You're here because you need a haircut, right? I get it. The process proves unnecessarily hard. And the anxiety involved in switching styles overwhelms even the coolest cat. Although the core styles haven't changed much since the early 20th century, icons aplenty can shift and reshape the status quo with a simple visit to their high-end salon. They'll leave with a gravity-defying haircut you envy, fetching camera-wielding paparazzi along the way.
And don't get me wrong, the captured celeb looks great. No matter the hairdo, it seems they can do no wrong. Publications suddenly proclaim the current moment the era of the upright bob — that's a fake haircut, but indulge me — and you're left wondering, "Why doesn't my hair look like that?" or "How do I even ask for that?" Stop that. Starting points abound and can act as a way forward toward your desired haircut. Using a classic style like a crew cut as the foundation, for example, one can tweak it a little to add edge or skew conservative.
Unless you're forced to abide by rigid grooming regulations – a la the military, although they've since adapted their code to include ponytails, buzzcuts and dreadlocks — there's no sense in limiting what your hair can look like. Minimal research — aka a quick Google search — reveals millions of ways to wear your hair. But look around, men's haircuts aren't that different from person to person, and switching styles isn't rocket science. The good ones stick around and the bad ones are blips.
It's also important to consider length. Some styles take months — if not years, depending on how fast your hair grows — to achieve. Others are quick yet irreversible decisions. Before you go bald or commit to billowing layers, think about it a little more simply. Look at yourself in the mirror; then at your photo reference; yourself in the mirror again; the haircut once more; envision it all over again. Bring the photo with you but be ready to make adjustments, albeit minor.
"A photo reference, whether it be some cuts you've seen (from a celebrity standpoint) or just looks you've seen on social media, can be a really great jumping-off point. At that point, you're not necessarily discussing very strict terms in regards to texture, length or whatever it may be, but it's more so trying to look at that photo, see if it works with that person's personal style and then tailoring something to them that's going to be close. There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all for this," Rob McMillen, co-founder of NYC barbershop Mildred, tells us. He also offers his opinions on how long you should wait between appointments. "If you keep it really short, [you should go] two to three weeks; if you keep something medium length, three to five; and if you have a longer look, maybe it's five to seven or even longer."
That means the haircut your favorite athlete wore last week won't look identical on you — or your friend or your father — and especially so a week or two after it's cut. Tailoring a style to your face shape, aesthetic, activities and schedule requires assistance from a trained barber. First, figure out your face shape. Then, seek out a style you're interested in, find a local barber, book an appointment and get the look you've been yearning for — or something close to it. And bring whichever photo you need.
AI Generated·May contain errors
So, you called it like a ghost fade the last time, where it's just like, I think like a little bit of skin.
I made a ghost fade.
Yeah, yeah.
So, just like a ghost fade on the side?
Yeah.
All right, slick.
And then do you want to trim on top too?
Yeah, a light trim.
I like the length.
And I'll add some texture and everything, just so it's a little bit bigger.
Awesome.
Yeah, that's the fade I made up and everything, so thank you for choosing that.
Yeah, yeah.
That is definitely really impressive, what you did last time.
Sure.
Nice to meet you.
You good?
Yeah, uneventful.
How about yours?
Same, man.
Wait, so where do you work?
I'm actually looking for a job right now.
I came from a job interview right before this.
Oh, nice.
Yeah, so I used to sell solar.
I was like doing door-to-door, and it was awesome.
The money and that's great.
I really do like solar and believe in it, but there's just a lot of aspects to it that
I think, I don't know, you can screw a lot of homeowners over when you sign them up for
the program.
I got you.
And I just don't have the conscience to be a part of that.
Good.
So I actually just left a marketing firm that pairs with non-for-profits that raise money
for human trafficking and suicide prevention.
So I'm really hoping that'll come through.
Sounds very cool.
How long have you cut hair?
For about 26 years.
I did my first haircut at 14.
Cool.
In Reno Valley, California.
Is that where you're from?
Yeah.
I did a fade when the fade first came out.
What brings you to Albuquerque from California?
My family's from there.
Where would you say your least favorite is?
That's a great question.
The least favorite I would say, damn, you know the least favorite I never have to do
and it's probably a flat top.
Flat top, what does that look like?
It looks like hell.
It's a military haircut.
It's like where you real high and tight right here and then you have to pull the top up
and get it super flat.
And you can use one of these combs to lift it up.
Okay.
It's just, it's a weird looking haircut.
I like doing the shinomi haircut too using my scissors and everything.
