IRISH BARBERS JOURNAL VOL. 4 SPRING 2016
The Irish Barbers Journal: Brought to you by Dublin School of Barbering ...where we teach traditional techniques that stand the test of time. The school of Barbering was founded in 2014 by Linda Finnegan of the Waldorf Barbershop & Pádraig Carr of Finnegan’s Green Rooster. We opened the school with the aim of providing top quality training to barbers of all levels in Dublin City Centre, and we pride ourselves on the friendly and highly professional atmosphere that prevades here. We offer a range of courses, designed to suit people at varying stages in their barbering careers. Courses currently include: The certficate in babering (full or part time) The advanced certificate in barbering (full or part time) Experience classes Teacher training Assessor training Want to know more? Visit or website or drop into the school for a chat we’d be delighted to meet you. www.dublinschoolofbarbering.com Dublin School of Barbering Fleet Street Temple Bar Dublin 2
IRISHBARBERSJOURNAL.COM
NEWS 4. Barber Cut Dublin 6. The Barber...Tralee, welcome Darren Andis Jones 7. An introduction to the Irish Barbering Alliance SPECIAL FEATURE: FRANK HACKETT 8. Irish Barbering: Then and now WORK 10. Talent Spy: Ciaran O’Sullivan, Wayne Lloyd Hairdressing 11. Joe O’Brien: Barbering on board a cruise ship NEW ON THE SCENE 12. Robbie Barrett, Sugar Daddy HAIR TUTORIAL 14. Marc Ballance with photography by Molly O’Neill SPECIAL FEATURE: JOTH DAVIS 18. Joth Davis visits Dublin for Barber Cut’s inaugural event REGIONAL: CORK SPECIAL 20. Adam O’Callaghan: Cork’s evolving barbering scene 22. Lorraine Stout: The frontwoman of barbering in Cork IRISH BARBERS ABROAD 24. Conor Fullard, The Dapper Scoundrel 26. Glenn McGoldrick, Menspire BARBERS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 27. Liane Murray: The Lions Barber Collective PODUCT SPECIAL 28. Barbers and Groomers.ie: Proraso SHAVING TUTORIAL 30.Colm McGuinness: The hot towel shave
McKENNA DISTRIBUTORS Distributors of Robus lighting in Dublin City Centre
Welcome to Volume 4 February 2016 Editor & Designer: Mary Fleming mary@dublinschoolofbarbering.com Supervisor: Pádraig Carr Dublin School of Barbering Front Cover Photography: Molly O’Neill Hair: Marc Ballance Model: Derek Pyne Back Cover Photography: Ross Waldon With thanks to Barber Cut Dublin Aoife & Joe, The Barber... Gary Devane, IBA Ciaran O’Sullivan, Wayne Lloyd Hairdressing Joe O’Brien Robbie Barrett, Sugar Daddy Molly O’Neill, Photographer Ballance Hairdressing Adam O’Callaghan, Bladez Lorraine Stout, Bladez Liane Murray Joth Davis, Savills Conor Fullard, The Dapper Scoundrel Glenn McGoldrick, Menspire Colm McGuinness, Calvin Arthur Barbers Frank Hackett, Retro Barbers
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NEWS
BARBER CUT DUBLIN Barber Cut is bringing the best in barbering education to Ireland trough out the year, finishing off in October with a festival style exhibition. Barber Cut is Ireland’s first ever barber expo and festival, happening this coming October 2nd in the Opium Rooms, Dublin. Barber Cut’s goal is to bring the best in the business to Ireland to educate and share our trade. On the day everyone will experience first hand the work of world renowned barbers, barber shop owners and premium product makers as they showcase all aspects of traditional and modern barbering, as well as shaving techniques. Our first confirmed guests are: • Donnie Hawley of the world famous Hawleywoods Barbershop and creator of Layrite deluxe pomade • Andrew of A.D.H - Good Hair Doesn’t Come From a Jar • Joth Davis from Savills of Sheffield • Our very own Waldorf Barbershop
Email: barbercutdublinexp@gmail.com Instagram: barbercutdublin Facebook: /barbercutdublin
With some of the worlds biggest brands and names partying into the night with live music and dj’s, Barber Cut is set to be the largest gathering of barbers in Ireland, and the social event of the year. Stay tuned for more announcements to come shortly
This is will be the biggest gathering of barbers in one place in Ireland and the social event of the year.
CONFIRMED GUESTS On the day everyone will experience first
Right: Donnie Hawley Hawleywoods Barbershop Creator of Layrite deluxe pomades
hand, the work of world renowned barbers, barber shop owners and premium product
Right: The Waldorf Barbershop
makers as they showcase all aspects of traditional, modern barbering and shaving techniques.
Left: Joth Davis Savills of Sheffield Right: Andrew Does Hair Good Hair Doesn’t Come From a Jar
NEWS
THE BARBER... TRALEE WELCOME DARREN ANDIS JONES ‘The Barber...’ Tralee celebrated 10 years in business last November. It’s owners Aoife and Joe are looking forward to big things this year, as they welcome Darren Andis Jones to their shop on April 17th. My name is Aoife, and I’m a barber with nearly 15 years experience in the trade. I trained in Bladez Barbers, Cork, and after 4 great years there came home to Kerry. Joe (my business partner) started his career with Peter Marks and then moved into full-time barbering. I worked in a few barber shops, until I decided to make the jump and go into partnership with Joe. We now have two shops in Tralee and we are dedicated to providing the men of the local area with the best service possible. We’re also very passionate about keeping up to date with new techniques and educating our staff, we really do have a great team with us and we like to do our best for them In April we have Darren Andis Jones coming to our shop in Tralee and we are so excited. We’re all super eager to learn and keep on top of our game so that we can offer our customers the best. If you’d like to join us on the day, make sure to pick up a ticket from greatbritishbarberbash.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you there! The Barber... Ashe Street / Manor Retail Centre Tralee, Kerry
A NEW PLACE FOR IRISH BARBERS The Irish Barber Alliance (IBA) was established to advance and promote the interests of our members in every possible way.
