c/barbers

Had an older barber tell me razoring was a shortcut, not a skill

He watched me do a textured cut on a client at the shop in Cleveland last month and said I was taking the easy way out with my razor work. But I think modern texture methods have their place, so which side do you come down on for fine hair clients?

Hit 5000 haircuts this week and nobody noticed but me

Still seeing barbers skip the 0 gapping step on clippers

Was at a shop swap meet in Tacoma last month. Watched three different barbers do a fade. None of them zero gapped their blades first. You can see it in the blend line every time. It's not a big deal on a 1 or 2 guard. But on a 0.5 or 0 fade that skip shows up like a sore thumb. I check my Wahl Seniors every morning before the first chair. Takes 2 minutes. How do you guys get around that uneven blend without fixing the gap?

The old guys who won't let go of the straight razor on every client

I apprenticed under a guy who was 30 years in the game. He swore every man over 40 needed a straight razor finish. But here's the thing most of these guys walk in with sensitive skin from years of crap razors and they just want a clean lineup. I had a client last Thursday, guy in his 50s, asked me to skip the razor entirely. First time in 3 shops anyone listened to him. Why do we keep doing things just because that's how they were done in 1985?

Had a guy come in yesterday with hair so matted I almost turned him away

This dude walks into my chair around 3pm, looking rough. I thought it was just dreads at first but nope, his hair was completely matted into one solid mass from not washing or brushing for like 4 months straight. Took me 45 minutes just to get clippers through the worst parts without breaking my blades. I had to use some detangler spray and a wide tooth comb too, section by section. My other clients were staring like we were performing surgery lol. Charged him double my regular cut price because of the extra time and cleanup. Has anyone else dealt with matting that bad? How do you even approach it without ruining your tools?

Had an older guy tell me my fade was off by a quarter inch at the mirror

Last Tuesday this older customer sat down in my chair and I gave him what I thought was a perfect mid fade. After I spun him around he pulled out a small hand mirror and pointed to the back right side. He said it was just a hair higher there compared to the left. I checked it close and he was dead on, so I fixed it up. Any other barbers run into clients who are that detailed about their cut?

Notice more younger barbers skipping straight razor work entirely

I was at a barber meetup in Des Moines last week and out of 15 guys there, only 3 of us still do hot towel shaves. The younger guys told me they just don't want the liability or the extra time per customer. Has anyone else seen this shift, or is it just my area losing the old school touch?

Old barber told me my fade was too high and he was right

I've been cutting hair for about 2 years now, mostly friends and family. Last month a 60 year old barber named Sal came into the shop where I work part time in Pittsburgh. He watched me do a mid fade on a kid and after the customer left he just said "your fade is too high, you're leaving too much weight up top." I was kinda annoyed at first cause I thought it looked fine. But then I started paying attention to his cuts and how he blends everything lower near the temple area. Tried his method on my next 3 clients and honestly the finish looks way smoother. Has anyone else had an older barber call them out on something that actually made sense once you tried it?

Switched from clippers to straight razors for neckline cleanup about 4 months ago

I used to always use my clippers to clean up necklines and it looked fine but never really crisp. A older barber at the shop I work at in Denver told me I was leaving too much fuzz and handed me his straight razor. After about 3 weeks of practicing on my own head and some willing regulars, I finally got the hang of it. Now necklines look SHARP and I get way more compliments. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in their fades?

TIL a client's one comment made me change how I use thinning shears

Had a guy last Tuesday who's been coming to me for about 6 months. After a cut he said my blending felt 'too choppy' near the crown. Turns out I was using my thinning shears way too close to the scalp instead of mid-shaft. Fixed that and now my fades look way smoother. Anyone else get a random critique that totally shifted their technique?

Switched from spray-on to foam soap for clippers and wish I did it sooner

Used to just spray my clippers down with that alcohol based stuff between clients but it dried out my blades so fast. Switched to a foam blade wash after a barber at a shop in Austin told me about it 6 months ago and my blades stay sharp like twice as long now. Anyone else make that swap or still rocking the old school spray?

How long do you let your clipper blades cool down between cuts?

Tbh I got a busy Saturday last month where I booked back to back fades for like 5 hours straight. Around the 3rd cut I noticed my Andis Master was getting hot enough to where I could barely touch the blade. I kept going but the last 2 cuts came out choppy and I had to clean them up with my trimmer way more than usual. Now I'm wondering if I'm supposed to let them rest 10 minutes or something between heads. Do you guys swap out blades mid shift or just run them hot?

Hit a snag blending a 3 month old fade on textured hair today

I was working on this kid's hair, 4C texture, and the fade line kept showing even after I tried my usual lever play with the Andis Masters. I finally put a little water on my comb while using the corner of my trimmer blade and it smoothed that line right out. Anyone else got a weird trick for blending stubborn lines on curly textures?

