I've just made a life-changing discovery

[Minimalme]

Just been to the Barbers for a no 1 back and sides and a little trim on top.

I am never going to a hairdresser again.

It took 10 mins and cost £10.

Last time I went for a cut and highlights at a salon it cost £95 and took 2 hours.

I have very curly hair which they insist on blow drying until I am the spit of a a poodle and they use so much product my hair is more solid than my bones.

The only down side was it is called Boyz to Men but it was worth the embarrassment

I get a dry cut in my local salon, it's £15 and takes 10 minutes.

I was thinking of going to a barbers because I am now keeping my hair short.

Think you've made my mind up.

not exactly a great comparison. is it really surprising a wash, colour, cut, and blow-dry costs more and took longer than only a dry cut (mostly with clippers)?

I think you've missed the point. I have short hair and don't need all that faff on.

Up until today I have had to go to hair salons and it has ended up costing lots of money.

Now I have hair like a man's, it is quicker, cheaper and a far better cut for me.

I was just sharing that with others who also have short hair.

Not the point of your thread but I have curly hair and ive been cutting it by myself into a short bob for years, hairdressers are generally rubbish at cutting curly hair and ive had some atrocious cuts so i figured I could save some money and probably do a better job

I have wanted an undercut and short crop for ages, but wasnt brave enough to do it myself , now im wondering if i should go to a barber

@Tompariswasmyfavorite I would really recommend it!

Like you, I ended up cutting my own hair for a couple of years, not particularly well!

When I went back to hairdressers they would never take my undercut short enough and I really hate that.

Plus the undercut needs doing every four weeks and the hairdressers is way to expensive for that.

The barber is keen to give me a fade next time. I haven't a clue what that is but will have a Google!

But you didn’t get a colour done at the barber’s, as a pp pointed out. That’s what made your last hairdresser visit lengthy and expensive. I can quite believe that you got a good cut for less, and more quickly, but the cost and time of the two experiences aren’t comparable.

Not all barbers will cut female hair.

I agree with a pp that you can't compare a cut, blow dry and highlights with a quick trip to the barbers though 😂 For just a quick haircut though, yes. It will be quicker and cheaper.

Not all barbers will cut female hair.

Not all barbers will cut women's hair, it's true. But that's not because there's any intrinsic difference between 'male' and 'female' hair - it's because men like their barbers shops to be women-free zones.

And of course nowadays a woman can identify as a man and threaten a barber with legal action if he refuses <shrug>

What an anti-climax. Happy you're happy though.

I don’t want hair like a man’s.

Where do you live? 😩 I used to get a dry cut too but since the pandemic I can’t seem to find anywhere offering it any more. Which is actually worse for them because I’ve just been cutting my own instead of paying for a cut and blow dry!

I was going to say that not all barbers will cut hair. A friend found a good one who cut her fringe better than her usual salon, but one day she went in and it was a different barber who refused to do it as she was a woman. I don't think she found another barber, or was put off.

My wife’s being doing this for years! She has a feminine very short hair style and pays £15 every 6 weeks at the barbers, they use a razor to cut it and it looks amazing! I’m down £180 every 8 weeks but I like the pampers and faff haha

Sounds good if you want a man's haircut.

I found the same. Whatever I asked for I seem to get the same cut much shorter than I asked for as apparently the hair bobs up so much when cut. I've found I can cut at home and get the same.

The only luck I ever had with hair dressers was an old lady place - they were cheap and could manage curly hair but we moved away.

DD1 did find a good local one - she had it cut very short with long fringe but she can keep the style with hair clippers and scissors at home - but I've been wondering if I should give it a another try.

I've got long straight hair. I've never had a hairdresser forcing highlights on me, or insisting on blow drying it. I just get a dry trim, with some shaping at the front so it takes more like 20-30 minutes (but only a couple of times a year) and is about £20 nowadays. So very comparable to the barbers. I've been to a few in the past who insist on washing and doing a wet cut, they didn't seem to charge significantly more and I'd just walk out with wet hair.

If the OP likes a style that a barber can do then that's great, she should use one. I have some sympathy with a barbers or hairdressers being a single sex service, because some customers prefer that. But there are plenty of unisex salons, a barber (or hairdresser) working in one of those should treat men and women alike.

But it's silly to say that hairdressers 'insist' on blow drying or using product. You're the customer. Just tell them you don't want it.

@Tompariswasmyfavorite I have curly hair and now cut it myself. I've had so many bad haircuts it was kind of a relief to have a excuse to do it myself over lockdown.

I still haven't been to the hairdresser and my hair looks fine, not great but definitely no worse than if I'd been to the hairdresser.

DD has very curly hair and wanted it cut properly. She's had one good cut and then a terrible one by the same person. We had the big chat about how curly it was, the length she wanted it when it was curly and then she hacked loads off and DD was left with a weird mushroom shape until it grew out. We will not be going back.

The barbers we use for DS (10) is full of lovely young burly men who chat to him about his day at school. I love taking him there but I don't think they do women. They do take ages though, we'd prefer more of a 5 min trim but it's 25 mins of careful combing and shaping.

I have shoulder length hair and an undercut and I get the barber to run the clippers over the undercut when I am getting the kids hair done (boy girl twins aged 7). A fringe trim for my daughter, fade for my son with longer top/fringe and me all in for £18 whats not to like!

Life changing!

If you like looking like an Action Man.

This is a bit of a dickish comment to women with short hair, no?

My hair is long so I've got no skin in the game as such, other than thinking we probably shouldn't be mean spirited for the sake of it.

I'm sure you don't feel much better for typing that out.

I’ve got long, straight hair and just want it trimmed in a straight line. It should take 5 mins. Most hairdressers around me want £45+! I tend to use Supercuts as it’s about £15 but a lot of branches have closed. It’s very difficult to find somewhere else that will do a quick, inexpensive straight trim but I’d definitely go to a barber if they offered it.

I always used to go to a barber because nowhere else would cut as short as I asked for. Now go to a local hairdresser who always does exactly what you want, but he’s thinking of retiring 😫

Jesus. what is wrong with some of you?

A woman has short hair, goes to the barbers and writes a lighthearted post on MN. And because of this I'm dumb because I haven't realised that highlights are more expensive than just a cut, that barbers and hairdressers should be single sex spaces, that I could ask them not to blow dry my hair and I look like a man.

Thank you to those who have understood the lighthearted point of my thread.