One of our core aims is to help standardise the approach to barbering in Ireland. We’re hoping to achieve this through sharing information which encourages best practice in the industry. It is our belief that to be truly excellent in the art of barbering, a person requires passion, commitment and experience. The latter, we of course know, can only be gained over time. Membership of the Irish Barber Alliance (IBA) is free and open to all barbers practicing the trade in Ireland.We will be providing advanced education, professional development programmes, networking opportunities and training to further the skills of barbers and those in related hair professions. As the representative organisation for the barbers of Ireland, we’re really hoping to provide a very extensive service to our members. We’ll be offering representation to those who require it, as well as an advisory service. We’re also very excited to announce that we are planning on launching the Irish Barber Alliance Image Award, which will be open to all barbers in Ireland. Our network is already global; our co-founders Gary Devane (Portland Barbers, Portlaoise), and Pat Barry (The Gentry Barbershop, Limerick) are well known in Ireland and in particular, the United Kingdom and America. Pat has been working with a number of international industries for the last few years on a variety of initiatives, and Gary has worked very closely with many Irish barbers over the years at a variety of levels. Their combined experience will only enhance and give the Irish Barber Alliance a unique dynamic that few (if any) other organisations in our industry can offer. Our website offers a range of helpful features to our members. We have a jobs section which enables our
members to advertise vacant barbering positions. We’ll also be working with other partnered organisations across the world to offer an international barber exchange programme, which will allow our members to sample and experience working abroad. This will be an incredible opportunity for anyone who takes part in it, and like many things that will happen within our group, it will be the first project of it’s kind. Additionally, we have a section where you can find details of all relevant upcoming events. We also intend to feature a barber shop on our home page each month, giving Irish businesses exposure to a wider audience. The IBA are proud to have partnered with some big organisations in the barber world in order to help bring the very best in the industry right here to Ireland. We are delighted to have partnered with Garry Spencer of the Great British and Irish Barber Bash to introduce barber events and workshops throughout Ireland. We have some great events going on around Ireland this year. We hosted two big workshops in February, they took place in Dublin’s Cut And Sew and The Gentry Barbershop in Limerick. These feautured Alan Beak, Reece Beak, Pat Barry, Darren Jones and Gary Devane. We are also excited to announce the Barber Bash in Belfast on March 13th, which is certainly an event not to be missed. The line up for this event is getting bigger by the day, and promises to be one of the best barber events ever showcased in Ireland. The IBA will be in attendance at the event, so we’d happy to chat with you about our plans. We also hope that our alliance members will join us in for the Schorem event in The Victoria Warehouse, Manchester. This will run on Sunday February 27th, and you can learn more about securing tickets on our website. Finally, we would just like to thank everyone who has reached out to us on social media with their great support. We are so grateful for all the input we receive, so let’s work together, and until next time - “Let’s Make it Happen”.
Gary Devane & Pat Barry Irish Barber Alliance www.irishbarberalliance.com
FEATURE: Frank Hackett, Retro Barbershop
IRISH BARBERING: THEN AND NOW Barbering is such a cool job to have at the moment, and there really is so much opportunity for young barbers to push their boundaries by utilising the endless supply of barbering material that’s out there. I think its’ fair to say that I have barbering in my blood. My grandfather opened his barbershop ‘Hackett’s’ all the way back in 1926. It was no surprise that out of 8 of his children, 5 went on to become barbers and 1 a hairdresser. Even to this day, I have 5 cousins in the industry . Barbering is such a cool job to have at the moment, and there really is so much opportunity for young barbers to push their boundaries by utilising the endless supply of barbering material that’s out there.
www.retrobarbers.ie Email: retrobarbershop@gmail.com Instagram: @retrobarbers Facebook: /retrobarberacademy
It’s fantastic to see barbering workshops starting to take place around the country. I recently attended a workshop in Pat Barry’s barbershop in Limerick which was run by the Great British Barber Bash. We had some demos from Alan and Reece Beek, and it turned out to be a great day that was really well supported - with barbers traveling from all over the country.
When I was training as an apprentice in my father’s barbershop during the 90’s, there were very few barbering courses on offer. I generally had to go to Dublin or London to take extra classes. We had a a lot of elderly customers at that time though, and they were always ideal clients to practice on - allowing me to perfect my scissors over comb, clipper over comb, and fading techniques. They’d be happy to chat away and tell me their life story, which was actually great as it allowed me to take my time and work on my techniques. I was taken aback one day when a customer in his 80’s asked my for a bare back and side. My first thought was that he was getting the idea from some dodgy 70’s porno. As I quizzed him more though, I realised that he was talking about an old style haircut from the 1920’s. This bare ‘back and sides cut’ as he called it, is what we call the ‘low fade’ or ‘skin fade’ today. Today, customers are a very clear on what kind of a hair cut they want, and this is a testament to barbers that have been educating their clients on the hairstyles and products that suit them best. As you might know, I’m big into education, and as an educator I see a lot of young barbers that are truly excellent with their clipper work. They can carry out skin fades and razor fades no problem, but tend to struggle with working on longer hair. If I was to give any up and coming barbers a piece of advice, I would encourage them to look at their weaknesses and focus on them. If you struggle with longer hair, then do a ladies cutting course, or get a hairdresser you know to take you for some private classes and teach you how to do things like basic layers and sectioning hair properly. For 88 years, Hackett’s barbershop was in our family, but unfortunately in April 2014 we had to close the business due to the recession hitting us. This paired with and an ageing customer base and the influx of cheap barbershops meant it just wasn’t a feasible business anymore. I have great memories of working there though, and it gave me a solid foundation in barbering with has benefited me greatly.
If I was to give any up and coming barbers a piece of advice, I would encourage them to look at their weaknesses and focus on them.
Looking back nearly 2 years later, I have no regrets. Tough decisions have to be made in business, and there’s no room for sentimentality. On the bright side, I can now focus more energy into my two other businesses; Retro Barbershop and Retro Academy. It’s been a busy year so far for us at Retro. We have just completed our first promotional video which will be out soon, and we’re working on some tutorial videos. I’ve also had the privilege of teaching at Sean Taffe Education in Tralee, as well as the International Make Up Academy in Dublin, and Sharon Leavy College in Portlaoise We’re just about to head into competition season, so we’re busy preparing models some exciting upcoming photoshoots - all will be revealed soon!
WORK suitable for the front cover of a magazine. In preparation for the event, I spent countless hours with Wayne and both models, discussing fashion and trial hairstyles. I entered two models (Reece Dillane and Auddy H) who had two completely different styles in terms of both hair and fashion; Reece was presented with a sophisticated look whilst Auddy had an alternative high-end fashion look. I settled on these two very different styles in order to catch the eye of the judges, as I felt it would give me the best possible chance of placing in my category. Quills of Bantry offered to sponsor Reece’s outfit and Maisey Clarke of Skibbereen designed Auddy’s outfit, which I am extremely grateful for.
TALENT SPY
The experience I gained has completely altered my hairdressing/ barbering career. Meeting and learning from top barbers and hairstylists such as Paul Stafford, Sean Taaffe, Bridget Haren, MOHH, John Coss and John Keegan amazed me, as their creative expertise and technical work is a true mark of excellence.
Ciaran O’Sullivan has yet to complete the Leaving Certificate, but he’s already making his mark on competions.
The atmosphere at the Double Tree Hotel was nerve wracking yet exhilarating, but more importantly it was a great learning curve to see what other hairdressers and barbers had to offer.
In 2015 he placed 2nd in the Fantastic Gents section of the Alfaparf Fantastic Hairdresser Awards. My real interest in barbering started when I was just 14 years old. I developed an interest in and admiration for different styles and techniques of hairdressing, so I found myself becoming increasingly keen to keep up to date with hairstyles and fashion through magazines and online resources. An exciting opportunity arose for me whilst doing transition year in 2014, as I had to undertake two weeks of work experience. I was lucky enough to secure my second week of work experience with Wayne Lloyd Creative Hair in Ballydehob. It was this week that was the beginning of my true introduction into the world of hairdressing and barbering, and I worked under the close and expert eye of my mentor - the renowned Wayne Lloyd. After that week, I continued to
work in Ballydehob on Saturdays, being trained by Wayne, Wenda and other staff members. I began working my way through colouring, styling, cutting and razor work, and Wayne started to recognise that I had a very genuine interest in the hair industry. It was then that he asked me if I would be interested in entering the Alfaparf Fantastic Hairdresser Awards 2014, where I manged to place second - not bad for a first attempt!
