Leading Barber John Doherty of Mavericks Traditional Barbershop Letterkenny is, today, kicking off a fortnightly column on men’s grooming for Donegal Daily.
John, in his own words, is just a regular Joe soap – “Yeah, I like to put on a nice shirt and look sharp when I go out for a night, but on the other hand, you could find me nipping down to the shop in ripped jeans, covered in dirt after changing a filter on the car, I ain’t no Harry Styles so I will be keeping it very real for the gents of Donegal Daily and keeping male grooming simple for the regular guy.
“My first column will focus on an issue that a lot of men have. I see it daily in our barbershop!
“We have all been there, you go in the door of the barbershop and you give him a vague description of what you’d like.
“With your confidence brought down a peg or two, let it be the terminology we barbers throw about that you don’t understand, the fear of asking for something different, or even the fear of looking like a bit of a sissy if you get too particular with your requests in front of other lads in the barbershop.
“Most of us want the cutting to start as quick as possible and with a wing and a prayer, hopefully we will come out with something resembling what we had in mind.
“Unfortunately after a bit of aye, yep, batter on, okay and some head nodding, you end up coming out with the same mediocre haircut as everyone else who has darkened the door of your barber.
“It might be the limitations of your barber or the interest they have in you as a customer or, the lack of accurate communication just may be the culprit here?
“Today gents we are going to put you in a position to identify the first two and eliminate the latter!
“Don’t be afraid to ask your barber for exactly what you would like. If you are concerned about your mate on the couch behind you, that he doesn’t get particular about his requests, well trust me, he either does or he wishes he does.
“So the first point to note is to open up clear lines of communication and don’t be afraid to talk to your barber. Believe me, a good barber will welcome it, as clear directions will ensure he knows what you would like him to achieve.
So the next time your barber asks “Now sir, what can we do for you today?” this is what is going to happen….
- Inform your barber how long it has been since your last hair cut and if you would like to get it back to that length. Your barber will get the first indication of how short you would like your hair.
- Tell your barber the general style you would like to go for, crew cut, fade, pompadour. If you don’t know them, don’t worry about learning all these styles. It is the detail that’s important and we will be explaining all the popular styles at a later date.
- Explain how much you would like to get cut off the top. A bit, a trim, a tad is all relevant to each barber and the mood they are in. Know in inches or centimetres how much you would like taken off.
- Likewise do the same for the sides and back, know what number you get. Become familiar with the numbers on the trimmers ranging from 1- 4, 1 being very short 3mm, 4 being longer at 13mm.I
- Inform him where you would like the sides and back to fade into the hair at the top, low/medium/high fade.
- If you want your hair textured, or choppy or thinned explain this too. Be careful of over thinning, I couldn’t tell you the amount haircuts we had to fix from guys getting their hair thinned every time they would go for a haircut. Some barbers just go ahead and do it because they are asked to without realising the damage they are doing.
- Describe how you would like your neck line finished. You don’t see the back of your head, but everyone else does and it can be the making or breaking of a haircut. You can either box it off with a sharp strong line – blocked, or you can have it getting shorter and shorter into the neck using the natural hair line – tapered.
- Show him a picture on your phone, let it be of you with a previous haircut that you really liked or George Clooney (yes we have had “The George” requested several times), it is a great way to explain your request. Loads of guys do it now, barbers are visual people and a picture paints a thousand words!
- Listen…….Once you’ve told him what you’d like, a good barber will tell you if it is possible to fulfil your requests, a range of variables dictate whether you can achieve a particular hairstyle or not, hair thickness, texture, length, hairline, colour, growth direction, head shape to name but a few.
- Terminology: Numbers on the trimmers are as follows 1 – 3mm, 2 – 6mm, 3 – 10mm, 4 – 13mm.
- Thinned/thinning is the process or removing a small percentage of hair where the hair growth is very thick and makes it lighter and easier to style or manage.
- Choppy/textured is a cutting style used by your barber to create more volume and a grown-in or more natural looking finish.
- Fade/taper is a technique where the hair is getting shorter and shorter normally at the sides, back and hairline on the neck.
- Blend normally refers to when the barber “blends” the hair on the back and sides into the hair on the top of the head
- Block a sharp square finish on the hairline at the back of the neck.
We hope this will make your next visit to your barber a better one with improved results.
If you’re still not getting good results maybe it is because of your barbers’ limitations or their interest in you as a customer. If so, then it’s time to change barber.
Your barber should be consistently good, delivering a good quality service.
Loyalty to your barber should be earned and re-earned through craftsmanship not created out of habit or convenience.
Remember this is your hair and you are paying good money to get it looking sharp.
If there is anything you would like us to discuss or if you have any queries, contact us on our Facebook page Mavericks Traditional Barbershop https://www.facebook.com/Maverick-Traditional-Barbershop-1544230652533677/?fref=ts or call in to us on Lower Main Street Letterkenny.
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