Barber Refused to Cut My Hair!

Littlestar13

It's not even a pride thing. I was a bit embarrassed at the time as anyone else there couldn't really hear the exact conversation and could have thought it was that I was dirty. But other than that I'm more curious. I wondered why t didn't happen before in all the times I've gotten a cut. I don't understand how it would ruin a scissors, I don't have a clue about those things. But I'm glad to see I'm not the only one surprised

I've often had gel in my hair and attended for a haircut and no one ever batted an eyelid. I tend to go to the same place, but not always the same person (i just let whoever is there at it, im not overly loyal to the one person).

I think I would be a tad annoyed depending on how it was handled. OP, was the place busy? is it possible the chap just didnt want the hassle and wanted to skip onto someone a bit more straight-forward, if there was a large queue?

If i felt embarrassed enough that i came on here afterward, i dont think i'd visit the barbers again to be honest. No shortage of them out there.

(that said, if he was genuinely polite about it, discreet, and explained it properly then i wouldnt hold it against him and would have no issue returning).

Nervous Wreck

Gas. OP I've often had barbers make snide comments at me for having gel in my hair but never been refused. In fairness, crappy move of me to go with gel in my hair but, same time, I almost always get my hair cut on a whim on the way home from work. Going past and see its quiet so I hop in. They always spray water in my hair to tease it out. One place once gave me a full shampoo and wash at no extra cost... but never been refused... live and learn I guess!

Littlestar13

If it wouldn't ruin the scissors, just dirty it, couldn't they be washed? He also said that the hair would be going on the floor (obviously) and that would make the make greasy and it would be a hazard. Someone asked if the place was busy, it was getting close to 6pm so I did wonder if that was something to do with it

cocaliquid

As you were getting up from barber chair you should have let off a quiet one. :P

Best stick with the same barber when you find a good one.

rubadub

If you are putting stuff in your hair which can destroy a scissors which costed hundreds of euro, then you should be glad to have any hair left at all, or the skin on your scalp for that matter.

As gel etc is so common then small amounts must still be hugely damaging to these expensive scissors as they would encounter it all day long.

scissors as some have pointed out, it would make them filthy and unusable for the rest of the day.

again WTF is this stuff you people are putting in your hair?!?!

Pelvis

andekwarhola wrote: »

Who goes to get a hair cut and puts gel in their hair beforehand?

People who have lives to live? You know, a job and the like? Not everyone rolls out of bed and into a barber's chair, they got **** to do first.

Gel would come out with no issues with just a spray or two of water. OP's barber just sounds like a dick.

El Tarangu

Can someone in the know give a definitive explanation as to how gel 'ruins' scissors?

It makes them dirty?

It dulls the blades somehow?

L1011

El Tarangu wrote: »

Can someone in the know give a definitive explanation as to how gel 'ruins' scissors?

It makes them dirty?

It dulls the blades somehow?

Could easily dull the blades. They're designed to cut hair (keratin) and not anything else.

Balmed Out

I would also find it weird to go to a barber with gel in my hair, akin in my book to visiting the dentist without washing my teeth.
Any actual hair dressers with an opinion?

noodler

Mental behaviour!

I'd be expect him to be a bit annoyed or have extra work but to flat out refuse is pretty disgraceful imo.

Of course, washing before you get there is normal but I have been in a situation where i decide to go after work off the cuff and have a little gel in my hair.

copeyhagen

i don't think I have ever had my hair cut and not had hair gel in my hair beforehand. I normally get it cut after work or whatever.

this is bs, all they have to do is squirt a few sprays of the water they use anyway and it removes the effect of the hair gel and they can cut as normal.

bs from a bs barber

awec

Couldn't he just have washed it for you? Seems really weird to just refuse.

I have a really hard time believing that all his clients walk into him with completely clean hair. It's not as if everyone can get their hair cut on a Saturday morning.

Suckit

I did not join here to make friends, so i am happy to point out that there are some serious numpties on this forum, and this thread has quite a few.

The barber is running a business, for over 200 years, barbers have been able to use their equipment on a head filled with gel..
Avoid that barbers in the future.

where i get my hair cut i prefer that they only use scissors, but more recently they have asked me if i would accept the razor on long cut, which i agree.

No matter what cut i am getting, they wash my hair first as part of the service (even if i have just washed it myself just before i go there).