Entering my 3rd competition in 2015 was exciting, but also a major challenge.
Entering my 3rd competition in 2015 was exciting, but also a major challenge. I gained huge and invaluable experience throughout the process, and met some fantastic and influential people. In the end, I felt extremely fortunate, but also very proud of myself, as I was placed 2nd in the ‘Fantastic Gents’ section.
and met some fantastic
In the gent’s category, the criteria is to produce a high-end fashion look,
and influential people.
I gained huge and invauable experience throughout the process,
My entry was based on two different looks: Reece had a classic comb over look with a blonde quiff fringe. His outfit consisted of a navy tweed trench coat, Brent Pope cotton designed shirt with a paisley tie, purple denims and trendy Doc Martin boots. Auddy had an alternative hairstyle with a side fringe and a clamped up balayaged quiff, he also had acorresponding fringe line which continued onto the other side of his head. His look was made up of loafer shoes, white pants, a navy shirt and a self inspired African print designed blazer. My main reasoning behind using these two totally different looks was in 2014 the eventual winner used a look that was more traditionally inspired. Unfortunately I won’t be able to enter competitions in 2016 due to Leaving Cert commitments, but in the mean- time, I’ll be keeping a close eye on this year’s winners. I’ll also be working hard on preparing to enter the IHF in 2017. www.waynelloydhairdressing.com
SAIL AWAY Joe O’Brien spoke to Mary Fleming about his time barbering aboard a cruise ship
Tell us about your barbering background; where did it all begin? Well it all started when I did a course in Knights School of Barbering quite some time ago now ago. My trainer Bernie was amazing, but I’ll be honest, I couldn't keep focused enough on men’s hair and found myself wanting to finish up and go do ladies hair. It was only when I found a job in a salon called Urban Hype, Waterford that I got back into the swing of doing men’s hair. I was thrown in at the deep end and really started to enjoy barbering a lot more. So, I dedicated myself to improving my barbering skills and have been doing so ever since. What was it that have you the urge to pack up and and work on a cruise ship for 7 months? In short, I wanted to travel for a long time, but I didnt have the guts to go to all the way to Australia or somewhere like that, and I simply couldn’t decide where I wanted to go. A couple of friends of mine had done ship work previously and when they suggested it to me I thought it sounded like a good way to travel, as I’d get to see so many places while still having a stable job and saving money. How did you arrange your working trip? I worked for a company called Canyon Ranch SpaClub@Sea, they’re based in the USA. I found their Facebook group and came across one of their recruiters so I got into contact with her. My interview was done in a few steps: 1. An initial interview was condudcted over Skype. It was fairly standard. 2. I then had to record a video presentation and include some footage of me carrying out technical work. 3. Finally I was told that I had my position and that all I had to do was await my placement. Could you tell us what the average working day was like? The average day for me began with work at 7.40am. We’d have a morning meeting and then start with our first client at 8am. I wasn't the main barber on board, so I also did a lot of ladies hair and we would be packed to the rafters every morning. The main barber
(who did all of the straight razor shaves etc.) would usually be booked up from 8am for most of the day. Because services on the ship are a lot more expensive than regular barbershops, we were all given more time with our clients - so that was nice. But generally, most days were fast paced and a lot of work. Typically, we would work a 12 hour shift with one hour lunch. Sometimes if it wasnt too busy we would get a dinner break as well then finish up at 8pm. After a couple of weeks you tend to settle into the working hours quite easily and it does become like a normal working day. Did you get time to see the places the ship was travelling to? Our time off depended on the length of the cruise, When we were sailing in Europe most cruises were 12-14 nights long, and for these we would have 2 full days off and one half day. Our time off was always when we were docked (because days at sea are extremely busy) so thankfully we always had the chance to get off the ship and go explore. Days off worked in a rotation, so if you were off in one place the last time it would be a different place the next time.That was quite nice. When we got to the Caribbean we had shorter cruises which were 7 nights in length, so for these cruises we would have one full day and one half day off. What sort of person do you have to be to work onboard a cruise ship? Would you recommend it to any barber looking for a bit of adventure? You definitely have to be an adventurous person, and very outgoing. You also have to be dedicated to your work, and willing to work hard. It’s tough from day one, but it gets better. When you have a good day you have a great day, but when you have a bad day, you just want to go home - but you just have to stay strong and committed! I’d go away again. Working on the ship was an amazing experience for me . I got to meet so many people and learn so much, but I think if I’m going to travel again it will be strictly pleasure not business for a while! www.jobhair.brushd.com
NEW ON THE SCENE:
SUGAR DADDY, DUBLIN
LOVE YOUR SUGAR DADDY Robbie Barrett, Dublin School of Barbering alumnus, is now the manager of Dublin’s most exciting new barbering venture - Sugar Daddy. With the likes of Conor McGregor visiting the shop for high quality haircuts, we talked to Robbie about where he’s come from and where he hopes to go with the shop. I remember when I was coming to the end of my time in school, my Mother telling me that I should become a barber. I liked the idea, but at that time I had designs of becoming a full-time drummer / musician. Each time for the next few years when I would find myself at a cross-roads, my Mother would tell me that she thought I would make a great barber, and that I should maybe consider it. It’s pretty insane now to think back to those times and realise that my Mother was right all along! I guess the idea of becoming a barber was always in the back of my mind. I’ve been playing the drums for roughly 25 years, and have been playing professionally for a number of years. 10 of those years were spent in musical instrument sales at Musicmaker, where I worked in drum sales. This gave me some crucial experience in customer care, retail management, and perhaps more importantly - personability. This has really given me a great advantage in the barbering industry. I’m also a world, twice European, Scottish, British, and Irish champion pipe band drummer with the St Laurence O’Toole pipe band from Dublin, which definitely panders to my perfectionism and competitiveness. My time with Musicmaker came to an end and I had set up a drumming school called ‘Kung Fu Drumming’, all whilst taking more and more paid gigs. Kung Fu Drumming was definitely taking off, but it wasn’t happening quickly enough for me. It was at this point that my wife Sarah mentioned barbering to me. There was that word again, I think the universe was trying to tell me something. A friend and I had been booked by Mark O’Keeffe from Sugar Culture Salon group (Brown Sugar & Sugar Cubed) to put together a drumming show as
part of Brown Sugar’s L’Oreal Colour Trophy Show. Mark spoke about me joining his team in some way or other after the show, and asked me would I like to cut hair and be a part of his exciting new barbershop ‘Sugar Daddy’. Naturally enough, I jumped at the chance. I couldn’t have asked for a better jump start into the industry, or a better platform to build upon. Mark and the entire Sugar Culture team have been extraordinary. In terms of training, the Dublin School of Barbering felt like the right move after my first phone call with Paddy. I instantly felt that he was a man I could enjoy learning from, and I quickly found that we shared some common interests and quite a number of friends. The training for me was pretty smooth sailing from day one. I guess my experience with the pipe band and the stresses involved in competing at such a high level gave me a great coping mechanism, and a real love for anything technique based. I was able to transfer this skill set quite easily into barbering, and so I progressed quite quickly. The training offered by Paddy and Sarah is very straight forward, and the methodology is all of a practical nature. So once you’re in that environment on a daily basis, you cant help but take everything in. I spent all of my waking hours in the school, practicing the techniques at home, cutting friends and family members hair, and watching tutorial videos on Youtube. I completely immersed myself in everything barbering. One of my strongest memories is from the second day of training. We had spent a couple of hours practicing scissors over comb on our doll heads, and after lunch a client came in for a haircut. Sarah trusted me with a scissors over comb blend on the client, and then the next client too. I found it really quite easy, and not at
Instagram:@sugardaddyie Facebook: /sugardaddydub www.sugardaddys.ie
all stressful or fear inducing. It all felt very natural to me.
