Thread: Any Barbers out there?

I too am getting ready to go to barber school. Currently saving money to live with while waiting my turn on the waiting list. This thread over at Badger & Blade has been very helpful for me.

Did you link the wrong thread, maybe, perhaps??

I really like this thread as I am a Barber in the Hilton Head, SC Area.

I would like to address a few concerns here.

• First, in SC, it is not illegal to use a real straight razor. I don't know about other states as I am only currently registered in SC. The same solutions, that sanitize our combs, or the UV sterilization cases that sterilize clipper blades and scissors will sterilize straights just fine for public use.
• AIDS seems to be the virus that alarms people will dealing with the public. I have researched this through many qualified doctors. In order for a barber or patron to contract AIDS the cuts on each person would have to be made simultaneously and immediately the two bleeding areas would have to touch. The AIDS virus is a very weak virus and dies almost instantly when exposed to the air.
• Many Barbers will say its illegal because they simply don't want to mess with it. In fact the way i found out it was legal in SC was when one goes to get their license they test you on shaving procedures. So i asked, why do you test people on shaves if they are illegal to perform. The man at the barber board said, "who told you it was illegal, they are legal" The barber who owned the shop i worked for at the time told me that. NOW i own my own shop.
• As far as shaving brushes, I have a local potter whom i have contracted with to custom make shaving mugs. We are having a mug rack made, just like in the old days, where our clients will have their own mugs with their names on them for all to see. Pretty cool.
• Back to sterilization: You know the clippers or T-edgers barbers use to clean around the ears? Patrons don't realize this many times those tools cause bleeding if a barber must go over an area several times to get those stubborn hairs, and many barbers never sanitize those clippers. We do of course but many don't.

Now for you my friend going in to Barbering. It is a wonderful profession. I Have been barbering for 16 years. I have a wife and 3 kids and my wife stays at home with the kids. Barbering has been very good to us. I must say though, it takes time. You have to develop a clientele and that takes time. Don't do it because you are thinking of quitting high school early and it is the only profession you can do with a GED. Find a real good BARBER school and it may mean you have to go to another state to learn. I did! It is not a get rich quick profession or a profession to get rich at anytime but as I am witnessing, its almost recession proof.

I would love to speak with you about this and answer any questions you may have.

GOOD LUCK and Happy Shaving!

Originally Posted by kevbell

Did you link the wrong thread, maybe, perhaps??

Oops. Downside to using a phone for all my browsing needs I suppose. Do you have an interest in barbering? - Badger & Blade

Originally Posted by Muirtach

Oops. Downside to using a phone for all my browsing needs I suppose. Do you have an interest in barbering? - Badger & Blade

I've been following that thread for some time also. There is a brand new college that has opened up less than 40 mi. from here. I went to check it out.

Very nice person. One teacher and two part time students now. He just got his instructor license not too long ago. The upside would be more individual attention.

The school that impressed me the most is two hours away in Ft. Wayne. I went to visit them one day. Nice school and instructor. It's a cosmetology and barber school combined. Cosmo. on one side and barber school on the other. It's in a busy shopping district with a lot of walk in.

The only prob. is the commute. I would probably have to find a room to rent for the week and come home for the weekend. Plus my mortgage and all my other expenses.

Ohh, the things to think about.....

Kev

great to hear from some of the Barbers out there, Im going into the profession from many years in the EMS field and would like to pursure barbering as craft and art, get some good mentoring and skill then open my own shop when the time is right, if i gotta move to make this happen after my apprenticeship then i will. sound like SC should be on my list

Barbers use straights- non-disposable- in Illinois.

Matt

Hi Guys,
I have been a barber in NJ for 25+ years. The reason so few people/places shave any more is TIME = $. In the late 1970's when men started getting their hair "styled" the barbers found they could make way more money styling mens hair than giving shaves. So the skill base deteriorated as new barbers and stylists entered the industry but did learn how to give a real shave they only learned enough to pass their state test. Then along came aides and states like CA, NY, Florida started banning the use of straight razors, so now there was another reason for not learning how to shave. As you all know to be good at giving a close shave you must invest time and do it often, but why if they can make more money doing hairstyles..... it's simple math, figure out how long it takes to give the kind of service your talking about, then figure out how many you can do in a day, can you live on that after expenses of owning and running a barbershop (rent, insurance, supplies, advertising, etc ). I highly recommend a business plan, it's takes time and research to do a thorough job, but it's very eye opening and a good reality check before you plunge into your dream only to find you can't eat at the end of the day.

Jolene

Originally Posted by Jolene

Hi Guys,
I have been a barber in NJ for 25+ years. The reason so few people/places shave any more is TIME = $. In the late 1970's when men started getting their hair "styled" the barbers found they could make way more money styling mens hair than giving shaves. So the skill base deteriorated as new barbers and stylists entered the industry but did learn how to give a real shave they only learned enough to pass their state test. Then along came aides and states like CA, NY, Florida started banning the use of straight razors, so now there was another reason for not learning how to shave. As you all know to be good at giving a close shave you must invest time and do it often, but why if they can make more money doing hairstyles..... it's simple math, figure out how long it takes to give the kind of service your talking about, then figure out how many you can do in a day, can you live on that after expenses of owning and running a barbershop (rent, insurance, supplies, advertising, etc ). I highly recommend a business plan, it's takes time and research to do a thorough job, but it's very eye opening and a good reality check before you plunge into your dream only to find you can't eat at the end of the day.

Hi Jolene,
What you said makes sense. I just wanted to comment that a barber I visited this summer charges more for a shave than a haircut. It made sense to me since he goes through two disposable razors per shave. I suspect a style costs more than his haircut as well, @ $17.00. I don't know, I haven't had my hair cut in a shop for about 20 years.

Barbershop Prices :: Gentlemen's Barber

Originally Posted by Jolene

Hi Guys,
The reason so few people/places shave any more is TIME = $.

Jolene

Great Reply Jolene. One issue many barbers have had over the years, including myself is not raising the price with inflation. Now, of course, is not a good time to raise prices. Thank goodness for history repeating itself. Or at least the interest people have in nostalgia and just plane feeling good and wanting a relaxing shave. We are able to do shaves and make them profitable. We actually make a little extra when we do a shave than a hair cut. The process we use is very much like a spa experience so we can charge more.

Love your tip about a business plan. this will be important for those interested in becoming a barber because if one does an effective business plan hopefully it will include the location at which one practices their barbering skills. I would venture to say it would be a more profitable trade in a place like Atlanta, than a place like Mayberry. The great thing about barbering now is so many young people are seeking out barbers who have that old timey feel but can also give a great contemporary hair cut. I LOVE WHAT I DO!