Becoming A Barber: Days 34-39 – The Beard From Hell & Women’s Hair

I had a client come in for a shave with a very tough beard.  I’ve seen steel brushes that were softer than the hair on this man’s face.  He warned me that the hair was tough so I proceeded with caution.  I encountered problems when it felt like my razor hit a wall.  One of […]

I had a client come in for a shave with a very tough beard.  I’ve seen steel brushes that were softer than the hair on this man’s face.  He warned me that the hair was tough so I proceeded with caution.  I encountered problems when it felt like my razor hit a wall.  One of the keys to the straight razor shave is finding the right angle to shave.  It took some creativity, but I figured out the best angles for his hair, which grew in all kinds of directions.  I also got to try out a new razor – the DOVO shavette.

It is truly a great razor with perfect balance and weight.  It was recommended by a barber who works at a high end barber shop so I took advantage of a sale and picked one up.  The blade sits in a red, plastic sleeve that actually covers the corner edge of the blade.  It is a nice feature that prevents cuts from the corner edge of the blade and I actually saw it in action while shaving the beard from hell. Overall the shave took me about 50 minutes.  No nicks, no cuts.  Not too shabby considering his hair was like wire.  He was pleased with the shave and told me he had recently gone to a barber shop to try a hot towel shave to see what it was like.  He said they were very rough on his face and that they cut him.  I took it as a compliment.

I also got the opportunity to try my hand at cutting women’s hair.  First, a 6 year old girl came into the shop with her mom looking for a cut.  I was the only available barber so she sat in my chair.  I immediately started asking for help since I had no clue what to do.  Luckily a talented cosmetologist, who is training to be a barber, was on her way  out when she saw me staring at this girl’s hair.  She offered to cut the hair while teaching me the basics.  I, of course, was more than happy to watch since I had been ready to give that poor girl a fade haircut.  The cosmo worked quickly and it was evident she was a bona fide pro.  She demonstrated how to section the hair and establish the guide line.  The girl’s hair was curly so she used conditioner to straighten it out for the cut.  She gave her a nice even cut and then demonstrated how layers work.  Of course, I still would not dare touch a woman’s hair, but it was nice to see how the process works.

A couple of days later, an older woman came into the shop looking for an even haircut.  I happily volunteered and started the cut with the knowledge that I acquired the day before.  The instructor kept a watchful eye and gave me some pointers but overall it was a very good, even cut.

1,264 hours left.