Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid to Ask for What You Want at the Barbershop

Many people that come into our barbershops become a bit tongue tied when it comes to the consultation stage of their haircut. This can be for a number of reasons from anxiety or shyness through to not understanding the process or even knowing really what they want.

Our barbers have compiled this blog in order to help you, the customer, sit in the barber chair and have the confidence to ask for exactly how you want your hair.

Did you know that your barber wants you to explain your haircut in as much detail as possible? This is because when you take a seat in our chair, in order for us to create your perfect cut, we need to build a mental image of this haircut on you all in our mind before we even pick up a pair of scissors.

This seems quite a difficult thing to do but years of training and experience has given us this ability to craft your haircut in our heads and see it on you before we have begun to cut.

You may recall times where your Barber or Hairdresser has recommended slight alterations to your explanation of how you would like your hair. This is because they have built that mental image in their heads and can see that this haircut may not best suit your hair type or head shape.

This is why we need to gather as much information as we can before starting your haircut. We call this stage of your service the 'Consultation'.

during your consultation we want to know how you usually like to brush or comb your hair, how often you want to wash it, if and what products you like to use, what length you would like to have your fringe, top, back and sides, if you want your neckline tapered or squared off? along with many other questions we may ask specifically relating to how we see your hair on that particular day.

So, what is stopping you from taking control of your consultation?

Shyness / Anxiety

let's start with being too shy to speak up. We come across this very often, I mean, we serve thousands of customers every year and we know you have absolutely nothing to worry about. The anxiety of you speaking up in a hub full of men can definitely be daunting but we are not here to judge you, we are here to perform a first-class service for you, and as one of our customers each and every one of you are entitled to the perfect service you deserve. So, feel unjudged and take this time to come out of your shell. There is a good blog on how to understand what shyness is and how to start to overcome it on a website called 16 personalities which we include the link here. It's a great way to break down those barriers one step at a time.

SEN

Maybe you suffer from special educational needs and that is making it difficult to talk to your barber? You can be assured that you are not the first customer that needs a little extra attention. If you can, explain to your barber that you have special educational needs or have someone who is accompanying you explain this. If your barber is aware of this, they can adjust their approach to suit your needs. We can explain things in a way that is easier to understand or maybe you dislike some of the equipment we usually use? in this situation we can switch out tools so you don't have to sit through an experience you wish to avoid. ultimately your haircut should be a positive experience and putting it bluntly, a bit of you time.

No Idea What to Have

We hear on a daily basis a customer when asked what he would like? say 'I don't know'. This may seem a bit odd considering a person wears their hair in a particular way every single day of their life but if we look into this deeper, it could be another reason than simply not knowing what you have. Maybe it's one of the reasons above and saying 'I don't know' is an easy way of quickly exiting the conversation or situation however, this usually only prolongs to consultation because your barber cannot read minds. We are professionals and want to get your haircut exactly right for you and we simply cannot do that without some information to go on. In a situation where you really don't know how you want your hair; we will generally break the haircut down into areas and ask for direction on length on various parts of the hair bit by bit until we have built that image of how you want your hair in our minds... Sometimes, on rare occasions. even this proves impossible as every answer we may get will be 'don't Know' 'Don't Know'. In this instance we really don't have much to go on at all so we will generally follow what we think you most likely had before based on how your hair is laying and how long it's been since you last had a haircut.

Building a Rapport with Your Barber

Building a positive relationship with your barber can greatly influence your final haircut and has a huge impact on your overall experience. Every head of hair is different. There are no two heads the same. This is why cut after cut, by building this relationship with your barber, your barber will start to learn your hair, head shape and be able to manage your expectations a lot easier. This leads us onto our net subject:

Waiting for particular barbers

Some people prefer to wait for a particular barber, this can be for many reasons but most often it's because they have felt a connection with that barber in the past and would like to build on that relationship. This is human nature, some people we just take to and want to spend more time with that person. As barbers we understand this is part of our industry and we take no offence if you would prefer another barber to cut your hair. We want you to have the best experience possible in our shop, It's your time and we want you to enjoy it. If there is a barber you would prefer and another barber calls you into their chair, simply say 'May I wait for this other barber please' you will not offend anyone and in some cases the barber you're asking may even relish the opportunity to take 5 minutes for a breather or a bite to eat so don't be afraid to ask, We all have client that wait for any one of us for one reason or another.

The End of Your Service

The time has come... The haircut is complete, the banter has finished, and the laughs and relationship building has all but come to an end. The barber has picked up the mirror to show you what you like in all your finery... From behind... but... are you completely happy? Despite popular belief, we are not showing you the mirror so you can see how you look to the chap behind you in a queue at your favourite supermarket... We are giving you a final chance to speak up and let us know if your hair at the back is how you want it? is it short enough? is the taper correct? did you want it taken up a bit or have you changed your mind and now want the bottom squared off? This is once again your time to give us your input because once you are out of the chair and we release you back into the wild, that's it my friend. We cannot do anything about it after that point in most cases... (Usually within a couple of days you can come back and say actually, I want it a little shorter etc and we can amend the haircut to suit this new change of heart) however, we do appreciate it if you let us know there and then so we can make any final adjustments.

So, there you have it. our first blog.. We hope that you have found it somewhat enlightening, and we really do hope that you use it on your next service so that you can get the most out of your time with us.