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.
That means it's not the right to not make wedding cakes for married couples.
Right, right. Good point.
It's like, so what is it?
They don't have a right if they don't have a right.
They don't have a right.
We work for small businesses.
We're a small business.
You have to be open.
Like a vendor.
Like someone's house.
They have to come by.
You're making me nervous.
I work at a hospital every year.
That's what I'm getting.
How much off the top?
That looks perfect, dude.
That looks really good.
Great.
Those sides look good, Monica.
Yeah, I think that would be good.
So just trimming some of the back to match the front.
We'll start again.
Perfect.
Perfect, yeah.
Mine, TJ's, and Larkin's, and Krispy's.
I'll get the big 40.
I look 40.
Yeah, I know.
I told them, I told them.
It doesn't matter.
Okay, happy birthday.
I looked at you.
Well, my dad would kind of say that
him and my mom are both
he said our whole lives, it's like both of us
have gotten into the car of life
Look how that's starting to
see more of that.
I can see the difference.
The mustache won't be there.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Still good?
I forget.
If I'm walking, or I'm listening to music,
and I'm in the car with you,
all of a sudden I'll look down, and I'm like,
but they're not.
All right.
I did 85.
I was up on Sunday morning,
and I was in your office,
and I was like, wow!
And I went across to 85.
I was scared.
I said to you,
I was like,
on the middle of the dashboard,
I was like,
I can see the dashboard,
and I was like,
there's a box out here
with a few horses,
and there's a table,
and there's a chair.
And I already know
how many of the two guys,
there's a couple guys I ran into
on the table,
and I was like,
oh, there's two guys.
And I was like,
this is very smooth.
All you need to do is
temperature it,
and then you can go.
It looks like you almost smoked
something, like on fire,
but it didn't start.
That's all you know
when you come over here.
Are you working?
Yeah, I'm working.
No, we've got to turn it on.
Turn it on.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, hello.
We went to
high school, well, college,
and it was high school,
and then we went to
the restaurant,
and then we went to
the grocery,
and then we went to
the market,
and then we went to
the library,
and then we went to
the bank,
and then we went to
the top,
and they pulled me over,
and I said,
you've got to be kidding me.
Are you there?
We're already up there.
So when it comes to doing a person's beard,
what do you think is the hardest part
for you to get?
I would probably say the hardest part for someone new to get
or whatever that doesn't know what they're doing
is shaping, understanding the way
the face is built on that particular
person, and then shaping
that beard, and then once you can
really start working with, you know, shapes,
your lines and stuff
already, and then you work on shaping
that another face. How am I going to line
this beard? What type of hair does he have?
Am I going to pull the hair back?
You know, if he has a thinner beard, you have to make more action
happen.
See, that's where I say
I'm falling in love with filming a little bit.
I'm not any kind of film person or anything
by any means, but I wish that if I
had the time to break away,
I would get a camera and start filming.
Well, nowadays, the way
cameras work is they're focal,
which that
means is it focuses on
your main point of purpose, which is wherever
you're looking, that's always your focus.
So they have it centered to where
it's your face.
The way cameras used to work
were it was two mirrors
made the picture.
Now it's not that way. There's still
mirrors in there to make the picture.
It's just they have sensors in and out
to where they follow the main focus.
Yeah, that's nice.
And you can see when someone steps through
filming up, it changes the game.
So like, watch a movie, for instance,
and then watch one of my YouTube videos.
But I'm just seeing you watch someone's
like, you can see a famous
person on YouTube, they're filming and everything,
and you can see that quality
versus, you know,
an actual movie in the theater.
You just see that, and I say,
wow, if someone could bring that into there,
and you just pay that expense
and have that, it'll blow up.
You're filming a movie.
That's where I say it's just learning its quality
in there.
Damn, that's actually sick.