Support NeoGAF

[Kev Kev]

tl;dr - are you a man or a woman? do you prefer a barber or salon? explain why

barbers have come back in recent years, and i think that's awesome. the atmosphere in a barber shop is more comfortable for dudes, and overall just more enjoyable. on the other hand, a salon would seem that way for women. but ive seen people say that women cut mens hair beter bc they know what looks best, and although i cant say ive heard alot of women say that men cut womens hair better, i sure they exist.

also, there are women that work at my local barber. sometimes they are punk rock looking smokin hot tattooed chick which i am all the fuck about that, other times they are gay and thats fine too. ive also seen men working at salons. i cant speak on their looks as im not attracted to men (i guess they arent butt ass ugly?) but for the most part they are gay men, which is of course fine.

now, i prefer barbers, but i dont care if its a man or woman who cuts it, as long as they do a good job. some men prefer only male barber cut their hair. some women prefer only a female hair stylist (salon-er?) cut their hair. some people dont care if its a man, woman, barber, salon-er, whatever, they just want a good hair cut (this one makes the most sense i suppose, but again, i enjoy the experience of a barber more than a salon. it just has a more boys club kind of feel, and yes i fucking like that and fuck you if you think thats weirdly sexist. im totally okay with a woman going to a salon bc it has more of a womans group feel to it. all of that is fine and ok, but its certainly part of the conversation, which is why ive made this topic to discuss it.

it is also worth mentioning that barber's usually are local, independently owned establishments, while salon's are large, chain businesses, which plays into the discussion of course. some may like the smaller independent barbers (who may charge a bit more), while others prefer a cheaper chain salon like hair cuttery or super cuts (who may lack that local, independent feel, and might be cheper). its worth noting that ive also noticed that sometimes the barber is cheaper than the chain store so

bonus: here's my personal curveball (my personal situation atm)... if a man has long hair (like mine, at about the shoulders rn), should he go to a barber or a salon? man or woman?

discuss

 

[teezzy]

I went to a Lady Jane's once and it was the most awkward experience ever. You pick your barber lady off of a tablet based off how hot she is and then you just get a half assed hair cut. No handy, not even a lap dance. Just a crappy cut with some half brained conversation

I'm so glad I just shave my bald head now. Like a G.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Haircut place.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I have a pair of dog clippers, works fine on my hair too. I go to the barber shop now and then just for a shave. I stopped going to salons once my balls dropped.

 

[nush]

Barbers, get in, get in the chair and get out with no fuss. It's also cheaper.

 

[NeoGiffer]

 

[FreedomOfSpeech]

Save money and time

 

[YCoCg]

Barbers, give me that full on ASMR massage bullshit, getting to relax and coming out better looking is always a nice treat and a break from life.

 

[Breakage]

Always get my haircut from a barber. Hair salons are for women and metrosexuals.

 

[drganon]

I just go to places like greatclips.

 

[Deleted member 1159]

I get my sister to cut my hair, she used to work in a salon. She’s cut my hair for almost 20 years and knows how to deal with my cowlick and hairline. But when she’s not around, barber.

 

[Rat Rage]

bonus: here's my personal curveball (my personal situation atm)... if a man has long hair (like mine, at about the shoulders rn), should he go to a barber or a salon? man or woman?

For long hair? I'd always go with a woman, no? I believe less women go to a barber and probably more men with short hair than long hair, so overall they probably have less experience with cutting long hair?

Anyway, barber shops are pretty relaxing. Especially if you get the full treatment: hair & beard.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I used to go to a barber. Reliable, friendly guy. Haircut for $12 or $15 and I'd throw in a few bucks tip.

Eventually he retired, but even before that I started to notice that he wasn't layering my hair correctly anymore. I wanted a slight change in style and I wanted it done right so I switched to a salon.

Over the past 8 years or so, I've been going to the same place. Now I have a go-to-stylist that understands the kind of cut I want. I pay more for cuts and I pay more in tips but I also only go 2-3 times a year.

 

[synchronicity]

Edit: My ex-wife is a hair-stylist, and I still let her cut my hair since she does it for free, and I'm cheap.

 

[Nymphae]

If you want a good haircut go to a salon.

 

[ILoveGTR]

i prefer salon as a man they cuting hair pefrectly and better than berbers

 

[Hinedorf]

I'm 38, been buzzing my own head since 22. Never going back!

 

[EverydayBeast]

Let's not act like the OP's thread doesn't matter, personally I'm DIY but I think tip'n your barber is important.

 

[SpartanN92]

I go to a barber. Chill atmosphere and the crew there know what I like.

 

[888]

Barber for sure. You will get better cuts and fades. Most Salons are meant for Women's hair. Plus Barber shops are fun as hell.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Sport clips lol. If I heard of a place with the hot punk tattoed girls cutting hair I'd be there though.

 

[MastAndo]

Barber, when I used to go. Then I started just cutting my own hair, since I started getting that "lipstick on a pig" feeling when relying on a pro to work with this disaster I got going on up top.

You can get pretty decent at it after a while, especially if you're not giving yourself something super close to the skin - plus, it's been nice to be able to keep myself presentable during quarantine for when I did have to see people here and there.

