Thread: Barber Shop Stories

I would venture to say that almost everyone has heard an entertaining story about shaving while in a Barber Shop. I would like to hear from those who have an interesting story they have overheard while in a Shop. Here's mine.

In the early 70's I was in getting a haircut in a shop in downtown Birmingham, AL. As was my custom I always talked to the barbers about straight razor shaving as at that time I was begining to learn and wanted to obtain all the knowledge I could

The barber I was using told me that after the Korean War he had attended Barber College in Florida and his first job was in a shop in Cullman,AL. Cullman is a small city in Northwest Alabama and at that time was farming country settled predominately by people of German Heritage.

The farmers would come to town on Saturday to buy supplys and would come to the shop for their weekly shave.

One particular farmer was a hard man to shave.

One day the owner of the shop was preparing the gentleman for a shave when he was overheard telling the farmer that he had worked out a special product that would wilt a beard and gurantee a smooth close shave.

The barber disapeared into the back of the sho and came back in a few minutes with a culped had with some liquid in it. He spread it over the farmer's face, lathered and then shaved the man.
The old farmer got out of the chair and stated that was the best shave he had eve had and was did he use .

The barber stated that he had been working for years to develope a preshave ointment and had tried many lotions, creams, consulted with drugist and had expiermented with several herbs and was nearing the end of his research and planed to sell his product to one of the major shaving product companys.

The barber said he tried to find out what was the secret to the liquid the owner of the shop used but he would not share his secret.

After a year or two the young barber decided to move on to another shop and upon his departure he ask the old barber one last time what with the secret beard product.

The old barber took him into the back of the shop unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a can of
QUAKER STATE SUPER BLEND 10 W 30 detergent MOTOR OIL and stated that 3 or 4 drops worked every time, laughed, slapped the young barber on the back and walked out.

I may try it one day.

Thanks for sharing that story with us! I don't have any barber stories to tell... being only 23 I haven't had the honour of getting shaved by a barber yet. I'm not surprised that motor oil would work, although I don't think I'm brave enough to put that on my face....

Dave

Great story. Motor oil, who knew?

I've talked to the local barbers about the good old days.

One of the barbers in his 70's told me that when he was in Barber College, his instructor for straight razor shaving would shave his own face for the class without removing the edge of his razor off his face at any time from the beginning of the shave to the end. The razor never left the instructor's face and would just travel around back and forth, up and down instead.

The old barber I was talking with tried to recall exactly how it was done by using his hand, and said it had of course been so long since he saw it happen, that he could not remember every detail.

Chris L

I have cousins; 3 boys in each family. By happenstance they all were going to get haircuts on the same day.

One of my uncles hated long hair and called ahead to insist his boys recieve a burr #1. The other uncle was just happy the school rules had boys keep their hair collar length.( in the early 70's) Only problem was the long hair boys got there first. Armed with strict instructions from the wrong Mr. T the barber made them sit down for a full clipping. The second bunch arrived and got their burs as well but it sure made the first buch upset to realize they could have stayed getting laid with their long cool hair. ha ha