Our goal with Sugar Daddy is to provide a premium experience for gentlemen whilst still offering up the traditional barber shop feel of comfort and familiarity.
I feel that that there are a lot of barbers who can fade and clipper perfectly all day, but might fall down when faced with an all over scissors cut. This is where the Dublin School of Barbering differs from other places. We were first trained on long hair, using only our scissors and comb. It was only when we had got that down that we then learnt how to handle the clippers. This is certainly how my barbers in Sugar Daddy will be trained in the future! With my team I try to lead from the front and set the bar high. I spent 2010 and 2011 as the drum sargent of the St Laurence O’Toole grade 3 pipe band, and I feel that the competitive nature of that job and the man management skills it required transfered perfectly to the shop. I also like to instill an elite level of customer service in my team, as well as a level of retail sales that is not always prevalent within the barbering trade. I feel that this approach has already set us apart from other shops. In terms of the vibe of the shop, I like to look beyond the barbering industry. I suppose coming from a retail background helps here. We’ve partnered with the Teeling Whiskey Company to offer our clients the complete gentleman’s package. I particularly love the way they’ve marketed the distillery, it’s very cool without being pretentious. I also spent some time in London last year and loved the vibe created by the Liberty of London store. Everything they do, from the music to the smell of the store, seems to have been considered. Our goal with Sugar Daddy is to provide a premium experience for gentlemen whilst still offering up the traditional barber shop feel of comfort and
familiarity. We’re offering services that most barber shops here aren’t. The ‘Sugar Daddy Perfect Finish’ is something that we spent time considering and perfecting. It involves ear hair singeing, nose hair waxing and mono-brow waxing. This can be purchased as an add-on package or as an individual service. We’ve also recently brought in a guy who can offer threading as an add-on service. This is quite popular in our sister salons Brown Sugar and Sugar Cubed, and it’s something that we are quite excited about offering here. Dublin’s barbering industry is booming right now, and it’s a fantastic market for opening a new shop. I feel that our timing couldn’t have been any better, and that we have definitely found our niche quite quickly. Our location is key to our early success. The footfall on Exchequer street is always very high and with it being in the cultural/retail vicinity of Grafton street we can only get stronger. This plays into our hands beautifully when coupled with our social media presence. In terms of our customer base, it’s been very diverse so far. We get an equal amount of young and older guys. The young guys, as you can imagine, are very much on trend and are coming in asking for the modern cropped style as well as the famed cut-throat fade. We’ve also noticed an upturn in guys asking for scissor cuts with a taper. 2016 is already shaping up to be a massive success for us, business has been flying since we opened in November of last year, and even January was a huge month for us. Our goal for this year is to make Sugar Daddy the busiest barber shop in town, and to then expand upon the brand. Watch this space!
HAIR TUTORIAL
BALLANCE HAIR TUTORIAL Marc of Ballance Hair & Beauty details a simple and effective style. Photography by Molly O’Neill
STEP 1- Basic Shape STEP 2- Cross Check
1. Section off top from temple to temple & below crown area.
STEP 3- Personalise
2. Put basic shape on back & sides working with bone structure & keeping the shape square at corners.
3. Take your guide from the crown area into the top, taking vertical sections as you go,section from the top of the head and work the crown area into desired shape underneath.
4. Wet hair and pivot your sections around the crown area to maintain a squared shape.Don’t forget to cross check. Work sections straight out to maintain square shape.
As a young artist who grew up in an hairdressing environment, it was inevitable I would share the same interest in hairdressing as my mother. In transition year I did work experience in a salon and my love for hairdressing began to grow. I progressed on to a summer job and began my apprenticeship. My apprenticeship opened up many doors and I was lucky enough to have been trained by some highly regarded hairdressers such as Dylan Bradshaw. I then furthered my career by attending the Vidal Sassoon academy in London. As a qualified stylist I returned to salon life where I originally began my career. I chose Ballance Hair and Beauty for a few different factors, including their reputable name and a close knit team including family members. As a male figure in the salon gents generally feel more comfortable with me cutting their hair. Gent's hair has such a variety of different styles at the minute, it keeps me on top of my game as I am always researching new looks. Along with my salon work, I also have responsibility to educate the trainee staff. I am involved in the artistic team of Ballance Hair & Beauty. This role includes promotional work including photo shoots and demonstrations. We have recently completed our Spring Summer 2016 campaign collection which I am excited to share with everyone, you can see this in-salon or on the Ballance Hair & Beauty social media pages, it was shot by regular Irish Barber's Journal features photographer Molly O’ Neill alongside our own great creative team. Marc Ballance, 19
5. Round corners off the top and then connect into the sides.
Before I went to Marc, my hair was too thick, messy and hard to control. I was never satisfied with the way it looked. Upon arrival, he greeted us with a warm welcome and offered us our choice of beverage. He asked me about my daily routine and what my ideal hair style was, after brief initial instruction he knew exactly what I wanted. I specified to keep the shape consistent with the shape of my skull and to be able to wear it in multiple styles. He shot a few great ideas at me and we agreed a smart, classical look was best. He ran me through every little detail when I asked and instructed me in the many different ways I can wear my hair without having to buy specific products or spend excessive time. Overall I’d give 10/10 to Marc - I love the haircut and the man himself is a true gent. Couldn’t ask for a better hairdresser and he’s made a customer for life! Derek Pyne
