What to Consider When Buying Tweezers
Tweezers are a versatile piece of equipment everyone needs around the house to stay looking their best. They can be used to upkeep your appearance and remove unwanted facial hair, or just be used as a tool to remove splinters and shards of glass. In any case, we’re sure you’ve wondered once ‘if I had a tweezer this would be a piece of cake’, so here’s what to consider when buying one:
Material
Most tweezers come in stainless steel, which is perfect. It allows for better cleaning and disinfection, and is resistant against corrosion. Steel is also more durable and can last longer, but some may also come in plastic or ceramic; these options, although viable, can prevent easy cleaning and can wear out over time as the tip is the most sensitive part on it. Tweezers can come in all sorts of colors to show off your flair, but as long as the tips are made of stainless steel, you’re good to go!
Build Quality
Apart from the material of the tweezers, another consideration should be the overall build quality of the tool you’re using. Having perfect alignment of the tips is always key to ensure precise plucking and reduce discomfort. Make sure the grips have smooth edges that don’t dig deep into your skin, along with a sturdy overall build so they hold their shape through rough use.
Ergonomics
It’s important to consider the size of the tweezers when going out looking for one because there’s no one size that fits all hands. Longer tweezers for people with small hands can be painful and the same goes for the other way around, since you’re likely to spend a considerable amount of time using them when you start tweezing those pesky hairs. Make sure to buy a size that fits your hand and is comfortable to use for extended periods of time. A key consideration is also the type of grip they have; the knurling should be wide and coarse enough to rest your fingers on without it slipping out when in use. You will also find that the tips come in varying sizes so go for one that suits your individual needs.
A general tip is to also make sure the tweezers come with a protective casing to prevent them from damage when they’re stored. Some also come with a protective coating on the tips, which we’d recommend if you’re likely to use them regularly.
Types of Tweezers
Pointed-Tip
The pointed-tip tweezers are built for precise plucking, when trying to remove short stubble, deep splinters or ingrown hairs. It offers ease of removal when you’re trying to target a specific area without affecting the surroundings, like your eyebrows. The sharp tip is meticulous but fragile, so make sure to handle it carefully and not drop it so it holds its shape.
Slanted-Tip
These are probably the most versatile, sporting sharp tips along with long precise edges. You can use the sharp tips as a pointed-tip tweezer for precise hair removal or just use the edges for removal of multiple hairs at a time. The key is to keep these edges sharp so use them carefully. Thankfully many premium brands offer tweezers sharpening free of cost so you wouldn’t go amiss splurging a bit on a more expensive alternative. Make sure to consider the sharpness of the edges when buying and if you’re not trying to have separate tweezers for all your needs, the slanted-tip is definitely the way to go.
Round-Tip
Round-tip tweezers are less common than slanted-tip because they’re only suited for coarse plucking with little to no precision. They’re great for plucking a general area but will fail you if used on a pesky hair. There is an advantage though that these tweezers don’t require sharpening and will likely last quite a bit if used and stored properly, that is in case you don’t mind the trade-off in accuracy.
The use for tweezers surpasses just the mainstream plucking of hairs. They can also be used to apply eye-lash extensions and for precise use in electronics when tinkering with circuit boards. Tweezers are also used as surgical equipment for their precision, threading fine needles, dentistry and anything else dealing with sensitive areas requiring accuracy and a steady hand. For each of these uses there exists a tweezer out there so many are sure to buy one that suits your needs and try it out. Happy tweezing!
FAQs
Are tweezers good for hair removal?
There are often instances when reaching for your tweezers is the best thing you can do. Since tweezers can easily pluck out the entire hair from the follicle, it is a good tool to use when you want the stubborn hair to not grow back before 6 weeks. Using a tweezer in a sensitive area like the eyebrows can give you more control than you’d get with simply waxing.
Why do my tweezers stop working?
The main reason why some tweezers just stop working is when their tips aren’t perfectly aligned. Even if there’s a tiny space between the two prongs, your tweezers will fail to grab at any hair and will leave you extremely frustrated and ready to abandon the idea of tweezers forever.
Are tweezers allowed in a first aid kit?
Forget about being allowed, tweezers are an essential tool to have in your first aid kit, even if it is a very basic one. They can be used to remove glass, debris, dirt or splinters from a wound that is too small to grab at with your bare hands. You can also use tweezers to remove stingers that bees leave behind. So all in all, you should always have a pair of tweezers in your first aid kit.
How often do you need to replace tweezers?
While tweezers don’t really expire or break down, you still may need to replace them after a bit since they lose all ability to grab at hair after a period of time has passed. If you don’t want to replace them then you can just simply try sharpening or realigning them.