How often did the average man get a haircut?

[LoveMyHats2]

"FlooBee".....

 

[Hercule]

Today I thought about butch but went for executive contour instead.

I want one of those! I seriously doubt my barber would know what I was talking about if I ordered an "executive contour". I remember as a young kid having a "regular" ordered for me (the tell-tale sign was to rub your fingers over the short stubby/prickly hair at the back of the head) Now what I wouldn't give to get a good and consistent regular.

 

[gtdean48]

All through the 60's, my grandfather & father went weekly.
More about the information obtained than the hairs shortened....

 

[skyvue]

I wrote about this a few weeks back in another thread, but in September, I got my hair cut by the world's oldest barber (he's 101 -- perhaps 102 by now -- and has been cutting his hair since his teens). I asked him how often most guys got their hair cut in the 1920s and '30s, he said the young guys came in every two weeks or so; the older men, a bit less often.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Haircut, Please!

Among other things that I am finding it increasingly difficult to get, is a haircut. I just can't seem to bring myself to make the first move.

In my more soigné days I had no difficulty in walking right into a barber shop every Tuesday (I chose Tuesday because it is the day that Variety comes out) and saying, in ringing tones, "Haircut, please." Those were the days when I was known as "Beau Bob."

But gradually, as my life became more sedentary, I began to find it difficult to leave the house until after the barber shops had closed. Those that were open in the evening somehow didn't have the knack of fixing my peculiar hair-line in back so that I didn't look like a shepherd.

It got to be once every two weeks instead of once every week, and then once every three weeks. Now, for the greater part of each month, I give the impression of having just come from Oberammergau to look for a job. In Hollywood, it is just taken for granted that I am working in "Mutiny on the Bounty."

* * * * *

Several times I have tried having a barber come into my place and cut my hair, since it is obvious that I am never going to be able to get out to his place. This luxury, however, suffuses me with a sense of decadence, and I feel that all I need is three or four dancing girls to bring about the Revolution, with me at the bottom of the pile. Also, it takes quite a lot of nerve to call the barber.

The thing has now reached a stage where it is practically a phobia. When, by some convulsion of Nature, I do find myself in front of a barber shop in the daytime, I stand and look inside, hoping that all the chairs are occupied.

If they are not, I sometimes wait until they are. Then I go on my way with an easy conscience. I guess that the answer is that I shall have to learn to cut my own hair. I am dreading that phase.
....................................................................................................................................................

From "My Ten Years In A Quandary (and how they grew)" by Robert Benchley. First published 1936. His humorous take on the haircut question.

 

[Gregg Axley]

After looking at the chart provided, I can see how people could get their haircut every 2-3 weeks.
Especially with the styling that was needed to fit the day.
For me I let it go to 6 weeks.
Thankfully I've been with the same barber for 30yrs.
In that time, his price has doubled, but it's still less than $15 dollars.
I'm not complaining.

 

[mrtman]

About 3 weeks.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Interesting to see how often it was then. I get mine done about once a month on average. Mom cuts mine, so whenever we both have a convenient time for it.

 

[Gregg Axley]

Interesting to see how often it was then. I get mine done about once a month on average. Mom cuts mine, so whenever we both have a convenient time for it.

Your mom cuts your hair? That makes complaining about a bad haircut darn near impossible, unless you want to screw up your birthday and Christmas.
BTW my sister used to cut her kids hair (and her husbands) 15yrs ago, to save money.
They were never sure if she was using the same pair of clippers that were used on the dog or not, like that mattered.

 

[Hercule]

Your mom cuts your hair? That makes complaining about a bad haircut darn near impossible, unless you want to screw up your birthday and Christmas.
BTW my sister used to cut her kids hair (and her husbands) 15yrs ago, to save money.
They were never sure if she was using the same pair of clippers that were used on the dog or not, like that mattered.

I think I stopped going to the barber when I became a teenager, then my mom cut my hair until I got to college. I guess she did a decent job as I don't remember having any complaints. Now I want someone who KNOWS what they're doing and are EXPERIENCED to begin with. Much as I really like it when I get my hair cut, I just can't bring myself to going any sooner (say, every 2 weeks) than when I feel I need it. . I suppose if I were a suit and tie everyday person I would go sooner rather than later, but I'm not so I have a tendency to go when it starts to get thick and shaggy and is unruly* My mother in law does my father in law's hair - a #1 all over.

*A couple of years ago I figured out that my hair behaved better if I didn't shampoo so often (did a thread on it back then, you can search for it if interested). Well, what came of that is that I haven't used shampoo or soap in my hair since (I think going on 2 years now). As I don't use product, I rinse with piping hot water when in the shower and that has been sufficient to keep my hair clean and healthy (as my barber affirms). It didn't take long at all for my scalp to stop freaking out and over compensating for having the natural oils soaped out on a daily basis, maybe week at most. Actually I think my hair has never been softer.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My Grandmother owns one of the biggest shops around here, has a men's and women's section separately. Mom worked there when she was younger and definitely picked up plenty of skill. I've never had a bad cut.

Your mom cuts your hair? That makes complaining about a bad haircut darn near impossible, unless you want to screw up your birthday and Christmas.
BTW my sister used to cut her kids hair (and her husbands) 15yrs ago, to save money.
They were never sure if she was using the same pair of clippers that were used on the dog or not, like that mattered.

 

[TomS]

Every two weeks...

 

[Touchofevil]

I have shaved my head most every morning for the past eighteen years. I buzzed it with a "one" for about a year
and then I decided that I felt scruffy with even that amount of hair. Even when I was a kid I wanted to shave
my head, but the only kids shaving their heads back then were the kids with head lice.

 

[O2BSwank]

I will go about once a month depending on which of the four barbers at the shop cut it, some clip it a little shorter than the others. I should probably go every three weeks. I have had to conform to a uniform code for the last thirty years and prefer my hair this length, before it was always to the bottom of the neck with a long Fu-Manchu! Still got a good head of hair at 58 and mostly black except for the 'stache. After reading a post here I started to only shampoo my hair twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays. I rinse it out with water every day. I find it looks better and holds it's shape better.

 

[skyvue]

I get mine cut every two weeks without fail.

 

[ninly]

Reading this thread reminded me of a documentary short that a buddy of mine in Brooklyn made when he was a younger filmmaker. It features a few barbers who worked during the Golden Era, and has a healthy dash of nostalgia. Here's part 1: Machine on the Sides: A Portrait of the American Barber.

 

[59KUSTOM]

Every 4 weeks works for me.