6. Style with hairdryer.
7. Personalise haircut and then finish with your client’s favourite product!
https://www.facebook.com/ballancehairandbeauty/
SPECIAL FEATURE
JOTH DAVIS VISITS DUBLIN FOR BARBER CUT’S INAUGURAL EVENT On January 24th Joth Davis and his team took to Dublin’s Morrisson hotel for a day of seminars and workshops, all as part of the opening event for Barber Cut Dublin 2016 Mary Fleming caught up with Joth to learn more on his road to success with Savills Barbers, Sheffield and what he took from his quick trip to our capital. All photography by Dominic Gregory, www.dgregoryphoto.com
Joth, having been born in London and raised in Sheffield, you took some influence from Saville Row and brought it to Northern England when you opened up Savills Barbers. What was it about that particular street that captured your imagination? I moved to Sheffield in early seventies and I’ve been based here ever since. The name ‘Savills’ is certainly derived from Saville Row (London), and it refers to the classic style that’s associated with the area. Saville Row is generally known for it’s distinguished gent’s tailoring, and I wanted our cutomers to have a very refined, quality experience once they entered my shop. So with ‘Saville’ being a name of such distinction, it just seemed to work for the shop. To be honest, I just loved the way ‘Savills Barbers’ sounded, too! I’ve had a bit of a lifelong fascination with 20’s and 30’s and art deco style and clothing, and when I envisioned the interior of my barbershop, I knew I wanted it to have a sort of Chicago, 1920’s old gangster style. This is what Savills Barbers was born from, and our image is still very much standing to us. Was it a bold move to open Savills in Sheffield? Was there anywhere else like it before you opened up? You know, I didn’t really think about it at the time, When I started it was just a little 3 chair barbershop, and I genuinely thought that would be it for me I was happy enough with that. Anyway, the look of the shop really grabbed a lot of people, and the style and service just caught on pretty quick. Savills was starting to generate a lot of attention, and much to my surprise I ended up with two shops. I found that I ended up spreading myself a bit too thinly though, so I decided to settle on having one shop with ten chairs. I’m pretty happy with this format. Thinking back to the beginning now, I suppose yes, it was quite a bold move as there wasn’t anything like what I was offering previously. I’ve visited Sheffield a number of times, and I have to say I’ve definitely noticed that the men have great hair! Do you get a good mixture of clients coming into your shop, and has the variation changed since you first opened? Well Sheffield is a big University town so we generally get a youger set in, say around 18 - late 20’s. Although ,the size of our current set up has allowed for a much a much broader spectrum of
I certainly don’t go to these events expecting to just dole out information, I hope to learn from everyone that attends as well.
people to come in. We get people without any hair coming in just to experience our services such as the cutthroat shave, which is amazing. We see all sorts coming through the doors really, everyone from school kids to solicitors. The apprentice has always played a key role in traditional barbering, and you recently had an award winning one. What qualities do you look for in a new apprentice? I find that competitions are good for morale, so I alway encourage my staff to enter them. 2015 was a great year for us, with Giovanni Tornese winning ‘Apprentice Barber of the Year’ in May. Outside of that, we had a streak of wins including ‘Wahl Barber of the Year’, as well as the accolade of ‘Best Barbershop’ and Barber Connect. Back to apprentices though; in the last couple of years I’ve found that I’ve started recruiting for attitude and enthusiasm more so than skill, as you can teach the latter. What I really look for in an apprentice is passion, drive, and a good work ethos. I need to feel that they really really want to do barbering. Barbering has become trendy, which means that you get a lot of people who think they want to do it, but the passion isn’t necessarily there. On a recent visit to Dublin, you met with Liam and Linda Finnegan of the Waldorf barbershop. Their traditional approach has inspired so many well known barbers across the world - what did you take away from the shop? It was so nice to meet the keepers of something so special. I’ve been to Dublin a fair few times at this stage, but I always walked passed and never went down the stairs to have a look into the shop as I didn’t want to intrude. I asked Sam (of Sam’s Barbers) for an introduction, and was so happy to get one. Linda was very welcoming, and I was introduced to Liam who was kind enough to take some time out to chat to me. What was supposed to be a short visit soon turned into three hours as I chatted with Liam about barbering antiques - it turned out that we’re both quite keen collectors. Liam had such a wealth of fascinating knowledge, and there was a great story behing every artefact he showed me. I just was in awe of the place and of what Liam and Linda have created. The visit solidified my love for traditional barbering, and of course - my obsession
with collecting antiques. You were leading a day long seminar and workshop as part of Barber Cut Dublin, so you got to see some Irish barbers in action. What did you think of the standard of work? The standard was really high, but I was expecting that as I knew that a couple of the barbers on the course were already working for Sam, who has a great family hstory of barbering. Some of the barbers had as much experience as me, so I was surprised to see them there! But I certainly don’t go to these events expecting to just dole out information, I hope to learn from everyone that attends as well. I’m constantly adapting my own personal style so I like to see what others have to offer. During the hands on workshop, we all worked on the same cut and had very similar results - but different ways of achieving them, so I found it quite intersting. Overall, I just had a great time and it was good to meet everyone. Finally, with the new year well and truly underway, could you share some of your goals for 2016? This year has been absolutely insane and it’s still only February, I haven’t had a day off yet! I’ve been asked to go to NY, Germany, Poland and a number of other great places to teach. We run an academy at Savills, where we’ve had 4 guys in from Italy, a guy all the way from Nova Scotia, and some people coming from Belgium. It’s a massive hotchpotch of people, and it’s great! They all the passion and drive for the trade, and we all end up becoming great friends. So aside from being busy, we get to create new connections through the school. I guess my next goal for this year is to launch our product range. The formula has been finalised and we’re sorting out branding at the moment, so you should be hearing about it in the next few months. http//www.savillsbarbers.com Twitter: @savillsbarbers Facebook: /savillsbarbers Instagram: savillsbarbers To find out more on Barber Cut Dublin, Email: barbercutdublinexp@gmail.com Instagram: barbercutdublin Facebook: /barbercutdublin
REGIONAL:
CORK SPECIAL
CORK’S EVOLVING BARBERING SCENE Adam O’Callaghan, Irish Barbering Alliance and TASK member, fills us in on the up and coming barbering scene in Cork. With barbering starting to become a huge deal in Ireland over the last few years, us barbers find ourselves doing more technical work as well as much more advanced, yet classical work. Just 10 years ago the following styles would be far and few between, but now they’ve come back into fruition, and there’s no doubt that they’re here to stay. Usually, these styles would filter down to us from the bigger cities like London through magazines like GQ and Esquire. However, it was usually the case that the trend would have been well dead before it got to us! Cork would have once lagged behind the styles of Dublin, even though it’s just 250km’s away. But thankfully enough social media has now levelled the playing field. The average Irish barber can compete with the biggest names in the industry, and there is good staying power behind men’s hair styling now.
Cork would have once lagged behind the styles of Dublin, even though it’s just 250km away.
Photographer: Shaun Barry 1.The Natural Parting Always a killer cut once done right. This style can be done one of two ways: • Skin tight on the sides OR • Longer scissor length on the sides The key to this is how it’s sectioned from the start. • Go in with no separation from the top to the sides (you leave yourself open to hacking off some length that you may just need for this style to work) This style is a classic look. If you take a quick look at Instagram you’ll see the likes of Cut & Sew, The Dublin Barber, and the great Waldorf Barbershop putting out work like this. It’s the same here in Cork. We love producing this look in Bladez Barbershop where I work, all under the keen eye of Lorraine Stout; a true veteran of the game. You’ll also see it coming out of the The Crop Shop which houses Paul Mac, and finally, one of the countries oldest barbershops, Moriarty’s of Blackpool - also known as ‘The Baldy Barbers’.
2. Slick Back & Textured Pull Back These are still two of the most requested styles in Cork. They can be achieved whether the sides have longer length or not, and with a tapered or square look to keep that slick or texturized appearance - it all depends on what the client wants. It can be pulled off with a natural part, or with a more fully complete look - which is slicked from the forehead to the occipital bone. There are many ways to cut the sides, but I feel that this style is best achieved when there is enough weight kept above the occipital bone and around the sides to carry the heaviness on top.
