Tip: How to tell a barber how you want your hair cut

Getting a quality haircut can be a real challenge. Especially if it’s your first time with a new barber. You may have gone to your former barber for years and might not have had to say anything to them. You would just sit down and they would know exactly what to do. It was as easy as that but if someone asked you to explain how you want your hair cut it might not be as easy as you think. When asking the professionals what they think leads to a client not getting their desired look, the most common answer is “lack of communication between the barber/stylist and the client”. It doesn’t always mean the client doesn’t know what they want. It simply means the client and the barber weren’t on the same page. So we’ve decided to go to the source (our groomers) and ask them if they had any tips for a client on how to explain what they are looking for.

Chris “ Barber lingo is very important. You have to know what to order when you sit down in the chair and knowing the lingo or terms that barbers use can go a long way. If the barber uses a term that you may not know don’t be afraid to ask them to explain it to you. For instance a barber may say to you would you like the back “tapered”, “boxed’ or “rounded”. Tapered means that you want the back gently faded at the bottom of the hairline vs boxed which means you would like your hairline to be straight across in the back vs rounded which means you would like a line created at the bottom of the hairline’s edges to be rounded”

Brendan “Pictures are a huge help. Being able to communicate what you want can be a huge challenge. Bringing a picture in is like bringing a set of directions for you barbers. It also can your barber set expectations with you. They might let you know that your hair is different than the person in the pictures hair and that style may not quite work with your hair but it also could be a road map to another look for you. Some clients feel embarrassed when they break out a picture but trust me, its music to your music to your barbers ears”

Mia “ Let your barber know when your last haircut was and what you liked about it and maybe what you didn’t like about. Do this during your consultation. Don’t wait until your barber begins the haircut. Letting your barber know when your last cut was will give them an automatic idea of how much you’re looking to take off and what you may be trying to achieve”

Things not to say…

Just as it is important to know what to say to your barber, it's just as important to know what not to say. Here is a few things that can lead you down the wrong path when trying to achieve your desired look.

“ Same as last time’

For the people who have been going to the same person for years. This is an easy one to say. Your barber has cut your hair for years, they know what you like so it's easy. That works great IF you have that established relationship with your barber but what if you’ve only been to your barber a few times before? Your barber has literally seen hundreds of clients since the last time they cut your hair. Make sure before every cut you verbalize exactly what it is you're looking for. Any good barber wants to know what it is you’re looking for, even if they know already. 

“How would like you like your hair cut today”

“SHORT!"

This is another common one. Short? Well short can mean two totally different things between the barber and yourself. Short could mean a medium length tapered cut to you and a skin fade to your barber. Try to learn a particular clipper length. If your barber cuts your hair at a length you like, ask them what length it is so you know what to ask for your next time around.

We hope that these few tips will help you in getting your haircut in the future. Finding the right person and knowing what to ask for can be risky business but if you use a few of these tips it should make the process go much smoother. 

The QG makes it easy to look your best so you can focus on your success!