This fade is my, it's because I made this fade up.
That's why I like this fade so much because I've just done it so many times.
Yeah, that's honestly been my favorite haircut that I've received in a really long time.
Sick.
And I feel like it does everything.
For those guys that don't want to go with a hard zero or whatever, it just goes down
long enough to soften it and bring it into where, you know, that half wasn't working anymore.
Yeah.
Or the one was just, you know, still too long.
It needed to go without having that crazy line and, you know, really dusting.
That's why I say that that haircut should definitely be on the map for sure.
Like people should be learning that one and doing that one.
Yeah, I agree.
I was going to 18-8 or Steelblade, I guess it is now.
I was going to them for a while, but the lady that was cutting my hair left.
And I just like wasn't happy with the person I went to after her.
And so I was like looking for barbers and you're the highest rated one on Google.
I think I might have told you that last time I came in because I remember seeing it, but.
No, I am the highest rated for sure.
Yeah.
And then you look at and Steelblade is the only one that I have a friendly competition with or whatever.
And it's all friendly and everything.
But the thing I like too is, you know, they charge more.
Yeah.
They're getting a victory dance over here for a better haircut too.
That's what it's like.
You know, men's salon.
Every time I walked into a woman's salon, I said, damn, this looks nice.
It's all white.
It's clean.
It looks nice.
It's like I said, every time I walked into a barbershop, it looks like ----.
I said, how can we have a men's salon?
A salon that's for homies that want a little bit more.
The guy that might want to go to the guy that might want texture direction.
It's hard for you to walk into 3D cuts and discuss texture and say, oh, can you texture my hair?
They don't know what the **** that is.
Not to mention a pair of $30 shears.
And then you got your step one into a woman's salon just to catch a vibe.
That's better.
But they can't cut.
So it's like, that's why I breached all that gap.
And that we really aren't supposed to tell anyone about just because it's like, but it's like, oh, well, whatever.
I mean, I agree.
You've definitely bridged that gap for sure.
This is my favorite place to come.
Sick, brother.
I appreciate this ----.
Have you ever heard of a stash house?
That was up in Rio Rancho.
And I personally have never been there.
But an associate of mine actually owns it.
I think he actually just recently sold it to a barber that was working there.
Oh, yeah.
But they also they're held in high regard.
But they charge way more than Steel Blade does.
Oh, well, that's good.
That's cool.
I'm going to have to get that name just so I can keep their ----.
Wait, what was it again?
The stash house.
Okay, cool.
Just to know.
Oh, yeah.
I like places that have the confidence to charge a lot.
Shout out stash house.
Those are really nice like salon that was on the west side.
And if I would have known that building was for sale, damn, I would have been the type one to cop.
Big old building too.
I do like the spot you have now.
It feels like casual, like a barber shop, but also has the classiness of a salon.
Thank you for that.
To hear that.
Just so I could know, too.
And you know what?
I've been to Vernon's Hidden Steakhouse, and I swear to God, this place feels the same.
It's warm.
It's welcoming.
It's high end without being overly looked at as high end.
Without having that geological location.
Because when I went into Vernon, I was like, damn, it's not like this place looks like roof truss or whatever.
But I'm like, oh, ----.
This is really, really high end in a natural way.
And that's one thing that I really notice.
Oh, that's nice.
I'm doing the same thing somehow.
See that little digital ---- that's happening on the video?
I had to get a new iPhone or whatever.
Something was wrong with my brand new iPhone.
So it's like it's creating like a pixel image on there.
And seeing them being able to get real salon-y with adding texture, having hair styling.
But then also being able to break up the street with where and when you want to use it.
Not just being a traditional barber, but more being, you know, more being, you know, a barber that cares towards the venue's room needs.
You know, there's boxing.
Right now, it's like we're not doing any facials or anything really.
Just because it's, you know, just COVID and everything.
And right now, the services that I have are really good.
I agree. I was going through your website.
I mean, you offer everything like that, that Steel Blade does.
And like from what I've heard, like Stash House has all the men's services as well.
Oh, wow.
Like hot shaves.
Like I really appreciate all that kind of stuff.
Even though, I mean, I don't get hot shaves or anything.
It's just kind of like the culture behind it, I guess.
Yeah.
But the culture behind it is awesome too, for sure.
See, I tried the shave with a straight razor for a while.
That ---- hurts.
Yeah.
Stand up and look at it in the mirror.
Just so you can see it from that perspective.
Yeah, I like that.
It thickened up the hair.
It's full now.
Yeah. Awesome.
Sick.