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The easiest way to describe this to a barbering newcomer would be to think of the foundations of a house; without foundations there is no set structure to the project and it will collapse, the same goes for every single haircut.
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3. The Crop By the end of Summer 2015, this style had well and truly embedded itself in our culture. It gets requested a lot in Bladez. I find that clients either go for: • A longer style with a slick back OR • A cropped texturized look. This is achieved by taking the fringe nice and short up towards the hairline, but not too high! The cropped fringe either tends to be a straight blunt look or a textured wave look on the front. Both styles allow for heaviness behind the fringe to fill out the front. Around Cork, I think the next edition of this style will be heavier on the sides and not so short and tight. We’ve seen these additions creeping in over in the UK for the retro mod look, with textured choppy sides coming into play. I for one am looking forward to more scissors work being introduced. The styling of these short and long looks is best achieved with a dry finish product; either sticking the hair into place or pulling it apart using a small round brush. This pulls the hair up and over to create waves, sectioning off weight throughout the top.
4. Disconnections/Undercuts We’ve started to see a bit of a rise in these styles. We tend to see the disconnected look one side, with the other side blended. Sometimes we even get a full undercut with both sides shaved, leaving no weight toward the natural part in the hair, giving a complete look on top - taking most of the look away from the sides. This style is perfect for people who find it hard to style the top when there is weight on the sides. Instead of shaving right up to the natural parting in the hairline, I find the look is much nicer when I take a square approach; fading toward the hairline and having a wedge with minimal weight there. Clients find this easier to style. For finishing, I usually use Layrite Superhold Pomade for a wet look finish. I definitely like the old classic greaser approach to this hairstyle.
4 Just 10 years ago the following styles would be far and few between, but now they’ve come back into fruition, and there’s no doubt that they’re here to stay.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? As we get further into 2016 we are left wondering which new styles willcome onto the scene. We’ve already seen some fantastic work done by the likes of Ryan Cullen and Conor Taaffe, who really push the new ‘drop fade’ styles. We’ve also seen a lot of great taper work from Harry and Rhys Green. These styles will take the year by storm, but even 6 months from now - what will we see come out of the Irish Barbering scene? I for one would love to get more female clientele into the barbershop to see what new looks can come into play.
Instagram: @Adam_ocbarberboy
THE FRONTWOMAN OF BARBERING IN CORK Cork based barber Lorraine Stout is ownder of Bladez Barbershop and a true patron of pushing the boundaries when it comes to gent’s styling in the city. Lorraine spoke to Mary Fleming about the changes she’s witnessed around Ireland and in her locality over the years. Lorraine, your business will have been up and running for 20 years this June; what is the difference between the customers that came into you initially, and those that do now?
It does amaze me how cuts and styles from generations ago come back into play with a new twist on them.
Believe it or not, I still have clients that have been coming into me since the very start. They’d have a few stories to tell you about how the shop has changed over the years. Initially, clients were just looking for basic cuts - they weren’t as aware as men are now of their image. Social media has obviously played a big part in this. It has opened a whole new world of style for people, and so I find that clients are far more willing to try something new these days. Having said that, it does amaze me how cuts and styles from generations ago come back into play with a new twist on them. Each year we see more and more high quality barbershops opening up across Ireland, what do you think it takes to keep a new barbering business afloat in what seems to be quite a saturated market?
First and foremost, barbers need to be fully qualified. There are tonnes of new shops opening across Ireland, hiring barbers who have very little experience. This is a big problem in the Irish industry, and one that needs to be tackled with proper regulation. On the other hand, there are plenty of new shops opening up who absolutely nail it in terms of providing the right education and experience. At the end of the day though, the branding of your business is key, and a strong image will do wonders for a new barbershop. Furthermore, you’ve been in the barbering 26 years - how have you managed to adapt to the changes that have taken place in the industry? I love and embrace the direction modern barbering has taken. Of course, traditional barbering is huge at the moment, which is great. I like that there are no real rules as to how we should merge old and new styles together. It’s an interesting concept and I find it’s really driving trends.
REGIONAL:
You’re also a well respected educator; what was it that drove you into that side of barbering in the first place? What do you think of the standard of barbering education in Ireland at the moment - is there enough regulation? There are basically no regulations at the moment, which makes things difficult. It’s a fight we are still trying to win, and we really do hope to bring some regulation in, as it’s a problem that really does need addressing at this stage. Since I started Bladez 20 years ago, I’ve always had an apprentice. These seems to be a bit of a rarity in Irish barbershops these days. Over the years I always had people asking me to train them, so I looked into it and there seemed to be nowehere to go. So I re-educated myself, intially becoming an educator, moving on to become an assessor, and finally becoming an IQA for awarding bodies. The IQA position allows me to work on standardisation of qualifications, which I am obviously very interested in.
CORK SPECIAL
Cork barbers are making pretty big noises in the Irish barbering industry at the moment. I think we go that extra mile to make each cut ‘the one’.
