BARBERS Find out who are head and shoulders above the rest

This content was taken from Bath Life issue 396. This information was correct at the time FULL CLIP

Getting a decent haircut is key to looking stylish and feeling good, even for the most unreconstructed of men. But how should you go about making the most of the experience? We caught up with two top Bath barbers who are, yes, head and shoulders above the rest…

Words by Paul Marland Pictures by Focus First Media

Paul Taylor-Clinch at Black Sails, one of Bath’s newest, coolest barbers

Back in the day I was more loyal to my barber than I am now. Men are creatures of habit, and me more than most – plus, I’d think about getting my hair cut elsewhere, then feel guilty about abandoning him or her. These days, not so much. I figure, if I’m sticking to a shorter style, how bad can it get? I’ll just pop along to a cheap local place, get shorn like a sheep, and if it looks bad, well, what’s the harm? I’ll live with it for a few weeks – or go along to another one and see if they can fix it. Anyway, one of the joys of getting your hair cut is meeting someone new, soaking up the ambience of different shop, being encouraged to try a style I’d never thought of. But what if I’m wrong? What if it actually makes better sense to find someone who knows you and your hair, and stick by them? Time, we thought, to catch up with a couple of our favourite local barbers and men’s hairdressers to find out…

HOW TO GET THE BEST HAIRCUT OF YOUR LIFE Step 1. Decide what matters to you “The biggest thing in men’s hair is achieving a good shape that will grow out well,” says Zac Fennell, a director at BA1 Hair on Bartlett Street and one of Bath’s most prominent hairdressers. “That’s why it’s worth going to a decent place where they do it with care. It’s certainly better than sitting in a queue system, where they’re trying to get through as many as they can. Of course, for a more professional service you’ll have to book, so you’ll have to decide what’s important to you. Do you want it done quickly and cheaply? Or do you want it done well? If it’s the first two, fine – but you’ll get a worse cut.” Step 2. A good haircut is unique “If you want to be good at this job, you need to be able to read each client’s head shape and growth patterns,” says Paul TaylorClinch, aka Pirate Paulus of Black Sails Barbershop out at Lark Place, near the skate park. “Only that way will you be able to determine which looks will suit each person. You just have to accept some styles will never work with your head shape or hair texture.” Step 3. Insist they do the dirty stuff “With guys, hair sprouts from nowhere,” Zac says. “We spend time trimming ears, noses, necks, eyebrows. But that’s part of the job, and any barber who doesn’t, doesn’t really care. A good barber is looking at the total image. Okay, okay, I do stop at the neck – I’m not going to start shaving your back – but curling hair pouring out of your shirt looks terrible, doesn’t it?” Step 4. Feel part of a community “Everything we do, we do it for our patrons,” says Paul. “It’s certainly not for our egos. I often think that the haircut itself is maybe only 40 percent of the service, “A good hairdresser will be 100% honest with you,and you should be honest with them” and just as much of it is about being a community hub. To be good at this job you definitely need to be a people person.” Step 5. Be honest “It’s not about hiding stuff,” says Zac. “If you’re receding, you’re receding – but there are ways to make it look stylish and natural. A good hairdresser will be 100% honest with you, and you should be honest with them – then give them the freedom to do what will work for you. If you’ve got a bald patch and try for a comb over, you’re asking for trouble; when the wind whips it up, you’re going to look like an idiot.” Step 6. Take along a photo “That’s one of the best ways to show your barber what you have in mind,” says Paul. “At the very least, it can get a discussion going. I don’t like it when people think I can make them look just like a celebrity – you’re never going to – but, because celebs tend to have expressive hair styles, it’s a great jumping off point.” Step 7. Clippers are your friend “By all means, quote the clipper numbers,” says Zac. “Say you’d like a two on the side and a four on the top – or say you don’t like clippers at all, and would rather we used scissors, because the effect is softer. Your hairdresser might not agree with you – but even so, telling us is helpful. It’ll give us a better idea of what you’re trying to achieve, and we might be able to show you some modern clipper techniques that give beautifully soft results, the hair gradually fading from a zero out to very long on top.” Step 8. Don’t be shy “It’s useful for us to know a little bit about your lifestyle,” Zac says. “You don’t want a style you have to blow dry if you’re a swimmer, say, and are in and out of the pool all day.”

Zac Fennell of BA1 Hair, once known as Artizan and one of the city’s best established salons

Paul at Black Sails, with its cool pirate theme and wide range of classic men’s cuts

Step 9. Beards need love “A beard needs to be shaped, just like the top of your head,” says Zac. “If you have a fat face you can elongate it with a beard, but if you have a long face you need to keep your beard short – you don’t want to make your face any longer than it already is. You have to cut a beard by eye, like going at a hedge with a hedge trimmer, as beards are just as symmetrical as faces – which is to say, not at all. The other big question is, how long do you want your beard shape to last for? If someone comes in every other week, I’ll just trim it; but if I know I won’t see them for months, I’ll go for quite a tight beard cut. Facial hair is more like pubic hair than head hair, so it needs some love – you have to feed it with oils, and sometimes blow drying makes it a million times better too.”

Step 10. Men should have square heads: fact “A haircut will often look its best if I go for a number one around the hairline, then fade it out to something softer,” says Zac. “You don’t want to lose the shape of the head: a guy’s haircut should always be square, strong and masculine – as soon as you make it round, you risk going girlie. It’s not to do with how long the hair is – there are great guys’ haircuts where it’s longer – but if you lose the square shape with strong corners, it’s unlikely to work. That square effect is what keeps a guy looking like a guy.”

Step 11. Rethink that undercut “There’s one thing I won’t do,” says Paul, “and that’s undercuts on men’s hair. I think it just looks bad, and will never grow out nicely.”

“A haircut will often look its best if I go for a number one around the hairline, then fade it out to something softer”

Here’s a haircut by Paul, a go-to guy for pomps, flattops and quiffs

And here’s an equally impressive cut by Zac

“You give a guy a good haircut, and wow, it makes a difference. It can make them feel a million times better”

Step 12. And maybe rethink that man bun, too “Man buns?” says Zac. “Feck off.”

Step 13. Go light on the products “There’s a saying I really like, though it isn’t true: you need a hairdryer for good hair cut,” says Paul. “Well, you don’t – and it’s the same with products. I love the brand I’m with” – Reuzel, which has a sort of biker, psychobilly thing going on – “and their products are amazing, working brilliantly with both modern and classic looks. But the bottom line is that if you need product to make a haircut look good, the haircut sucks.”

Step 14. Enjoy the banter “I love doing men’s hair, because I love the chat,” says Zac. “Be warned – it can get disgusting. That said, I chat with my female guests just the same. If you don’t like it, you can–” But ah, let’s leave it there.

Step 15. Take a bit of pride “You give a guy a good haircut,” says Zac, “and wow, it makes a difference. It can make them feel a million times better, gives them that confidence and that boost. Maybe they’ve gone through a tough time, had a break up, look terrible. And I’ll say, get in here, get a haircut, maybe get down the gym, but certainly sort yourself out. It’s pretty simple, but when you look good, you feel good.” n For more, www.ba1hair.co.uk; www.blacksailsbarbershop.nearcut.com

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