Tweezer Styles & Their Uses

Have you ever looked at the large selection of tweezers in any store and thought, "why on earth are there so many styles and what is the difference between them?" If you have, then this handy guide may help to explain.

Slant Tip

We may as well start with the most popular style first. Slant tip tweezers are very versatile and are by far the most commonly used. The slant tip offers an angled, flat edge that's great for tweezing large areas quickly. It's perfect for shaping eyebrows because, whether you use the entire flat edge or just the tip portion, the angle allows you to easily see where you're tweezing while looking in the mirror. The slant tweezer can also be flipped over so the high end can be used like a point tip, for maximum precision. Everyone should have a good slant tip tweezer on hand for general tweezing. So, whether you're looking for a great value, want a scissors-style grip, prefer a professional style, demand the absolute best, would like to express your personality with a bit of color or a pattern, are looking for a better grip and improved comfort, or even need a tweezer that can be used by arthritis sufferers, we have a style for you.

Square Tip

Square tip tweezers feature a flat edge that is ideal for tweezing hair in a large area. Because they lack any kind of angle, these tweezers will grasp hair along every part of the tip.  Though they lack some of the precision of Slant and Point tip tweezers, they can be quicker to use because they only need to be held flat against the skin to tweeze.

Claw Tip

The claw tip is a step above the square tip in terms of function. Both are used mainly for tweezing body hair in larger areas, particularly after waxing. Because their long, flat edges have no angle, they're easy to use on yourself or on someone else without having to twist your wrist awkwardly. The claw tip's improvement over the square tip is visibility. Because the tweezer arms bend out in a v-shape before the tips meet, it allows you to look down and see exactly where you're tweezing. Claw tip tweezers can also be used for shaping eyebrows, but their lack of an angled edge makes them a little harder to work with than a slant tip.  Some claw tip tweezers are gold plated to provide a slightly softer, more gripping surface.

Round Tip

Round tip tweezers, like square tip and claw tip, do not have any angles.  However, the round tip takes this one step further by eliminating any sharp edges as well.  The curved design is ideal for people with sensitive skin or those who tend to pinch or cut their skin with sharper tweezer styles.  Because of the rounded design, these tweezers can be held against the skin at any angle to tweeze.

Point Tip

Point tip tweezers feature a fine, thin tip that is great for removing splinters and ingrown hair. The tips can slide under the top layer of your skin to grasp the trapped object and pull it out. Point tips are also popular for precision tweezing because their thin tips can isolate a single hair in a large area. For that reason, ultra-professional point tip tweezers can often be found in cosmetic bags. However, most point tips are staples in first aid kits.