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Been noticing new barbers skip the straight razor shave entirely
I've had three younger guys in the last six months sit in my chair in Nashville and ask for just a haircut with no line-up or shave, saying they never learned the blade work. My old mentor out of Chicago swore every barber should master the straight razor before touching clippers, and I still see more value in that skill than half the new fade techniques. Does anyone else feel like we're losing something important by letting that side of the trade fade out?
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rowanw911d ago
My first week in a shop I nearly sliced my own thumb off trying to do a neck shave. Crazy to think some new guys will never even get that close call.
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jennybailey1d ago
and honestly that sounds about right haha. what worked for me was practicing on oranges first to get the angle down without the pressure of a real person. after a few days of that i felt way more confident with the blade. also i used to just slow way down and focus on short strokes instead of trying to do the whole neck in one go. that close call probably taught you more than any book could though lol.
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the_felix22h ago
My buddy in Memphis taught me to use a practice dummy head with a straight razor for two weeks before I ever touched a real person. I set aside 20 minutes every night to just work on the strokes and grip until it felt natural. @jennybailey mentioning the oranges trick is spot on too, I did that for the angles and it helped a ton. What kind of setup do you use for practicing now?
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