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Hairdressing & barbering

Phil,

I amazed that you can use clippers on the back your head. I would need to be double-jointed and have no arthritis. Jan has offered to "have-a-go", but I'm a bit wary of that - a bit like getting the roofer to do brain surgery. I will leave it until sometime next week when I have a free diary and then get my usual Greek girl to do it. You must be exceptionally good in reversing into very narrow driveways on a foggy night! :)

Maurice :cool:
 
sospiri said:
I amazed that you can use clippers on the back your head. I would need to be double-jointed and have no arthritis. Jan has offered to "have-a-go", but I'm a bit wary of that - a bit like getting the roofer to do brain surgery. I will leave it until sometime next week when I have a free diary and then get my usual Greek girl to do it. You must be exceptionally good in reversing into very narrow driveways on a foggy night! :)

Maurice :
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Hi Maurice. What do you pay the Greek girl? This leads to the oldest joke in the world: "what's a Grecian Urn?" Answer, "about 10 drachmas a day". It would be Euros, of course, nowadays.
 
sospiri said:
Phil,

I amazed that you can use clippers on the back your head. I would need to be double-jointed and have no arthritis. Jan has offered to "have-a-go", but I'm a bit wary of that - a bit like getting the roofer to do brain surgery. I will leave it until sometime next week when I have a free diary and then get my usual Greek girl to do it. You must be exceptionally good in reversing into very narrow driveways on a foggy night! :)

Maurice :cool:
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Hi Maurice,

I've done 3 computer assisted haircuts during lockdown, the 1st was a learning curve, the 2nd better, and the 3rd good. I can presently reach the back of my head without problems.

To trim the back near the top I set a medium number on the clippers and have found I can now be quite bold with the trim when I was initially timid. I turn sidewards and look at it with a Logitech app which takes a quick screenshot and make adjustment trims as necessary. The computer screen allows a perfect view of the back of my head whereas a mirror is not much use.

Lower down on the back I set a closer number on the clippers and trim looking at the results on screen.

On my upper neck I take the guard off the clippers and trim away. For my lower neck I use my electric razor.

The sides are more difficult because my ears get in the way.

I did a twirl on Zoom the other night and relatives were impressed and I don't think they were just being polite!

I would much prefer to go to the barbers but don't have that choice at present.

Phil .... :)
 
On my first visit to a hairdresser I took a picture from a magazine (Petticoat). I obviously came out looking nothing like it and my mom let me loose on my own hair after that, just trimming here and there to keep the shape. I have only ever been to the hairdesser a few times. Years ago I wanted a perm and the girl went off on her break and forgot me, I have had sensitive scalp ever since. My ponytail doesn't need much attention, sometimes it's a bun! I used to have a "Purdey" style from the Avengers too, it was quite easy to do.
Arthritic fingers are a problem though.

I've bought some new clippers for my husband as last time the slider-thing moved and he got a tramline up the back before I realised!! Good job he has a hat and we're indoors most of the time.
rosie.
 
Dave,

She asks for 10 euros, but she has a little salon in Neapoli 7 minutes away by car/taxi, so I always give her a fair tip as I recoup that that from the saved taxi fare. We're both happy with that arrangement.

Well done, Phil, I wish I had your confidence. They've just put the whole province into Red zone lockdown tomorrow again, so I doubt if Eleni will be able to come next week. So maybe a hedgetrimmer might be more use! :)

Maurice :cool:
 
Grew up with "short back & sides". After moving to Moseley 50+ years ago used to visit "Tom's" in York Rd [Tom passed away a long time ago] until the Covid lockdown. My son has long cut his own hair [very short all over] and volunteered to do mine. He made a very good job of it - still "short back & sides". Can't see any reason to go back to a barbers now.
 
Talking of having a hair cut when you started work brings back memories. I was 15 when I started work and soon after went to a barbers on Icknield Port Road. As he cut my hair he suddenly asked "Is your father bald ?" Yes I said. "Well you will be before you're thirty" At 15 that was not what I wanted to hear so never went to him again. BUT, he was right !!! Now my wife cuts what bit I have but for some reason she wont let me cut hers, haha. Stood behind her the other day and asked if I was hurting her. She asked why and I told her that's what the sergeant used to say while doing national service, when we needed a haircut.. By the way our local barbers been charging pensioners £10 for some time now even before pandemic.
 
i think I will be doing the job permanently if the barber starts charging £10, there's not much left to cut!!
 
