An Old-Fashioned Barbers by Snipped Sam

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As I sat in the barbers waiting my turn, I felt somewhat excited about my upcoming haircut. I had been curious about this particular barbershop for quite some time. At this point I should add that I had an ever-increasing interest and fascination with all forms of haircutting, but despite this, I had been putting off visiting Mr Carter’s for worrying about a bad and too shorter haircut. A letter from my school at the start of the half term holidays had been to politely but firmly remind parents of the school policy regarding their son’s hair. Whilst my hair did not fall into the dangerously unacceptable length, having read the letter, my father decided that he wanted my hair cut much shorter before the start of second half of the 1973 autumn term.

Whilst I may have protested somewhat but mostly for my father’s benefit, I had seen it as an opportunity to finally visit Mr Carter’s barbershop, which was in a slightly out of town location. When I had joined three older gentlemen in a queue, and sat waiting my turn, it seemed a very friendly place and Mr Carter had greeted me in a warm and friendly way when I rather nervously entered his barbershop. The haircuts appeared unhurried and each gentleman left satisfied and having been treated respectfully and as a valued customer., I was very aware that as my turn approached, I was feeling more than a touch anxious.

Finally, the last gentleman before me, stood up from the barber’s chair, as the man moved away from the barber’s chair, the barber placed a booster pad which was about four inches thick on the barber’s chair. Seeing him do this in readiness for me was an indication that this was not going to be an ordinary haircut. Whilst the man who had been before me was paying for his haircut and being helped on with his coat, I Stood up, and took off my jacket and hung it on one of the pegs and returned to my seat. The man left and the barber looked at me waiting for him to call me to the chair. He smiled and motioned me to go to the chair, I walked over and sat down in the chair, feeling the booster pad beneath me.

"I don’t think that we’ve seen you here before, young man."

I replied that it was my first time as he placed the white nylon cape around me, tucking some tissue into the back of my collar before fastening the cape snugly around my neck.

"And, how short are we having it done today?"

"Fairly short please."

I replied as he combed my hair, thinking how my father would be impressed with him asking me how short was I having it. Mr Carter looked pleased with my reply.

"Good lad, so I’ll snip it quite short all over to begin with and it will need to be thinned so it’s really neat."

"O.K, oh and I forgot to ask if you can leave the sides as they."

He playfully combed each of my sideboards

"We’ll see how we go…but your hair needs to be in proportion otherwise it would look silly."

"But I’d really like to keep them."

"I will let you keep them, but they may need to be a little shorter."

It was now very clear that whilst he was very friendly, this barber was also very firm…perhaps the booster pad was symbolic. It occurred to me that this was a barber catering for mainly older men judging by the clientele as I’d seen three older gents before me. Mr Carter was using scissors with long steel blades, and he busily snipped my hair.

"Are you new to the area, just asking because I haven’t seen you before?"

"No, I just fancied going somewhere different for a haircut."

"Any reason why you came here?"

I didn’t really want say that I found the idea of an old-fashioned barbers really exciting and been dreaming about it for ages.

"I need to have a haircut."

"Need and have sounds like you’ve been told to get a haircut."

"Yes, my dad told me to get it cut."

"Is that why you asked me to cut it fairly short?"

"Yes, he wants it short."

"Always best to keep dad happy."

"The headmaster at my school is having a bit of a purge on hair as well, not that mine was a problem, but all the parents got a letter reminding them of the schools’ regulations."

"Good for him…I see some lads about your age and older on their way to school with very long hair and it just doesn’t look right with a smart uniform."

"Well, I don’t think that will ever be me."

"Your hair was touching your collar when you sat down in my chair."

"Only just I think though."

"But it won’t be when you leave the chair."

"I know."

The barber was a very jolly man, I would say in his late fifties and he was quite well built, it had been quite a few years since a man this age had cut my hair. His traditional shirt and tie and dark grey trousers along with the navy-blue barber’s jacket were a stark contrast to what the trendier gents’ hairdressers wore which were in line with the 1970’s fashions. We wore black rimmed spectacles and his moustache was very neatly trimmed and his black hair was heavily Brylcreemed. I realised that part of me might well regret surrendering my hair to him but another part of me was enjoying the experience.

