Barbershop 101: Tips from a Master Barber

It has been encouraging the last few years seeing such a resurgence of men wanting to take better care of themselves.

Not too long ago, there were some pretty dark times.

Guys were afraid to care about their appearance too much. Afraid they might be labeled as “metrosexual” or “gay” just for paying attention to basic hygiene or spending more than 5 minutes thinking about their outfits.

Now times have changed. It’s not only acceptable for a man to care about his appearance. It’s encouraged.

Cue the onslaught of all these new manly moisturizers, custom suits, and the return of that hallowed institution, the old school barbershop.

If you haven’t spent much time in a classic barbershop, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Well, I decided to find out first hand. I had spent a little time in barbershops before, but I still had some lingering questions.

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to chat with Master Barber Shorty Maniace, owner of J.P. Kempt Barber & Social here in San Francisco.

In this video, Shorty shares some great advice about how to get the most out of your trip to the barbershop, including:

What info you need to tell your barber
Basic terms you need to know
Tips on when and how to change up your haircut
How to build trust with a new barber
What the confidence of a great haircut can give you (let’s just say it can be quite, um, rewarding)
Why you should only be slightly afraid of a straight razor shave
How to just relax and “be a dude” at the barbershop

Side note: I had a blast interviewing Shorty. He’s a very cool guy with a great sense of humor and some great stories. It was legitimately difficult to edit down our 45 minute conversation into just 8 minutes of footage, but I’m fairly certain I’m giving you the “best of the best” here. Enjoy! And please leave a comment below to let me know what you think!