 

[Kev Kev]

For long hair? I'd always go with a woman, no? I believe less women go to a barber and probably more men with short hair than long hair, so overall they probably have less experience with cutting long hair?

Anyway, barber shops are pretty relaxing. Especially if you get the full treatment: hair & beard.

i was thinking the same thing. however, i have heard that barbers can cut hair just as well as hair stylists, no matter what style. it just seems to make more sense that stylists cut longer hair more often so i should go there. but at the same time, cutting long hair on guys is easy lol im not doing anything fancy, why wouldnt a barber be able to do the same job? plus i enjoy the atmoshpere of the barber more so... her thanks for the feedback, thats what i was really looking for, appreciate it

If you want a good haircut go to a salon.

ive been going to a barber for years and they cut hair better than the salon i went to before. i felt stupid that i hadnt gone to a barber before. so hard disagree on that, barbers do an amazing job (and cheap and FAST)

Barber for sure. You will get better cuts and fades. Most Salons are meant for Women's hair. Plus Barber shops are fun as hell.

100% agree. the fade i got at the salon was nowhere near as well done as when it was done at the barber. and the barber i went to was a chick, but she just cut it better! probably bc she had more experience with mens hair which makes total sense. whcih is where my "what if im a guy who has long hair" question cam into play.

at this point im still leaning barber, even if i get a weird look or two from the staff, im sure they will be happy to take my money. plus how hard could cutting a man's long hair be? i dunno, ill think about it some more, but my experiences at salon's havent been as enjoyable as my barber so... we'll see i guess.

 

[triplestation]

barber

 

[Grinchy]

I always wanted to find some barber where I could go in, sit down, not have to say a fucking word, and trust that he's cutting my hair properly. I never quite found that, though I'm sure it exists somewhere.

Men who are actually bald would say I have a perfectly fine hairline, but to me, my hair receded far enough to the point that I decided to just start clipping it off myself. Every now and then I decide to let it grow back in, but the front of it is too "see-through" and I just come to the conclusion every time that it's better to just trim it off again. So no barbers in my life.

 

[John Mullins]

Why the fuck would you choose to go to a salon on purpose?

To get wild jojoba and coconut oil massaged into your scalp, waste 2 hours of your time and get wildly overcharged for the privilege?

You can get pretty decent at it after a while, especially if you're not giving yourself something super close to the skin - plus, it's been nice to be able to keep myself presentable during quarantine for when I did have to see people here and there.

I do number 0 myself (no comb) high and tight type fade, it becomes second nature after a while and the results are decent considering I am a balding cunt

 

[Sub_Level]

Barber. The one I go to is full of nothing but attractive older women barbers who wear tight jeans.

 

[888]

i was thinking the same thing. however, i have heard that barbers can cut hair just as well as hair stylists, no matter what style. it just seems to make more sense that stylists cut longer hair more often so i should go there. but at the same time, cutting long hair on guys is easy lol im not doing anything fancy, why wouldnt a barber be able to do the same job? plus i enjoy the atmoshpere of the barber more so... her thanks for the feedback, thats what i was really looking for, appreciate it



ive been going to a barber for years and they cut hair better than the salon i went to before. i felt stupid that i hadnt gone to a barber before. so hard disagree on that, barbers do an amazing job (and cheap and FAST)



100% agree. the fade i got at the salon was nowhere near as well done as when it was done at the barber. and the barber i went to was a chick, but she just cut it better! probably bc she had more experience with mens hair which makes total sense. whcih is where my "what if im a guy who has long hair" question cam into play.

at this point im still leaning barber, even if i get a weird look or two from the staff, im sure they will be happy to take my money. plus how hard could cutting a man's long hair be? i dunno, ill think about it some more, but my experiences at salon's havent been as enjoyable as my barber so... we'll see i guess.

So talking to my barber he said they are only trained to cut men’s hair while salons mostly focus on woman’s hair. That’s the disparity for getting a good fade with precise lines. Plus salons seem to rush to get as many people through then door as possible whereas my barber takes an hour to do a high skin fade and only take a little off the top. He breaks out the straight razor and cleans up everything and the beard. It’s just a better experience for sure.

I don’t think long hair will be an issue tbh. My barber has pretty long hair as does most of them in there.

 

[eot]

My hair is long as fuuuuck and I would never trust a barber with it. I've only gone to barbers for my beard, but now I keep it trimmed anyway

 

[Frogman_676]

whatever is cheapest

 

[brap]

I only let women and flamboyant gay dudes cut my hair so salon.

Barber. The one I go to is full of nothing but attractive older women barbers who wear tight jeans.

HUMINA CUMINA

 

[Kev Kev]

So talking to my barber he said they are only trained to cut men’s hair while salons mostly focus on woman’s hair. That’s the disparity for getting a good fade with precise lines. Plus salons seem to rush to get as many people through then door as possible whereas my barber takes an hour to do a high skin fade and only take a little off the top. He breaks out the straight razor and cleans up everything and the beard. It’s just a better experience for sure.

