Hair cuts

[HodgePodge]

I think if possible you should find a different barber, and if not possible, ask them these questions next time you go in.

I do have a few more I've been meaning to try, but they are all quite a distance from where I live. The one I've been going to is a 6-8 chair place smack-dab in the middle of a mall that is surrounded by a large population of "old timers," so I figured it was a safe bet. Part of the Problem is that never usually get the barber I want because you get your hair cut by whichever barber has been waiting the longest for a customer. I know I could say "I want so-and-so" and wait, but I'd feel like a jerk doing that.

The other thing I find with "barbers" vs. "stylists" is that most of the barbers I've ever tried aren't very approachable when it comes to trying to explain what I want. They don't usually ask for clarification short of "boxed or tapered?" and "trim the sideburns?" and they certainly don't make suggestions.

In retrospect, the best/"closest to what I asked for" cut I ever got was the one where I came out of the chair looking like I was a West Point graduate circa 1914. It wasn't what I'd had in mind, and I certainly wasn't comfortable with it, but it was a heck of a cut. I haven't been back solely because he doesn't razor the neck, and did a pretty poor job clearing the cut hair off after he was done.

 

[flat-top]

Sinestro must have been reading this thread before his last trip to the barber.

 

[markthebarber]

I imagine a fair number of gentlemen on here have the sides and back done with clippers/razors, but I was wondering, among those of you whose barber does the sides with scissors, do they make use of thinning shears? I have an idea that it is at least contributing to an annoying case of "frizz" where I get random hairs on the sides and the back curling out. Then again, maybe my hair doesn't like Murray's, or Murray's doesn't like my hair...

Should I be requesting that the thinners not be used?

Also, when I get my hair cut without any pomade in it, they cut it in a way that makes it very hard to style, but when I have it cut with pomade in, they cut it in a way that almost forces me to keep it styled 7 days a week because there's all sorts of wonky lengths that just don't lay right when it's not plastered down by Murray's.

Comments, suggestions?

It's hard to know whether the thinning shears are the cause of your problem without really seeing your hair up close. But it's certainly possible. Thinning shears only cut some of the hairs, so it's possible that those hairs are being cut too short, which for thick or course hair would make them stick out or otherwise not lay flat.

Thinning shears were used a lot back in the 50s and 60s as a quick and dirty way to make hair lay flat against the head. I have a how-to book of cuts from that period written for barbers where the instructions on almost all of the cuts longer than a crew are that the sides and back should be "well-thinned." One barber said he used to call them "Saturday Specials" because they'd be used a lot on busy Saturdays. He claims that they never did a very good job, and slicking the hair down was the only way to get it to look decent.

As for the pomade thing, I'm going to suggest that when you go for a cut, you use a very light application of pomade. Enough to give the barber the basic idea of how you wear it, but not so much that it affects the cut.

 

[RichardH]

markthebarber, is that you in your avatar? That is a mighty sharp haircut if I might say so myself!

 

[markthebarber]

markthebarber, is that you in your avatar? That is a mighty sharp haircut if I might say so myself!

I agree--it's the perfect late 50s/early 60s businessman haircut--but it's not me. But I sort of favor classic traditional cuts like that. Some people are into the 30s/40s thing, others are into the 50s pomp thing, but I've always been a fan of those really classic, traditional cuts worn by average Joes back in the day. The guy in the picture is just some random office worker who was in a photo with a bunch of other people.

As it happens, that photo is a good illustration of what I was saying about thinning shears above. You can see the guy has reasonably thick hair on top. See how the side below the part is long enough to comb back but still lays flat against his head? It's definitely been thinned out.

 

[brylcreem boy]

I agree--it's the perfect late 50s/early 60s businessman haircut--but it's not me. But I sort of favor classic traditional cuts like that. Some people are into the 30s/40s thing, others are into the 50s pomp thing, but I've always been a fan of those really classic, traditional cuts worn by average Joes back in the day. The guy in the picture is just some random office worker who was in a photo with a bunch of other people.

