What to tell your barber when you don't know the name

You do not have to walk in knowing the difference between a low taper and a mid skin fade. That is my job. You do have to tell me something, because “the usual” only works after we have done this once.

Here is the short version of a good first five minutes.

Bring two photos, not ten

One photo of a cut you like. One of a cut you do not, if you have it. Ten photos of ten different haircuts usually means five different haircuts, and I will have to guess which part you actually want.

Tell me the specific thing. “I like how short the sides are.” “I like the texture on top, not the hard part.” “I want this, but my hairline does not look like his.” That last one matters. I would rather adapt it than hand you a copy that only works on his head.

Say how you live with it

Three questions cover most of it:

1. How much time will you spend on it in the morning? Be honest. If the answer is none, I will not give you a style that needs a blow dryer and a round brush.
2. How long do you want to go between visits? Two weeks and six weeks are different haircuts.
3. What do you hate about the current one? Too puffy, too long on the neck, the fringe hits your glasses, the beard line is too high. Hate is more useful than a compliment.

If you work outside, or you wear a hat, say so. Humidity and a hat both change what “short enough” means.

The words that help, if you want them

You can point. If you want the words, these are the ones that change what I do:

• Taper. Clean the edges, leave the sides full.
• Skin. Bald at the bottom of the fade. If you do not say skin, I will usually leave a shadow.
• Low, mid, high. Where the fade starts. Low keeps width. High makes the top look taller.
• Scissor cut. Shears on the sides, not clippers. This is what you want if you like weight and a softer grow-out.
• Texture. Piecey, not combed flat. I cut it in. Product only holds it.
• Lineup. The sharp edge at the hairline, temples and neck. You can want a fade with no hard lineup, or a lineup with no fade.

Anything else, I will translate.

What I am looking at while you talk

Your hairline, the way the crown grows, whether one temple is thinner, how much the hair lifts off the head, and the shape of the back. I am also looking at the beard, if you have one, because a tight fade over an unshaped beard looks unfinished.

If something you want fights the way your hair grows, I will say so before I cut it. You can still insist. I would rather you insist on purpose than be surprised.

Kids and first visits

If you are booking for a kid, mornings are calmer. Tell me if they are nervous about clippers. We can use scissors longer, take a break, and you can stay right there. Teens usually know the picture they want. Ask them which part of the photo matters, the same as I will.

First visit or fiftieth, the sentence I care about is the same one I put on the site. Not sure what to ask for? You do not have to know.

Book a haircut, bring the photos, and talk to me before the cape goes on. I am inside El Barbershop, 612 S Colorado Ave, Stuart.

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