit for how much colour we can place in the scalp as we always are thinking ahead for how this result will sit in the next 3-5 years when we expect to see our clients back for a re-darkening session.
If you like the look of wearing your hair ultra-short because you like the look or need to becuase of the dark hair and advanced hair loss, one of our lovely clients created a video on how he shaves his scalp – this is a great tutorial for those who have never shaved their scalp before and would like to try it.