I

As it happens, that photo is a good illustration of what I was saying about thinning shears above. You can see the guy has reasonably thick hair on top. See how the side below the part is long enough to comb back but still lays flat against his head? It's definitely been thinned out.

I sport this same "Average Joe haircut". Mark is right the thinning shears were used alot. My barber uses them on my top occasionally and the sides when I slick the sides back. My hair does tend to look better when slicked down, but then again these styles were intended to be slicked down. Mine tends to look crooked if I don't slick it because my barber (as barbers did back then) cuts the top of my hair to be longer where it parts and then get short as it moves away from the part, they called it "graduating the weight to the longer side". Thus the end result is you can find the part easier and it makes the hair lay down and stay parted more easily. So unless I want to have angled bangs, I always slick mine and comb it back over the top. This is very much a haircut that has been cut specifically for the style, it is only meant to be parted and will look lopsided if you try to style it differently. Glad to see you like these same styles Mark, I think they are classic and never out of style!

 

[brylcreem boy]

I really like that avatar pic Mark, that would serve as a good pic to take to my barber to get mine closer to that, do you mind me asking where you found that photo?

 

[RichardH]

It's my favorite haircut too, pompadours are nice, but I've always liked that slicked down, no-nonsense haircut.. I'll definitely have to ask my barber to use the thinning shears next time! And please do post pictures of that hairstyle if you have any!

 

[markthebarber]

It's my favorite haircut too, pompadours are nice, but I've always liked that slicked down, no-nonsense haircut.. I'll definitely have to ask my barber to use the thinning shears next time! And please do post pictures of that hairstyle if you have any!

If you do that, just make sure your barber is actually adept at the use of thinning shears. This technique of thinning the sides fell out of favor a long time ago.

As for more pictures, here you go. I don't know how we'll they'll print--they're pretty small and low-res. But I included several different angles.

 

[markthebarber]

Mine tends to look crooked if I don't slick it because my barber (as barbers did back then) cuts the top of my hair to be longer where it parts and then get short as it moves away from the part, they called it "graduating the weight to the longer side". Thus the end result is you can find the part easier and it makes the hair lay down and stay parted more easily. So unless I want to have angled bangs, I always slick mine and comb it back over the top. This is very much a haircut that has been cut specifically for the style, it is only meant to be parted and will look lopsided if you try to style it differently.

Absolutely right, although I tend to think (and this is just a guess) that angled bangs tended to be given more to children, as a way of forcing them to wear their hair exactly the way their parents wanted them to. I used to end up with them all the time as a tyke in the early 70s. I'd want to wear my hair combed straight down on my forehead, which drove my parents nuts. When they'd finally force me to get a haircut, I'd always end up with a very traditional side-parted haircut with the bangs cut at a 45 degree diagonal angle, from one side to the other. There was no way to comb the bangs down or even wear it without the side part without it looking like a mistake. You literally HAD to wear it exactly the way the barber and your parents proscribed.

If you ever come across any pictures of those kinds of angled bangs or are willing to post photos of your own, that'd be great. They're almost impossible to find for obvious reasons.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Got my hair cut today. I apologize for the sub-par cell phone photos and the worn out expression on my face, I've been up about 20 hours lol

 

[HodgePodge]

Mine tends to look crooked if I don't slick it because my barber (as barbers did back then) cuts the top of my hair to be longer where it parts and then get short as it moves away from the part, they called it "graduating the weight to the longer side". Thus the end result is you can find the part easier and it makes the hair lay down and stay parted more easily.

Aha! That's exactly what I was meaning by "wonky lengths." Well atleast now know that is how it is supposed to be.

It's hard to know whether the thinning shears are the cause of your problem without really seeing your hair up close. But it's certainly possible. Thinning shears only cut some of the hairs, so it's possible that those hairs are being cut too short, which for thick or course hair would make them stick out or otherwise not lay flat.

It's actually the longer hairs that I think are giving me grief. Some of them curve up in a U shape, others double curl so I wind up with hairs sticking out and down in a ~ shape.

