The Barber’s Essential Toolbox for Great Hair
To become the go-to barber in your neighbourhood, you need the right skills paired with the right tools. A wide range of quality tools is an essential way to ensure you send clients away happy. With luck, they’ll leave in the mindset to return and recommend you to their friends, too.
- Barber’s Shears
Barber’s shears are the scissors you use to cut hair and trim beards. It’s advisable to have a few different kinds in your toolbox, with separate shears for thinning, blending and texturising at least.
Straight scissors are popular with many barbers. With these, your elbow will work from a higher position. If you find this uncomfortable, look for an offset scissor; it allows your elbow to work from a position that is slightly lower down.
If you go for shears with a longer blade, you may find that they help you to cut hair quicker.
It’s also worth having a pair of convex-edge scissors. They are very sharp and smooth and many barbers find that these result in the neatest haircut.
Clippers for trimming and fading
All barbers should own a reliable pair of clippers. This tool is your go-to for creating fade effects, buzz cuts and other popular men’s styles. It can cut larger areas of hair in bulk.
You can achieve different effects with certain clipper attachments, so it’s a good idea to have a decent range. Attachments determine what length of hair the clippers will cut. For the closest cut possible, you wouldn’t use any attachments at all. By and large, the comb lengths available for clipper attachments range from 1.5 mm to 28 mm.
For the safest and most convenient option, buy cordless clippers for your barber shop. They’re battery-operated of course, so you must remember to keep them charged up!
You must also keep stocked up on clipper disinfectant so that you can clean them in between each client.
Brushes and combs of all descriptions
Brushes and cutting combs are an obvious staple, but you must make sure your selection includes the right ones. It’s easier to cut straight hair with a comb that has fine teeth, while curlier hair is simpler to cut with a wide-tooth comb. And the longer the teeth on your cutting combs, the less likely hair is to slip around when you are trying to cut it.
Tools for the finishing touches
The best barbers never let a client leave the shop with any remaining flaws or rough edges on their haircut.
Clients will be impressed by any little extras you can offer that help them achieve their hair goals. For example, those with thinning hair may be grateful for the opportunity to try out hair fibres that make hair look fuller.
To finish off, you should use a good duster brush to get rid of any loose hairs sitting on the client’s neck.
You should also have some reliable trimmers to give shorter hairstyles the sharp, precise definition they need. This tool is the perfect complement to clippers, perfecting the smaller details that a clipper would be too large to use for.
As skilled a barber as you may be, don’t forget that you are only as good as your tools! This is why it’s so important to invest in the right ones.
