What is the craziest thing that has happened in your chair?

What is the craziest thing that has happened in your chair?

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What is the craziest thing that has happened in your chair?

I get asked this pretty often, especially when I am cutting for someone who works in the restaurant industry… such as just a few minutes ago.

There are a couple stories which I tell, depending on who is in the chair and how the conversation is going.

Divine Approval?

There was a period earlier this year when we were having thunderstorms every day right around 5:00. During this time, I was cutting a mohawk a day for people, both male and female, from 6 years to over 60.

During one of the cuts, I did “the barber thing,” where I step back a couple of steps to look for anything I either missed or that I need to adjust.

This particular time, I saw that the right side seemed to be a little further toward the side of the head than the left was, so I turned on my clippers.

Just after I turned them on, there was a thunderclap outside.

The client’s eyes went wide open, and after a pause, he said “whatever you’re about to do, I think God approves.”

Does the bride know what you are about to do?

I ask a lot of questions throughout a haircut. I believe in making sure before I start cutting. When someone gives me “barber instructions,” I ask even more to make sure that they know what they are asking for.

So one day, a young man came in to get his haircut for his wedding the next day, and they were going to do the photos in about two hours.

He asked me for a #2 mid fade… I’ll never forget this.

The #2 refers to the length of hair at its longest in the side of the head. The number equals ⅛ of an inch, so a #2 is 2/8 of an inch, or a quarter inch. “Mid fade” usually tells the barber that the head should be bald (more or less) from the neck up to about halfway up the back and above the ears. Not always, but most of the time.

Given that he was going to do his wedding pictures after the haircut and he was getting married tomorrow, I spent a little more time on the haircut to make sure that it was perfect. The haircut ended well, and everyone was happy…

…almost.

His fiancee walked in as I finished cleaning up his neck…

When you have been 29 for as many years as I have been 29, you learn a few things, such as a bride-to-be’s facial expression when something related to the wedding has gone absolutely wrong.

Evidently, he wasn’t supposed to get his hair cut that short.

As she went into a justified panic, he kept insisting “It’s fine.” “It’s fine.” “It’s fine.” – and seeing her continuing reactions was telling me that it was anything but fine.

I leaned in close to him from behind and told him that “it’s fine” was not the right answer… that a happy wife means a happy life, and to quickly switch his tune to “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. I thought you wanted it shorter.”

I don’t know how the rest of the day turned out or if the wedding even took place… but I do know that that story gets told over and over, and I have added “does the bride know what you are about to do?” to my list of questions.

Yes, I am Jeff

One of the shops I cut in takes walk-ins all day long and we fit them in between appointments. They keep notes keeping track of each customer’s haircuts, which helps to keep the mental gymnastics down and gives them a consistent look visit-to-visit.

One day, I called out Jeff’s name and took him to my chair and started prepping for his haircut, and then asked him what we were going to do.

He said “just cut it like you did last time.”

I read the notes aloud to make sure it was what he had in mind, “#2 (leaving 1/4 inch of hair) on the sides and back, and #4 (leaving 1/2 inch of hair) on top” and he cut me off “just like last time.”

His hair was long… anything other than a buzz-cut, so I asked “are you sure? The notes are telling me that…” and he cut me off again, “just like last time. I’m in a hurry.”

He wasn’t necessarily being rude as much as he seemed to genuinely be in a hurry, so I put on the #4 guard and went straight to work…

…running the #4 down the middle.

I’ll admit… the look on his face was priceless.

He now had a strip of 1/2 inch long hair going down the middle of the long hair on his head.

Him: “What the ****???”

Me: “This is what we did last time, Jeff.”

Him: “I’m not Jeff!” (paraphrased)

Me: “So why did you answer when I called Jeff’s name?”

Morals of the story:
• Don’t jump in line
• Make sure you hear the question before telling someone to move forward

About Dave

I am a barber in Marietta and the Cobb County area. I graduated from the Gwinnett Barber Institute and have been cutting hair since 2019.

Atlanta has always been my home, minus eight years when I was a Navy musician in Japan and Seattle.

When I am not cutting hair, I am usually found spending time with my family or at Atlanta United matches with the Terminus Legion in the supporters section.

Return of the Mullet

Return of the Mullet

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Return of the Mullet

Yup. It’s back. The Mullet!

I remember a couple months ago when I got my first request for the cut… it was a teenager who came in and said that he wanted a different kind of cut.

He wanted the sides shaved close. He also wanted the top of the head cut short and the hair in the back to stay long.

Me: “So you want a mullet, then?”

Him: “No man! Not a mullet! Just shave the sides, cut the top short, and leave the back long…”

Me: “That’s a mullet.”

Him: “Really?”

Me: “Yup… still want it?”

Him: “Yeah… but that’s really a mullet?”

Shortly afterward, a local hockey team had made it to the playoffs, and as a show of unity and a rally point, they all decided to get mullets (one didn’t have enough hair for a mullet, so I carved “ATL” into his head).