FFS, i could buy a razor from argos and ask my sister to do the rest.

Meeeee79

Thegalwayman wrote: »

Consumer "with" issues. He's totally correct. People these days can be so ignorant. Attending doctor appts and talking on the phone after being called in. eating food in waiting areas. I could go on. Glad he called you out on it and hopefully you won't be so ignorant in future

Wow :D:D your talking about issues?!

Pat Mustard

awec wrote: »

Couldn't he just have washed it for you? Seems really weird to just refuse.

It is incredible, in the literal sense of the word.

It would be like my mechanic refusing to work on my car for fear that he'd get motor oil on his overalls.

And impromptu haircuts as well. I don't know a single person who does that.

Sebastian Dangerfield

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Just a cut is a dry cut. When you ask for just a cut you are saying I don't want it washed, I just want a cut.

Usual scenario:
"What can I do for you"
"3 on the sides, not too much off the top"
"Do you want it washed?"
"Yes / No"

I've been to just about every barber shop in Dublin city centre and have never come across the rule you're quoting.

Sleeper12

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

Usual scenario:
"What can I do for you"
"3 on the sides, not too much off the top"
"Do you want it washed?"
"Yes / No"

I've been to just about every barber shop in Dublin city centre and have never come across the rule you're quoting.

Q: "What can I do for you?
A; "Just a cut"

What exactly do you think OP means "Just a cut"
I've owned Barbers & Ladies salons North & south Dublin for 30 years. Look at price lists in your Barbers. There's a price for wash & cut and a price for a dry cut. Op was very clear he told the Barber just a cut. Barber told him he couldn't give him a dry cut with gel in his hair. OP then had the chance to ask for a wash & cut. He didn't.

Spraying water onto hair doesn't wash the gel away. Several posters seem to believe it does. It turns the gel into a sticky mess. Barbers are well used to guys calling in after work & their hair isn't the cleanest. It's not a big deal & it's part of the job. However it is the polite thing to do (if possible) to go to the barbers without product in your hair.
Maybe some of the ladies could ask their Hairdresser their thoughts on it & report back.

Suckit

Many barbers opening up, and offering less quality for more money.

Good luck to them, but i would not go there.

Pelvis

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Q: "What can I do for you?
A; "Just a cut"

What exactly do you think OP means "Just a cut"
I've owned Barbers & Ladies salons North & south Dublin for 30 years. Look at price lists in your Barbers. There's a price for wash & cut and a price for a dry cut. Op was very clear he told the Barber just a cut. Barber told him he couldn't give him a dry cut with gel in his hair. OP then had the chance to ask for a wash & cut. He didn't.

Spraying water onto hair doesn't wash the gel away. Several posters seem to believe it does. It turns the gel into a sticky mess. Barbers are well used to guys calling in after work & their hair isn't the cleanest. It's not a big deal & it's part of the job. However it is the polite thing to do (if possible) to go to the barbers without product in your hair.
Maybe some of the ladies could ask their Hairdresser their thoughts on it & report back.

The polite thing to do is for the barber to say "I'm going to have to just give your hair a quick wash to remove all the product before cutting if that's alright, it's only an extra €x". Therefore clearly presenting the option to the customer.

What you don't do is say "No I can't cut this hair as there is product in it", and then just stand there like a tool while the customer feels embarrassed in front of the other customers, wondering if the guy is being serious or not, before shuffling awkwardly out the door.

A barbers isn't going to be in business very long if this is how they treat their customers.

Sleeper12

Pelvis wrote:

The polite thing to do is for the barber to say "I'm going to have to just give your hair a quick wash to remove all the product before cutting if that's alright, it's only an extra €x". Therefore clearly presenting the option to the customer.

That's plain silly. Op made it clear to the barber that he did not want a wash and cut. Barber telling him that he has to pay for a wash and cut is nothing short of a hard sell. Op already made it clear cut only. It's up to op to say can I get a wash and cut.
BTW op doesn't even know if this barber shop has a basin to wash hair.

Sleeper12

Suckit wrote:

Many barbers opening up, and offering less quality for more money.