That 5-second clipper oil trick I picked up from an old-timer

I was at a barber expo in Phoenix last month, and this guy who's been cutting since the 70s showed me something wild. He said you should put a single drop of oil on the clipper blade, run it for 5 seconds while cutting through a dry paper towel, then wipe it clean. I always just oiled and let it sit, thinking that was fine. He explained that the paper towel pulls out all the gunk and hair dust that gets trapped under the blade, and the oil just helps flush it through. I tried it on my Wahl Senior clippers that night and the difference in how smooth they cut the next day was crazy. Has anyone else tried this method or got a similar trick for keeping blades running fresh?

Was dead set against using a foil shaver for bald fades, then I caved

Honestly, I spent two years telling my clients that clippers and trimmers were the only way to get a clean bald fade. Then my wrist started hurting after like 4 straight skin fades in one shift last month. My buddy who works at a shop in Austin told me to try the Andis Pro Foil, said it would save my hand. I tested it on a regular customer who always complains and he literally said it felt smoother than before. Now I'm doing all my zero fades with it and I'm mad I waited this long. Any other guys made the switch and found a foil that doesn't leave missed spots on the neck?

Clipper vs. straight razor for the nape line - found out the hard way

I always used clippers for the back of the neck but tried a straight razor on a regular last week because a buddy swore it looked cleaner. One slip with the razor and the guy had a tiny cut that bled forever, took 10 minutes to stop. Anyone else stick to clippers for the nape or am I just unlucky?

Took me 4 months to realize I was fading my clipper blade the wrong direction

Was wondering why my tapers kept looking uneven until a client asked why I was going against the grain like that lmao. Any other barbers make dumb little mistakes that took way too long to catch?

Spent 45 minutes trying to fade a customer's crown

Turns out his hair grows in a double cowlick pattern I have never seen before and I had to completely restart the blend three times to get it right, has anyone else run into a weird growth pattern that just wrecked your timing?

Warning: That new clipper blade sharpening guy wrecked my favorite Wahl senior set

I dropped off my go-to clippers at a pop-up sharpening stall at the flea market out on Route 9 last Saturday. The guy promised a 10 minute turnaround but took over an hour, and when I tested them on a practice head, the blade was chattering and pulling hair bad. I had to redo a whole fade on a regular client because the line was so choppy, cost me $35 in lost time and product. I went back the next day and he was already gone, no sign or nothing. Any of you ever get burned by a mobile sharpener passing through?

Switched from clipper guards to freehand fading 6 months ago

I kept leaving lines with guards even after 4 years cutting, so I forced myself to go freehand with just my Andis Masters. Took about 10 rough haircuts before the blends started looking clean, but now I can't imagine going back - has anyone else made that jump and regretted it?

Just hit my first 50 walk-ins in a month at the shop downtown

Been barbering for about 8 months now and finally got a solid flow of people just wandering in off the street. Most of them were guys from the construction site across the street who said they liked my fade work on their buddy last Tuesday. Any of you guys remember how long it took before walk-ins became regulars?

Vent: My Clippers died mid-fade on a paying customer Friday

I was doing a nice skin fade on a regular client around 3 PM last Friday and right as I got to the zero guard my Andis Master went completely dead. Just stopped. No warning, no weird noise, nothing. I looked like an idiot standing there with half a fade and a dead tool. I had to grab my backup clippers out of my bag which are cheap Walmart specials I never use. The blade alignment was off so the cut came out choppy and I had to spend extra time cleaning it up with detail trimmers. The client was cool about it but I could tell he was annoyed he had to sit there another 15 minutes. Now I'm wondering if I should get a corded clipper as a primary so this never happens again. Anyone else have a favorite corded model that just works?

Spent $200 on a clipper sharpening stone set and it ruined two of my blades

I bought one of those fancy ceramic sharpening kits from Stealth Sharp last month, you know the one with the angle guide. Figured it would save me money in the long run, but I botched the angle on a Wahl Senior ($80 blade) and a Babyliss trimmer blade after just two tries. The ceramic stone wore down unevenly too, so now I'm out the kit cost plus replacement blades. Has anyone else had bad luck with at-home sharpening or am I just terrible at it?

I keep telling guys to stop using those cheap clipper blades from Amazon

Had a guy come in last month with a burn line on his neck from a blade that chipped mid-fade. Told him I only use Wahl or Oster blades, he said his were half the price. Has anyone else seen more of these cheap blades causing issues lately?

Clippers going dull way too fast

I see so many guys using clippers past their prime. If your blade is pulling hair, it's done. I get maybe 6 weeks out of a good set before I gotta change.