Why I Cut My Own Hair

The reasoning behind why I cut my own hair can me summed up in one short word: pandemic.

It changed everything, let’s face it. But in many ways, I was headed down that path anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I love the hustle and bustle of a barbers. Or at least, I told myself I did. Truth is, while I loved the feeling of a fresh, clean trim, there were many times I’d find myself let down.

I’ve had haircuts which were BAD (ever come out of a barbers and had a haircut so bad, you whacked a hat on your head in as many scenarios as you were able to until the hair grew back?! and had barbers who were straight up rude.

I’ve also had my time wasted watching barbers take the absolute piss with rushing out for a cigarette during my allocated time slot, or letting their mates walk in and hit the chair. Lets not forget to shout out the barbers - often the newbies - who spend over an hour on your head and make your hair line look like a hexagon.

This happened on average about 35% of the time and in between the stages of me finding barbers I actually liked. Still, you remember these times. And during the bad cuts, I always found myself thinking “Shit, if I’m gonna have a bad haircut, let me do it myself rather than PAY to have someone fuck it up for me”.

I actually used to shave my head myself in my early twenties, but I had no idea what I was doing and often left the house with a patchy head. Or an unintentional near bald look!

Currently, I am in my head shaving stage so there’s no skill involved whatsoever. But, unlike when I first purchased a pair of clippers, I have learnt how to fade. I’m no pro (I wouldn’t even class myself as basic!) but I can see where I went wrong all those years ago. The pandemic forced me to learn and while I made some mistakes - and still do - I much preferred it over going to a barbers. While the finesse they’re capable of is something I still need to perfect, I like the control.

I’d never completely shun a barbers, as I respect the trade. However, I am particular about who cuts my hair and the standard used. Cigarette fingers was a no-no. Wondering how clean the blade being used on my head used to bother me. Listening to the occasional non-black barbers talk about how “easy” it was to cut my type of hair and then watch them massively fuck up the fade grated on me.

The latter wasn’t ALL non-black barbers, but occurred when I moved to an area which was largely Asian/middle Eastern and I tentatively approached a few barbers, asking in advance whether they cut afro hair. It was always met with “we cut all hair types”. Mmm. Course you do. mate, course you do.

The skill of a barber fascinates me and in a different life, I would have trained as one. I miss a GOOD barber and the vibes of a good barber shop. But, being able to learn a new skill and save money is too much of a plus for me.