I don’t think long hair will be an issue tbh. My barber has pretty long hair as does most of them in there.

ok perfect, thanks for the feedback man! ok im definitely just gonna go to my barber then. id heard that longer hair was no big deal, but i straight up never seen anyone with long hair at my barber. good to know its NBD.

 

[highrider]

Barber, but during Covid been just buzzing it down. Might just keep on doing it this way.

 

[RPS37]

I’m a man. I prefer my girl barber. She knows how to make me look good.

 

[Kev Kev]

I’m a man. I prefer my girl barber. She knows how to make me look good.

honestly, this is my preference as well. the girl barbers do just as good if not better than the guy barbers. and they are easier to look at, and even talk to sometimes

i will say however, older latino/spanish guys do an amazing job and they are stupidly fast. i have no idea how they do it, but ive had a few of them and im always out of there in, no shit, 5-10 minutes. the guy i went to last time (they have multiple barbers and i just go to first available) does the best job of any of them, hands down no contest. there is a picture of him cutting john travoltas hair near his station. apparently he was so good that he was travoltas personal barber for years when travolta lived in the fly-in community down here.

 

[BigBooper]

I prefer the 60+ year old barber with a striped pole in the window, but mostly I cut my own.

 

[mekes]

My local barbers have all changed to a mixture between barbers and salons. Prefer pre-booking, free beer if you’re getting a cut etc. Id rather pay a bit more and get a good cut than pay minimum and get a 15 minute rush cut.

 

[samporter]

Does anyone cut their own hair? As in using scissors and a handheld mirror? They say that barbers can recognized when someone cut their own hair.

 

[GymWolf]

Barber.

 

[Rockondevil]

Barbers are for men and salon is for women.
I’ve been using a barber my entire life so I wouldn’t say they’ve only come back in recent years, at least not in my country.

I like to get in and get out with a nice man cut.

 

[Kev Kev]

Barbers are for men and salon is for women.
I’ve been using a barber my entire life so I wouldn’t say they’ve only come back in recent years, at least not in my country.

I like to get in and get out with a nice man cut.

i live in america so that where im talking about

and i wouldnt say they went completely out of style, and im not sure when it happened, but at some point most men just started going to whatever chain hair cut place was close by. fast forward however many years, yadda yadda yadda and here we are w men finally going back to barbers.

i was born in 87 and hadnt been to a barber since the early 90's when my mom would take me to the local one. so i guess somewhere between the early 90's and early 2010's they had (somewhat) gone out of style, but they've really come back in a big way in the last 5 years.

i went back to a barber for the first time about 2 years ago and its been a way better experience than any hair cuttery i used to go to

 

[Yamisan]

I'm a dog groomer and at my job we do each others hair, its much easier than dog grooming. No reason to pay when coworkers do each other for free and better than most barbers could ever do.

 

[Kev Kev]

I'm a dog groomer and at my job we do each others hair, its much easier than dog grooming. No reason to pay when coworkers do each other for free and better than most barbers could ever do.

come to florida and groom me too please. thx luv ya

 

[Yamisan]

come to florida and groom me too please. thx luv ya

Oh god Florida already had enough reasons to never visit it, now they have Covid too. Come to Cleveland and I'll do it....Cleveland sucks but still better than Florida.

 

[Kev Kev]

Oh god Florida already had enough reasons to never visit it, now they have Covid too. Come to Cleveland and I'll do it....Cleveland sucks but still better than Florida.

deal!

 

[rykomatsu]

Barber - have a fantastic one that's been able to cut and style my hair like (almost) no other in the past. She runs a single chair, only. Classic liberal mindset of "I might not agree with what you said, but I'll fight to the death to defend your right to say it" so we have some lively chats while she's cutting my hair on topics of the day...and no, have never been worried about her messing up my hair or "accidentally" cutting me. We share a shot of whisky or what not from time to time. A good barber provides not just a great cut and style, but also provides for a great experience I've found.

 

[Kev Kev]

We share a shot of whisky or what not from time to time. A good barber provides not just a great cut and style, but also provides for a great experience I've found.

see thats awesome! youd likely ever get that experience at a salon, i mean im sure it exists but in a chain salon like hair cuttery or supercuts youd never see that happen. yeah agreed on all that, thats why ill probably stick with a a barber

 

[Uhtred]

I mix it up. Barber does fades better, but never understands not too short. Stylist sucks at fades, but always gets the top right.

Getting a beard line up with a good barber with a razor and neck shave is one of the finest pleasures in life.

 

[DrJohnGalt]

As a folicly challenged person I feel this thread to be less than inclusive.

I used to have a great barber, he'd know more about the styles I'd want than the salon girls. He's also give me the hot foaming wax and a beard/neck/face shave with a straight razor.

Alas, now that my hair has finally fled my misshapen dome I do a no-guard buzz all the way around a few times a week at home.

 

[Master Of Illusion]

To preface, I have medium to long-ish hair. I just try to keep it trimmed once a month at a salon.

One of my friend's recommended I go to their Dominican barber to look "fresh." The second I saw the dude with the razor in his hand and immediately ask "Shape up?", I jumped out of my seat and walked out the door without saying a word.