From the replies it sounds like the barbers are doing exactly what needs to be done, so it is quite possibly a matter of my hair not being entirely suited for what I'm trying to get.

Thanks to those who took the time to reply.

 

[djd]

Whist waiting for some nu-Nile to arrive in the post, today I resorted to brillcream. I have to say, it actually did a better job on my hair than any of the other myriad hair products I've tried recently. Kept my hair in place, looked a bit glossy and hasn't turned my grey bits yellow!

 

[RichardH]

That is a mean haircut Tom! May I ask what product you used to style it?

 

[markthebarber]

Whist waiting for some nu-Nile to arrive in the post, today I resorted to brillcream. I have to say, it actually did a better job on my hair than any of the other myriad hair products I've tried recently. Kept my hair in place, looked a bit glossy and hasn't turned my grey bits yellow!

Interesting. Brylcreem actually used to make a special version just for guys with grey hair, so I would have assumed that the original version would have been yellowing.

Never been a fan of Brylcreem. I could take or leave the smell of it in the tube, but after it sits on my hair for a hour or two it starts to smell sort of musty, which intensifies throughout the day. I've heard that the version that was so popular in the 50s smelled quite different than the current version.

 

[The Good]

Interesting. Brylcreem actually used to make a special version just for guys with grey hair, so I would have assumed that the original version would have been yellowing.

Never been a fan of Brylcreem. I could take or leave the smell of it in the tube, but after it sits on my hair for a hour or two it starts to smell sort of musty, which intensifies throughout the day. I've heard that the version that was so popular in the 50s smelled quite different than the current version.

Really? I wonder if that's true. I'm a pretty frequent user of Brylcreem myself. I don't mind the smell at all, and I think it's pleasant. But as my hair has grown longer (it's been two months since my last short back and sides cut), whenever I use a quarter size dab, my hair takes in less of the shine/grease effect, yet stays in place, and assumes a drier appearance as the day goes on. Is this normal for everyone else? I'm not really having a problem with it, it's just something I noticed. I actually don't seriously grease my hair as much as I used to, as I tend to apply smaller amounts right now to conserve a bit.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My new favorite weapon of choice, for the last few months at least.

That is a mean haircut Tom! May I ask what product you used to style it?

 

[markthebarber]

Really? I wonder if that's true. I'm a pretty frequent user of Brylcreem myself. I don't mind the smell at all, and I think it's pleasant. But as my hair has grown longer (it's been two months since my last short back and sides cut), whenever I use a quarter size dab, my hair takes in less of the shine/grease effect, yet stays in place, and assumes a drier appearance as the day goes on. Is this normal for everyone else? I'm not really having a problem with it, it's just something I noticed. I actually don't seriously grease my hair as much as I used to, as I tend to apply smaller amounts right now to conserve a bit.

Yup, same here. After a few hours it seems to disappear to the point where I might as well not used anything at all. But it must still be there, because the musty stench remains.

 

[brylcreem boy]

My new favorite weapon of choice, for the last few months at least.

I have been using that stuff too Tom, it leaves a nice sheen, holds better then Brylcreem, makes my hair feel thick, and has a nice lasting old school scent. It is a bit greasier than the Groom and Cleam I usually use, but it seems to hold better and make my hair feel thicker.

 

[DoolittleRaider]

ive having these exact problems and it wasnt until i found my old magazine called Classic Style and i bought it to my nearest great clips and showed it to the girl that was cutting my hair, she was very pretty and i showed her what i wanted, it was a picture of Matt Deckard, she looked at it closely and started cutting, later on she started asking me what magazine it was and i told her. She then asked me what kind of style i was going for and i told her, that i was a reenactor or WWII and i loved the vintage style haircuts of old hollywood, she started to blush and said that i looked very sexy in my new haircut.

when it was all said and done, i thought of what to use to keep the shape because my haior has a tendency to want to fall and go forward into my face.

any suggestions fellas?