Do you think Cork has anything unique about it that makes it stand out in terms of Irish barbering? Cork barbers are making pretty big noises in the Irish barbering industry at the moment. I think we go that extra mile to make each cut ‘the one’. If you could sum up the barbering industry in Ireland at the moment - how would you describe it? Barbering is back in such a strong way and it’s only getting started. I’m excited to see what Irish barbers come out with in 2016. Instagram: @barbersbladez Facebook: bladezcork bladezbarbers.com
All images by the Bladez team Instagram: @bladezbarberscork Facebook: facebook.com/ bladezbarbers
ABROAD
The Dapper Scoundrel: From Roscommon to Perth Conor Fullard details his barbering journey. Photography by Shannon Stent Images. My barbering career began in January `04. I had landed home from Australia a few months prior with no money or trade - just a miserably failed attempt at 3rd level education behind me. My parents and my sister tried their best to get me interested in hairdressing, but I had zero interest in that line of work. That was a bit stupid now that I look back, but I was 21 and didn’t know what i wanted to do with my life professionally. What I did know was that I wanted to get back to Australia, as I loved living in Perth. My sister finally convinced me to cut hair after she found an evening course for me to do in the Merchant Barbers, Temple Bar. I had a good feeling about it; I had always liked messing around with a clippers and I felt positive about the move to Dublin. It all fell into place when my friend got me a job labouring during the day so I could practice barbering at night. After that first night in the Merchant Barbers I fell in love with the trade, and I haven’t lost that buzz since. I’ll never forget walking up the old stairs, quite nervous and not knowing what to expect. I remember the worn floors, old fashioned grand barber chairs, and all of the postcards and personal pictures around the mirrors. I felt at home. To this day, every time I smell fibre, pomade, and forming cream, it takes me back to that shop. After almost a year of evening courses, I realised that I’d need a full-time barbering apprenticeship, that or more regular training. So, I went to Knights School of Barbering to study on a full-time basis. After completing that course I didn’t really plan on leaving Ireland, however, I went to visit my friend in Manchester for a weekend (bringing my tools along to cut their hair) and ended up loving it. My friend’s
brother knew a barber there, so I stayed and worked for him. I then ended up back in Perth via a 2 year stint in London, where i worked for Leo`s Chop Shop. I learnt so much about cutting hair from the best barbers around; Sean McHale and Niall from Bedford Stuy back in Dublin, and Leo Smeraglia in London. These guys were all about quality over quantity, and going that extra mile in terms of service. When I came back to Australia in February 2007, I was just on a holiday visa. I knew I wanted to live in Perth so I did a trial in the barbers and managed to get myself a sponsorship visa. This meant that I had to stay with my employer for 4 years. I had to wait nearly 4 months for my visa to be processed before I could start work, but it was all worth it in the end. It’s so much easier to make connections and build relationships abroad these days thanks to social media. Ten years ago, I made a video of a haircut with an old camcorder and posted the video over to a barber I had been in contact with in Perth. I did this with the hope of getting sponsored, and I’m not even sure if the barber even watched it. Nothing came of the video, but I might have been on to something there! All you have to do is get your phone out, make a video and whack on it youtube. In terms of the barbering industry here, I think that we’re starting to catch up with Ireland in terms of quantity. We didn’t have as many shops on the high streets as Dublin or Galway did, but now there seems to be shops popping up all over the place. We have some great barbers in Australia at the moment, and the standard is rising all the time. Shops like Brother Wolf in Melbourne,
start to finish, so being friendly and talkative helps to make it a more comfortable experience. I love having a chat and getting to know the clients. If you are friendly to people they tend to be nice back. Then you can create a bond with them and they will trust you and your work. I think that making the move to Australia is something that anyone can do. It really is a small world, family and friends are only a phone call or a flight away. As long as you prepare well, saving as much money as possible before you leave, everything will go as well as it can. Here are some tips I can offer: 1. Be sure to make contacts with barbers in advance, in all of the cities you plan on travelling to. 2. Research the facts about the various visas and your rights as an employee in the local area. 3. Be positive and open minded, try new things and join sporting or social clubs. This will help you meet new people and build a clientele. 2016 is going to be a great year. We are going to launch an online store where we will sell ‘The Dappper Scoundrel’ products. 3 years ago I started making beard oil as a hobby and for personal use. After many poor attempts, I finally came up with a batch that I was extremely happy with, and I thought ‘I need to bottle this!’. It went on the shelves in August 2014 and has been selling really well in store. From there, I got into making mo’ wax and beard balm; messing around with lots of raw ingredients for styling products. It became very time consuming, especially after opening the shop, so I commissioned a bio-chemist to manufacture some of the products. I now work very closely with him, and everyone is delighted with the finished products. My wife’s trade is fashion design and textile studies, so she hand makes limited amounts of bow ties and pocket squares which will be added to the online shop also.
...no barber would change his job for anything and as Anthony Mancinelli (the oldest barber in the world) said “it keeps you young”.
The Moustachery in Brisbane, and Westons here in Perth are all serving up some excellent quality cuts. However, the quality hasn’t always been this good. I find that I have a lot of Irish lads telling me they can’t find a good barber here in Perth. I’ve been tagged in Facebook posts where someone is looking for a decent barber because they’ve been ‘butchered’ in the past. The lack of skills comes down to training and trends. When I landed here 9 years ago, not many people would go shorter than a #no.2 back and sides. The trend was for surfy style cuts; choppy and messy with medium to longer lengths. So, because no clients were getting fades it was very hard for young barbers to learn how to do them, and I think the skill got a bit lost over here. This has all changed in the last few years though, as the trend has changed massively and everyone is on to the sharp, tapered look. The young trainee barbers have definitely improved because of it. Having said all that, you just can’t beat an Irish barbershop. We as Irish people are welcoming by nature, it’s inherent in us. Barbering can be a tough job, quite mentally draining. There are not many industries where the client is staring straight at the provider, looking at every part of the service from
This year I am also doing a sort of residency in a coffee roaster warehouse. For the first Monday of every month I’ll go there to do a few cuts at night time. We have a little barber corner in the front of the warehouse where the gents can get a cut and learn a bit about coffee, as well as have coffee tastings. So it promises to be a hectic 2016, but no barber would change his job for anything and as Anthony Mancinelli (the oldest barber in the world) said “it keeps you young”. This coming from a 105 year old barber - respect to you sir. Instagram: @thedapperscoundrel www.dapperscoundrel.com.au/
ABROAD
A DUBLIN BARBER TAKES LONDON Dublin born Glenn McGoldriick has made a name for himself as a gent’s stylist with the world renowned ‘Menspire’.
I’ve had an interest in hair for as long as I can remember. I was always inspired by hair trends, but could never get the haircut I was looking for. From an early age I followed barbers and hairdressers such as Josh Lamonaca and Samuel Palmer, both of whom I'm very grafteful to work with and train under today. I first met Josh when I was just 16 years old, I had watched Menspire closely on Instagram and was already trying to replicate a lot of their work through my own haircuts. I was doing friends haircuts at home at the time, and hadn't really gotten an understanding of hair at all, so I managed to get myself an apprenticeship at the Grafton barber and undertook some education with Menspire. My main goal from day one in the industry was to become comfortable with my scissors. I found that I was most inspired by beautiful scissor work, and Menspire combined modern barbering and hairdressing together with great fashion. That’s why I pursued a job with the brand.
I think 2016 is the year that Irish barbers start to become leaders in the global barbering industry.
I think that the future of men's hair lies in men's hairdressing. Most of today's styles relate back to hairdressing, or are heavily influenced by hairdressing. Take the crop for example, which has become massively popular over the last year, with so many different takes on it. I've been lucky enough to experience a number of trend changes since moving to London to work with Menspire. It's incredible to see where people take inspiration from, and also to observe how the Irish market and standard of barbering has begun to match Britains. Irish barbers have really had a massive effect on barbering recently, producing so much great, original work. I think 2016 is the year that Irish barbers start to become leaders in the global barbering industry.
Instagram: @glennmcgoldrick www.menspire.co.uk
BARBERS FOR
Lions Barber Collective The Lions Barber Collective is an international collection of top barbers which have come together to help raise awareness for the prevention of suicide.
SOCIAL CHANGE Liane Murray meets the Lion’s Barber Collective
In Ireland, cases of death by suicide are over 80% male. That is an overwhelming statistic. Is it a Support the Lions Barber Collective on their Crowd Funding page: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ thelionsbarbercollective The Gentry Limerick: facebook.com/thegentrybarbershop8 Tom Chapman Hair Design: facebook.com/TomChapmanHair Design That Little Barber Shop: www.facebook.com/thatlittlebarbershop Ken Hermes speaks on his father: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LGBSGby87Kw
matter of pride? Could the difficulty we have in discussing suicide be partly responsible for these numbers?
