The Barber Language Barrier: How to Get the Haircut You Actually Want

Have you ever asked for a haircut, watched your barber finish, and thought:

“That’s not really what I meant.” Sometimes the problem isn’t the barber’s ability or the client being unclear. It’s simply a barber language barrier. Barbers spend years learning terminology for lengths, shapes, fades, tapers, texture, weight, graduation, layering and styling. Most clients understandably don’t speak that language every day. The problem is that words like “short,” “fade,” “trim,” or “leave some length” can mean very different things to different people. The best haircut starts with making sure you and your barber are picturing the same thing before the first clipper turns on.

Pictures Are Your Best Friend

One of the easiest ways to eliminate confusion is to bring a picture.

Actually, bring a few. A photo gives your barber much more information than saying, “I usually get a two on the sides and leave it longer on top.” Even better, point out exactly what you like about the picture. Maybe you like:

• How tight the sides are

• How much length is left on top

• The amount of texture

• How the hair falls in the front

• The shape around the ears

• The way the beard blends into the haircut

You don't necessarily need the exact haircut in the picture. The photo simply gives you and your barber a common starting point.

Don't Worry About Knowing Barber Terminology

You don't need to know the difference between a low fade, drop fade, taper, graduation or clipper-over-comb. That's our job. Instead of trying to speak “barber,” describe what you actually want to see. For example:

• “I like the sides really tight, but I don't want to see skin.”

• “I want enough length on top that I can still push it back.”

• “I don't like when this area sticks out.”

• “I want this to still look good when I don't put product in it.”

Those descriptions can sometimes tell your barber more than a clipper guard number ever could.

Tell Us What You Didn't Like About Your Last Haircut

This is incredibly helpful. If your last haircut felt too short, grew out poorly, was difficult to style, or had an area you didn't like, tell us. Your barber isn't going to be offended that another haircut didn't work for you. That information helps us understand your boundaries. Something as simple as: “Last time they took this corner too high.” or

“I liked the haircut, but after two weeks the sides started sticking out.” can give your barber valuable information about how to approach your haircut differently.

Tell Us How Long It's Been Since Your Last Cut

This sounds like small talk, but it's useful information. Hair generally grows at a fairly predictable rate, so knowing when your last haircut happened helps your barber estimate how much length has grown back. If you tell us: “I got it cut about four weeks ago and I liked that length when I left,” we now have a visual reference sitting right in front of us.

That can be much more useful than trying to remember whether your previous barber used a #2, #3 or something in between.

Tell Us How You Actually Wear Your Hair

This one matters a lot!

A haircut that looks great styled with a blow dryer and product may need to be cut differently than a haircut meant to be washed, combed and forgotten about. Be honest about your routine. If you never style your hair, tell us. If you spend ten minutes every morning styling it, tell us that too. Your barber should be designing the haircut around how you live with your hair for the next several weeks — not just how it looks for the ten minutes after you leave the shop.

Show Us Where You Part It

If you normally wear a part, make sure your barber knows. The side you part your hair on can dramatically affect how the top is shaped, where length is preserved and how the haircut lays when styled. Even if you don't normally create a hard or obvious part, your hair still has growth patterns that influence how it wants to move. The more your barber understands those patterns, the better the haircut can work with your hair instead of fighting against it.

“Just a Trim” Is Surprisingly Dangerous

Barbers hear this one all the time.

Unfortunately, there is no universal measurement for a trim. To one person, a trim means barely touching the hair. To someone else, it means cutting off an inch. Whenever possible, show your barber physically how much you're comfortable losing. “This much off the top” while showing the amount with your fingers is much clearer than simply saying, “Not too much.”

Ask Questions During the Consultation

A good consultation is a conversation. If your barber says something you don't understand, ask.

• “What will that look like?”

• “How short will that be?”

• “Will I still be able to style it this way?”

• “Will that show skin?”

Those are great questions. You aren't bothering your barber. You're helping make sure everyone understands the plan.

Your Barber Should Ask Questions Too

Communication goes both ways. A barber shouldn't simply hear “short on the sides and long on top” and immediately start cutting.

We may ask about:

• How long it's been since your previous haircut.

• How you normally style your hair.

• Which side you part it on.

• How short you're comfortable going.

• What you liked or disliked about previous haircuts.

Those questions aren't meant to make the consultation complicated. They're meant to remove guesswork.

The Goal Isn't Perfect Terminology. It's a Shared Picture.

You don't have to walk into the barbershop speaking our language. You just need to help us understand what you're seeing in your head.

• Bring pictures.

• Explain what you like and don't like.

• Tell us how you style your hair.

• Show us how much length you're comfortable losing.

• And don't be afraid to ask questions.

A great haircut is a collaboration. The better we understand each other before the haircut begins, the better chance we have of getting you exactly where you want to go.

Thanks for reading The Barber Language Barrier

— Shane