In the aftermath of the horrendous slaughter of the children and adults at Sandy Hook School, this is written. We, as hands-on professionals, have a fairly unique opportunity to the people we come into contact with in our work. Our relationship to our customers isn’t just to shorten or otherwise change the little things that […]

As you no doubt know, there are a number of skills that go into expert clipper cutting–none more important than developing the right touch. This skill has to do with how much pressure is applied as the clipper’s teeth touch the scalp while traveling up the sides and back. * If the pressure is too […]

Recently I got a phone order from a barber school student. He was very happy to find my website and the sample videos there–those samples taught him more than he was getting from his schooling and he was not very happy about it. During the nearly thirty years I’ve been in the haircutting how-to business, […]

A “fade” or extra short tapered haircut has become quite popular with younger folks in the recent past. Older men have liked these haircuts for many years, but for them it’s been called a “clipper-all-around” haircut, or a “regular haircut with no sideburns”. This haircut goes from having a visible scalp around the sides and […]

A customer comes in with a head of hair that had been growing for a long time, say six months for example. This hairy customer wants their six months of growth (or more) cut off. As you can imagine, you have a difficult job on your hands. Extra long hair is hard to handle, to […]

As I began building my barber skills, my primary teacher was my Dad. He gave me knowledge that guided me through a barber school education that was poor at best. When my instructors left me scratching my head, Dad had the words and hands-on demonstrations that made sense and gave me the skills I needed. […]

One way to make your skills obviously different (and better) than the majority of hair professionals is to offer a neck shave with your haircut. Make this an optional part of the haircut because some aren’t comfortable with something new–that will probably change as they see it done on others. Your neck shave can be […]

Todays world of haircare has seen the rise of a number corporate/franchise/chair shops. Many of these businesses have thousands of locations around the country. Typically these establishments hire cosmetologists rather than barbers. Their employees are well-trained in chemical treatments and the use of products or appliances that change the way a person’s hair would naturally […]

Once in a while you’ll have a customer come in who is about to have a special occasion in their life–a wedding, a “senior picture” for the yearbook, etc. Whenever photos are going to be taken, expect to leave the hair longer than they usually get it. Photos with flash bulbs will make a medium […]

Originally posted 7/11/11 After nearly 50 years of practicing my craft, I’ve worked through about four recessions. Some had no impact on the number of customers coming through the door; a couple saw a 5 to 10% loss of income. Then there’s today’s recession–this one is a “dilly”. According to my barber supply man, virtually […]

My years of putting together the videos was done with the goal of helping professionals and beginners improve their skills. Besides skill development, another goal I kept in mind for the “newbies” was building their confidence that haircutting is something they could do. From the feedback I’ve received from customers, the videos have done what […]

I used to work with a barber who would begin his haircut with the standard question: “How would you like your haircut?” You’ll get a wide range of answers to that question, but some of the more common ones are: “Just give it a trim.” or “I like a regular haircut.” or “Cut the long […]