Then a lady came in and asked for “The Wolf.” – essentially a wild shag 

How long it will stick around… who knows? But at the end of the day, more and more people are requesting this style, and they are asking for different versions.

About Dave

I am a barber in Marietta and the Cobb County area. I graduated from the Gwinnett Barber Institute and have been cutting hair since 2019.

Atlanta has always been my home, minus eight years when I was a Navy musician in Japan and Seattle.

When I am not cutting hair, I am usually found spending time with my family or at Atlanta United matches with the Terminus Legion in the supporters section.

Why I like pomades, creams, and clays

Why I like pomades, creams, and clays

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Why I like pomades, creams, and clays

Three of my favorite products for styling someone’s hair.

When I finish someone’s hair, I like to put some sort of styling product on it so that it looks its best leaving the salon. While I am not usually a big fan of hair gels, I like using different types of products to keep hair in place.

I typically center around styling creams, pomades, and clays. The main factor in choosing which one to use is the client’s hair. Finer hair usually responds to a styling cream. I will usually use either a clay or a clay/pomade mix for thick or coarse hair, and pomades for hair in between the two.

The main advantage that I see with these types of products vs hair gels is that gels often dry out and get hard and uncomfortable on the head. They form a hard coating on one’s hair and can break or flake off when someone touches them throughout the day.

However, creams, pomades, and clays stay soft as the day goes on. We can run our hands and fingers through the hair after they have been put on, and the hair can maintain its shape or be easily put back into place.

Clays tend to have a matte finish, so I use them on clients who don’t necessarily want their hair to be shiny. Think of a lot of the younger and shorter hair styles.

Creams have been excellent for me when it comes to fine or soft hair. They provide enough hold without overdoing it.

I often use pomades in my chair. In many cases, they hold as well as any clay, yet they generally have a shinier look to them.

Some of the products I use on clients’ hair are combinations, such as a pomade/clay mixture.

One container of these products can last a very long time, as in several weeks or even months for the average user. They only need a very small amount (most of my clients use less than the size of a pea) per use.

Next time you are in the salon, I will be happy to show you the difference between some of the products and we can try some in your hair,

About Dave

I am a barber in Marietta and the Cobb County area. I graduated from the Gwinnett Barber Institute and have been cutting hair since 2019.

Atlanta has always been my home, minus eight years when I was a Navy musician in Japan and Seattle.

When I am not cutting hair, I am usually found spending time with my family or at Atlanta United matches with the Terminus Legion in the supporters section.

Carrying on my Grandmother’s Legacy

Carrying on my Grandmother’s Legacy

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Carrying on my Grandmother’s Legacy

When I was a little boy, we would visit my grandparents in Waycross, GA often. My brother and I would go out and watch the trains as they rolled by a block down her street, and would often get in trouble for throwing pecans at each other in the back yard.

Our family has had the entrepreneur spirit throughout all the generations. My grandfather on my Dad’s side had a meat sales business, and my grand-aunt on my mom’s side made and sold ceramics.

My grandmother “Amma” had a salon in a long shed behind her house, and would often cut our hair during our visits. Her salon was always busy, and my brother (who now runs a the fantastic Koloa Zipline in Hawaii) and I would hang out there in the air conditioning during some of the hotter summer days.

While I was a student at the Gwinnett Barber Institute, my mother told me that she had Amma’s shears somewhere in the house and that she wanted to make sure that I got them. A few weeks following Mom’s passing, we found the shears in a drawer in her office.

Her shears now live in a shadowbox with her picture on my station.

I’m a little bit jealous about one of her sets… her blending shears (the ones on the right) are great for making textures in hair. They were made very well and can cut today as well as they did on day one. I had to fight the urge to start using them. However, being left-handed made the decision to put them into the box much easier. 

About Dave

I am a barber in Marietta and the Cobb County area. I graduated from the Gwinnett Barber Institute and have been cutting hair since 2019.

Atlanta has always been my home, minus eight years when I was a Navy musician in Japan and Seattle.

When I am not cutting hair, I am usually found spending time with my family or at Atlanta United matches with the Terminus Legion in the supporters section.

What is the Haircut 10-Pack?

What is the Haircut 10-Pack?

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What is the Haircut 10-Pack?

If you like saving money, The Haircut 10-Pack is for you! The card saves you $50, giving you ten haircuts for the price of eight, bringing the price of each haircut to only $20.

The card is a convenient way to save money by buying ten haircuts at 20% off the regular price.

You can start using the card immediately. If you are getting a haircut at the time you buy the card, then that haircut will be the first one.

Bring the card with you to each appointment and I will mark off each service as you use it. You can use all of the haircuts for yourself, or you can let your family and friends use them.

Haircut 10-Pack cards can be purchased at the salon for $200.

About Dave

I am a barber in Marietta and the Cobb County area. I graduated from the Gwinnett Barber Institute and have been cutting hair since 2019.

Atlanta has always been my home, minus eight years when I was a Navy musician in Japan and Seattle.

When I am not cutting hair, I am usually found spending time with my family or at Atlanta United matches with the Terminus Legion in the supporters section.