Why Everyone Should Consider Trade School

Shave And A Haircut: Two Bits About Barber Services

11 March 2016

Roberto Morrison

Old school barber shops, the ones with the spinning pole outside the front door, are quickly disappearing. However, the things you learn in barber college are often the same skills you would have used in these old-time shops. There are a few new barber classes offered these days, which teach new techniques for cutting and styling, but all of the services mentioned below are still the things you will learn and use the most.

Hot Towels and Shaving

Hot towels are still used in barber shops and men's hair salons. Why? Because hot, moist towels on your face create the same effect you get when you take a hot shower in the morning and then shave right out of the shower. The pores open up, the hair follicles stand up and the facial hair is easily shaved off with few nicks or cuts because you do not have to drag the razor over the skin repeatedly to catch missed hairs.

Using hot towels prior to shaving a client's face is an art form, however. You will need to learn how hot is too hot, and how long the towel should be left on the client's face before you take it off and begin to lather him up. If you also intend to use an old-fashioned straight razor rather than a modern razor, be sure to practice on yourself and/or your male classmates at barber school a lot before you attempt to use one on a client. It will help you learn the exact amount of pressure to apply during a shave so that you are taking only the facial hair off (and nothing else!).

Haircuts

Most men's haircuts are pretty straightforward. Short or medium length is a pretty common request. Buzz cuts, or military cuts, are also a common request, especially in summer when a shorn head is more comfortable than one with hair. Men's hairstyles through the ages have had different lengths on the top of the head, sides of the head and the back of the head, and you may learn how to complete these haircuts too. 

In barber school, you will learn how to cut hair with electric clippers and shears. Additionally, your instructors will teach you how to cut men's hair to specific lengths to match the clients' requests using one or both of these tools to accomplish the task. Some of your future clients may even prefer the shears to the clippers and specifically ask that you not use the clippers on them! 

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