It wasn’t difficult to spot the barbers in the room when I walked into the Dublin city center hotel lobby. Two perfectly styled long beards and a flat cap were waiting for me on the couches, buzzing about their recent meetings; the reason they were all in Dublin. I didn’t know how much of a barbering legend Pat Barry of the Gentry, Limerick was until after I had set up the interview and began researching his work. He was accompanied by Tom Chapman of Tom Chapman Hair Design in Torquay, UK and Ken Hermes of That Little Barber Shop, a blog dedicated to reviewing barber shops. After a bit of small talk I just had to ask Pat as a new barber, what was his advice for starting out and making it in the industry. Instead of giving me a thoughtless answer, he asked me, “Well, do you love it?” I heard myself mumble something that I’ve already forgotten. I love every minute that I spend in a barber shop, but how do I say this to the man that Barber NV magazine recently described as the ‘Godfather of modern Irish barbering’? That didn’t matter to Pat, if I loved the work and made sure to always keep learning, to keep up with new styles, to learn from the community and the people who sat in my chair, I would be just fine. Now, this man knows barbering. He began working in a barber shop when he was just 11 years of age, started cutting hair by 14 and was able to write the book by 17. He would cut his friends’ hair after school and worked in his uncle’s shop. After a stint working in the UK, Pat moved back home to Limerick to open his first business, Babylon Barber Shop. At one point Pat had 6 businesses, of which he said, “The stress was suffocating and there was no time at home for family. I wanted to manage them all myself which ended up not being productive, and it just wasn’t worth the money”. Pat now runs his shop in Limerick, advises on a panel in America, and puts on lifestyle events with a focus on barbering. He is co-presenting at the first Belfast Barber Bash, which is almost sold out and will see 250 attendees. That’s not all though, he’s also one of the co-founders of the Lions Barber Collective.
A lot of people have their own personal stories about suicide. For Tom Chapman it was when his friend died by suicide shortly after they ran into each other on the street. For Ken Hermes it was his father. In Ireland, cases of death by suicide are over 80% male1. That is an overwhelming statistic. Is it a matter of pride? Could the difficulty we have in discussing suicide be partly responsible for these numbers? The Lions Barber Collective aims to end the stigma, to make it easier for us to talk to each other about self-harm and suicide, and to teach communication skills. Pat Barry says, “The statistics are alarming. We have a social responsibility to help. It’s like the C-Word, cancer; nobody wanted to say it 20 years ago. We need to change a generation’s perception of mental health.” As barbers we have a special relationship with our clients that gives us the opportunity to listen to them. With the help and collaboration of Papyrus in the UK and Pieta House in Ireland, the #barbertalk training program can enable barbers to recognise, talk, listen and advise clients in need. The Collective will attend trade shows, festivals, tour schools, colleges and universities to spread the word and to end the stigma. Pat adds, “We’re not pretending to be councilors, we’re just trying to bridge the gap and get people talking” Once the training program has been initiated, barbers will be able to register their shops and place a ribbon with the colours of a barber pole in their shop window to let clients know that it is a safe space to talk. The Lions Barber Collective have many exciting projects on top of their training program. The collective’s artistic team will be producing an annual “LOOK BOOK” in which chosen members will donate a hair image. The much anticipated collaboration will be sold with the proceeds going to our charities and future projects, training and development. Another project in its early stages is called the Lions Den, a safe space to talk about anxiety, depression, and suicide. They also have products that you can purchase to support the collective such as Fit For Vikings beard products (http://fitforvikings.com/collections/) and t-shirts which will be available soon!
1(source: http://nsrf.ie/statistics/suicide/)
GREEN TREATMENT
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BEFORE
WHITE TREATMENT
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2. If your customer has a lot of facial hair, use your clipper with a #no.1 guard to remove the main bulk of hair. This will prevent you from needless trips to the wash basin, cleaning hair from your razor or making a mess wiping hair onto a towel. Also if you need to shape the hairline, now is the time to do it.
3. Place a towel over the shoulders, tilt the chair back to a position that suits you both and then place a second towel across the chest, tucking it into the customers clothing to avoid any product spills.
4.Use a facial scrub or cleanser to remove dead skin and eliminate any infection-causing bacteria.
5. A hot towel will relax your customer while adding moisture to the beard whiskers. This enables the razor to slice through the hair with ease, avoiding painful tugging. Leave the towel for about 30 seconds, making sure the towel doesn't cover the nose. If your customer has particularly strong whiskers, replace the towel with a fresh hot towel for extra soakage.
6. Use this time to prepare your razor and soak your shaving brush in warm water. Be sure to change blades with every new customer and sterilize brushes after every use.
7. When removing the towel take note of the direction in which the beard is growing and wipe away any left over cleansing product. I will often do this in a massage like motion to further relax the customer.
SHAVING TUTORIAL
1. Before you perform a straight razor shave it is important to do a consultation. Find out as much information as you can without making the customer feel interrogated. Ask if the customer considers his skin sensitive, if he suffers from ingrown hairs, razor burn or if he tends to nick himself while shaving. Also find out what direction the customer usually shaves in. At this point I would often offer professional advice to help alleviate any issues the customer is having while shaving at home.
Colm McGuinness, Calvin Arthur Barbers takes us through the hot towel shave process.
8. Lightly massage some pre-shave oil into the whiskers. This will act as a barrier for the skin and provide lubrication for the razor to glide over it, avoiding any razor burn or irritation.
13. After the first shave, apply a light face wash to remove any left over shave cream and hair. I’m using a tea tree oil face wash to invigorate the senses and gently clean the skin.
9. Apply shave cream with a luxurious silver tip badger hair brush. Use circular motions to create a rich warm lather; this will prop up the whiskers in preparation for cutting.
14. Apply another hot towel, at this point your customer should be feeling quite sleepy. After removing the hot towel apply a generous amount of shave oil to the skin, once again taking note of the grain direction.
10. A good place to start your shave is at the top of the cheek. The razor should be in a slight guillotine formation at a 30 degree angle. Lead the stroke of the blade to the point of the razor, while maintaining balance at the centre of the blade.
11. Follow the direction of the grain for the first shave, making sure to stretch the skin away from the direction of movement. A second finger can be used to stretch ahead of the razor if the skin is particularly loose in places. Asses the skin condition as you shave, and take note of any possible problem areas.
12. Use the palm of your hand and the back of your hand to collect excess lather and hair. This is far more efficient than rinsing throughout the shave or wiping on a towel, however it does require some practice to master.
13. Try to stay on the same side of the customer as you begin to shave the opposite side of the face. This saves time and avoids unnecessary back and forth movement around the customer.
15. Using a fresh razor, you must decide at this point, based on the condition of the skin, if it is best to shave against, across, or with the grain again. More often than not I will shave against the grain on the cheek and chin areas, and across the grain on the lower neck as this is a particularly common problem area for ingrown hairs.
16. At the end of the second shave I will perform a roll slap massage with witch hazel oil to stimulate blood flow and sooth the skin.
17. Apply a cold towel to further sooth the skin and tighten the pores, leaving the skin firm and fresh. If you notice a small blood spot at any point, this is a good opportunity to lift the towel from just the beard area and rub a wet alum block on the blemish.
18. My final step is to apply a moisturizer to restore the skins lost moisture, rebalance the condition of the skin, and leave it smooth and firm. Its also a nice touch to fan the customer with a towel, creating a cool breeze on their new fresh complexion.
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