£8 for pensioners from my local barbers, Monday to Friday. I give a £2 tip to make it up to £10. Saturday is full price for everybody, about £12. We men are very lucky as women could easily pay £40 to £50 but then they might have colouring, styling etc. My barber is also very fast, usually spending about 5 minutes to trim the limited hair that I possess. Women seem to spend between 30 minutes to 1 hour with their hairdresser. Dave.
 
Dave,

I hate having my hair cut, but the guy that cut my hair in Elounda for many years could do the whole job from start to finish in 3 minutes flat without trying to engage me in conversation! Being deaf and having to take hearing aids out and then having the hairdresser try to engage you in conversation seemed to me to be the height of stupidity. But the Elounda guy and I would chat away quite happily if he wasn't doing my hair.

Maurice :cool:
 
Morturn said:
In the early 60’s there were quite a lot of men’s hairdresser shops, all of them working full time. My local was Lanes on the corner of Turfpits Land and Perry Common Road, opposite the Golden Cross. These shops would do clipper style cuts all day long and the occasional shave. Lanes had three fulltime hairdressers whereas a young boy, whatever the style of haircut I asked for, I always ended up with a short back and sides.

The barber would spray it with water and Btylcreem and squeeze a little quiff on the firing. The hairs down the back of your neck would irritate you for the rest of the day. With the popularity of the Beatles, I popped in one days and asked for a Beatles cut. I ended up with short back and sides. I am sure my mate’s mom sent him back one day for not cutting it shout enough, so can understand why the barber would scalp you.

As the fashion for long hair grew, the barbers’ shops declined. Lanes Barbers took up permeant residence at Highcroft Hall Hospital cutting patents hair. The shops that survived were the once who adopted to the longer hairstyles, a good one was Brian’s on Stockland Green, he had a place above the ladies shop on Slade Road and then subsequently move to a shop on Marsh Lane opposite the Plaza.

Today, I go to the Turkish Barber in Moseley and have the full works. Head, beard and eyebrows followed by a hot towel wet shave. It quite a teat.
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When I was a kid I always had my hair cut at Lanes in Turfpits Lane.
Short back & side & it cost 2/6d if I remember.
I remember before it was Lanes Barbers it was a Fish & Chip shop & when we were kids Dad used to buy scallops for us & we'd go into the grounds of the Golden Cross to eat them.........be about late 50's I guess.
 
The grounds of the Golden Cross were quite spectacular. Bowling green, pavilion, greenhouses we loved going in there as kids.
 
My other half used to have one of those plastic bag things with a flexible pipe to a shoulder hung dryer unit. Allowed her to walk about and do other things. (Within the mains lead length of course :oops:).

Whenever one of those 60's pop programmes come on, she loves the long hair styles that the boys used to have. Oh dear, I will have to look round the charity shops for a wig :(.

I remember the first time Dad took me to the barbers, I screamed the place down so much that the attempt was abandoned, I think it was the noise of the electric clippers.

Andrew.
 
My Mother used to go to the hairdressing school that was situated on the first floor of a building on Corporation Street. Close to Yate’s Wine Lodge. About 1960. It had low prices because they were trainee stylists. She also went to the Salon in Lewis’s store. The first hair product I remember was Amami which was used to set waves.
 
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Morturn said:
Ah, the basin cut, a classic hairstyle. I asked my grandad to do me a Beatlets cut once and ended up with a basin cut. I looked like Friar Tuck. I had to go to Lanes Barbers who scalped me the classic short back and sides.
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the basin cut, i looked like one of the 3 stoogies. since the lockdown in 2020 i have shaved my head, have saved a few quid not going to the barbers:grinning:
 
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Morturn said:
Ah, the basin cut, a classic hairstyle. I asked my grandad to do me a Beatlets cut once and ended up with a basin cut. I looked like Friar Tuck. I had to go to Lanes Barbers who scalped me the classic short back and sides.
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My first on my own haircut at 12 was at Burmac near Bainses on Lozzells Rd. My father used to take me. Every time I went there I got short back and sides no matter what I asked for. I think my dad put the word in. Finally I went somewhere else!
 
Smudger said:
How much is a haircut these days? (Mens) I always cut my own so would be interesting to know how much i`m saving.
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In all fairness it depends on who you go to and what you have done. Some of the Turkish barbers do the full works, fit for a sultan as they say. Haircut, beard trim, nose wax, hot towel shave including all the lotions, potions, and aftershaves. Set fire to your ear hair too. All in for £22.
 
Smudger said:
How much is a haircut these days? (Mens) I always cut my own so would be interesting to know how much i`m saving.
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On Wednesday I went to the local barbers and asked for a "No 2" all over. Hair cut, eyebrows trimmed, ears tidied up £3.50.
 
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