I was glad it was now just the two of us and to be enjoying his undivided attention, if one of the gentlemen had still been there, he might have been more inclined to talk to them as he snipped at my hair. After continued conversation the scissors were put down and he selected the thinning shears. These were dull brass thinning shears and were soon devouring my hair as he chopped away.

"That looks much better, now I’ve made your hair short and thin."

He said picking up a different pair of scissors and a comb and combing my hair forward and snipping my fringe and then it was time to snip my sideboards, he took careful aim at my right side and snipped half an inch off leaving me a much shorter sideboard before he did the same on my left side.

"I know you really wanted to keep them as they were, but I had to do it old son."

"I know."

I replied as he vigorously brushed away all the loose hairs with the soft nylon brush. Having returned the brush to the counter, he picked up a white cotton towel which reminded me of a restaurant napkin, after folding it in half, he placed it on the left armrest of the barber’s chair. He then removed the tissue from the back of my collar, and then folded my shirt collar down and then fitted the white cotton towel, before making sure it was all nice and snug.

"You look a little worried young man but no need to be, I’m just getting you prepared for the next part of your haircut. What I’ve just done will help stop those little hairs getting down your neck and making you itch."

"So, there are going to be little hairs then?"

"Yes, there will be a few, I am going to taper the hair on the back of your head, this will make you a very smart lad."

"Is it going to be really short?"

"Depends on what you call really short, but to me it falls in line with your request for a fairly short haircut. But it needs to be done."

"You’re the barber and I’m sure that you know what needs to be done."

I was very apprehensive about the finished outcome but also excited, I was impressed by his firm but friendly approach. He then turned the barber’s chair ninety degrees so I was facing away from the mirror.

"That should help you to keep your head down for me, with no mirror to try and take a peek at what I’m up to."

He then placed his hand firmly on the back of my head and bent my head right down.

"Now remember, I want you to keep your head very still for me."

I was not used to this level of control, but I knew that both my father and headmaster would be impressed by his handling of me. I was also certain that they were going to be pleased with what he was about to do to the back of my head. He then took a comb from the steriliser cabinet and selected his clippers. I sensed his closeness to me as he lifted my hair with the comb before switching on the clippers which had a very dull hum, this was followed by the sound of the clippers gliding over the comb removing my hair. He was working his way up the left side of the back of my head, in one way I thought he was going alarmingly high but on the other hand it was exciting to be under his strict control.

"This is going to look really smart with the back tapered short, I would like to cut your hair on a regular basis for you, so I can keep you looking smart and tidy."

He announced as he moved to, he right side of my head, and continued, I could feel the fallen hair on my neck. Shortly after a man came into the shop to buy something…the barber told him that he wouldn’t be a moment as he finished off the back of my head. He told me to remain as I was as he went to serve the man who wanted a bottle of Vitalis. They chatted for a moment, and the man complimented him on my haircut. He told the barber that he wishes his son would bring his grandson to him for his haircut…the man told me I was a lucky lad to be having such a smart haircut.

"Thank you, Sir."

I replied, knowing that I should not move my head, the man left and the barber brushed away all the fallen hair, he then shaved my neck with a flat razor. Next, he carefully removed the cotton towel from the back and then generously powdered my neck and down my collar before.

"Would you like some dressing on your hair?"

"That would be nice.

"Brylcreem, I think young man"

"Maybe it’s not going to be The Brylcreem Bounce, though."

I said jokingly referring to an advert on TV set in a trendy modern gent’s hairdressers featuring young men flicking their longer hair.

"I think you know what I would do with the young men’s hair in that advert."

He quipped as picked up his pot of Brylcreem ready to apply it to my hair. The Brylcreem smelt really sweet as he began applying it to my hair and combing my hair into place. The chair was then restored to its original position. My hair looked so short, he asked me if I would like to see the back and I said that I would. When he held the mirror, I was shocked how short the hair on the back of my head now was, and where he had tapered it looked like a seam in the middle. I thought it was a really old-fashioned finish, but this was an old-fashioned barber. Mr Carter removed the cape and I stepped off the chair and paid him for my haircut. As I walked home, I was continuously feeling the back of my head and tracing the seam with my finger. I wondered if I would return there for another haircut, but first I had to face the reaction from other people especially the other boys at school about this very short haircut.

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