More than half of the barber shops in Dublin the staff have not served a 4 year apprenticeship. They pay for a six week course. The icing on the cake is its not even a qualified barber teaching the six week course.
Trade has gone to the dogs. I sold up 2008. I wasn't going to even try compete with 4 or 5 euro haircut

lawred2

be a real man and get your missus to cut your hair ffs

lawred2

Sleeper12 wrote: »

More than half of the barber shops in Dublin the staff have not served a 4 year apprenticeship. They pay for a six week course. The icing on the cake is its not even a qualified barber teaching the six week course.
Trade has gone to the dogs. I sold up 2008. I wasn't going to even try compete with 4 or 5 euro haircut

wtf?

4 year apprenticeship? That would be taking the piss.

Suckit

There are other ways to word it.
I would not be happy if i (or someone i know) was told by a barber that they could not cut my hair because there is too much Gel.

I have only recently started to use product in my hair, and it is something i have always thought was normal/par for the course of being a barber.
Not a haridresser, so your mentioning the ladies above is incorrect.
I understand that rates and rent go up, and that men are nowadays much more concerned with their appearance than they were in the 90's and 70's
But the clever ones that need/want to save money will realise that it is very easy to groom a man at home for the price of a razor.
It is not a market that you need to be demanding that the customer is x, y or z.
Offer to wash it or use a fecking scissors. if it is too short for a scissors, mention that it is standard to wash it, but a "dry cut" is different.

So many options, last resort would be allowing the customer to leave.

Pelvis

Sleeper12 wrote: »

That's plain silly. Op made it clear to the barber that he did not want a wash and cut. Barber telling him that he has to pay for a wash and cut is nothing short of a hard sell. Op already made it clear cut only. It's up to op to say can I get a wash and cut.
BTW op doesn't even know if this barber shop has a basin to wash hair.

The OP did not explicitly state he was unwilling to have his hair washed, most people don't when going to the barbers! And he was not given the option to do so once the barber refused his services. The OP was put on the spot, made to feel embarrassed and understandably in that situation just accepted that the barber wasn't going to cut his hair, without thinking to ask for a wash. He's already said he would have paid extra for a wash.

You can't possibly believe that the barber provided a reasonable service here? If he was a barber of yours he would have just cost you €15-€20 and possibly returning custom. If you're happy with this level of service then it's no wonder you're not in the business of cutting hair anymore.

Sleeper12

lawred2 wrote:

4 year apprenticeship? That would be taking the piss.

lawred2 wrote:

wtf?

Yes 4 years apprenticeship. It's a proper trade. The joint labour court committee used to look after it. You had to register with the labour court and they posted out a card to the employer. They also set out the minimum wage for barbers and hairdressing. They kept track of everything.
And qualified barber can do any style that you Want. Be it long hippy like, very short and everything in between. Try going into a 5 euro barber shop and ask for a flat top. They won't know what you are talking about.

Sleeper12

lawred2 wrote:

4 year apprenticeship? That would be taking the piss.

lawred2 wrote:

wtf?

Yes 4 years apprenticeship. It's a proper trade. The joint labour court committee used to look after it. You had to register with the labour court and they posted out a card to the employer. They also set out the minimum wage for barbers and hairdressing. They kept track of everything.
And qualified barber can do any style that you Want. Be it long hippy like, very short and everything in between. Try going into a 5 euro barber shop and ask for a flat top. They won't know what you are talking about.

lawred2

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Yes 4 years apprenticeship. It's a proper trade. The joint labour court committee used to look after it. You had to register with the labour court and they posted out a card to the employer. They also set out the minimum wage for barbers and hairdressing. They kept track of everything.
And qualified barber can do any style that you Want. Be it long hippy like, very short and everything in between. Try going into a 5 euro barber shop and ask for a flat top. They won't know what you are talking about.

I know it's skilled. And I know certain terms and styles will have to be learned.

4 years seems a very long time to me regardless.

The stuff about the labour court just reeks of a protected industry. Presume that that is no longer the case?

Sleeper12

Pelvis wrote:

The OP did not explicitly state he was unwilling to have his hair washed, most people don't when going to the barbers! And he was not given the option to do so once the barber refused his services. The OP was put on the spot, made to feel embarrassed and understandably in that situation just accepted that the barber wasn't going to cut his hair, without thinking to ask for a wash. He's already said he would have paid extra for a wash.

OP clearly said just a cut.

Read ops comments. He clearly says that he does not even know if there was a basin on the premises. There is no point saying that the barber should have offended a wash and cut if there is no basin