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This is the first time I hear "black barbershop". Is it what I think it is, why is such separation needed?
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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There's no requirement, and there's no reason a white person can't go to a black barbershop, but black people's hair is often much different to cut than most white people's hair, and preferred styles quite different.
It's not so much "this barber is for black people" and more so "this barber is owned by black people, so black people can assume they'll be given the experience they're looking for"
Yeah. The first time I went to a black barbershop, the barber seemed a little apprehensive at first as I have straight/wavy hair and he was used to cutting other kinds of hair.
It was also the first time in a while that, after I got my hair cut, people complimented me on having a good hair cut instead of just getting my hair cut.
As an Elmer's glue looking person myself, before I started letting my hair grow I was only going to black barbershops to get a buzz cut. I don't know what the hell they do different cause it felt the exact same as every other haircut, but my hair fell so much nicer. Literally the texture was 10x better.
It also seemed way more even despite the fact that it took less time.
Also, they had a guy out front who made BBQ sandwiches once every few weeks. I scheduled my haircuts around him being there. He got really bad mono and was out for a month. I let my hair grow the entire time.
They likely used better equipment. I've done the same and a black co-worker explained that black hair is much coarser than white hair so they must use much sharper shears and keep them in top shape. Your typical (white) barber shop would use shears well past when they are too dull to cut black hair in an acceptable way but work well enough for the average white customer, but sharp shears leave hair much healthier and give a cleaner cut.
Also, I donβt think black hair care is taught in most beauty schools or tested for for most state licensing exams.
And if you're the guy with the wrong kind of hair for the shop you cannot always expect good results as the barbers aren't regularly making those cuts.
Because the hair is different. It's not necessary, but it's a common thing that barbers know how to cut hair similar to their own the best. I know first hand what happens if the barber isn't used to hair that is unusual.
I'll just say, apparently a military cut is hard to do for some people when the hair this thick
Not a professional but have been cutting my own hair, and my kids hair for a couple of decades.
Really thick hair takes different clippers to cut effectively. You want sharp blades with longer tines and more power on the clippers. Without the right setup, the blades get clogged up really fast and don't cut. It's annoying as hell.
I have finer hair and my wife has extremely thick hair.
My son with fine hair is extremely easy to cut. The clippers go through it like butter. Really quick and easy to do. No water needed just a quick comb and cut. Minor mistakes just disappear.
My son with thick hair is much more difficult. It has to be wet or the clippers and scissors can't cut it well. It's still slow going and any little mistake shows.
Black people have different hair from other races, many times non-black folks don't know how to accommodate these textures. Beyond that, historically, the barbershop in Black communities is a meeting place. People gather to discuss current events, politics, pop culture, and life in general. In this space, everyone is on the same footing. It's a cultural thing, so there is a distinction.
I'm not Black, so take that into consideration. What I've heard is that while hair-cutting skill is a factor, it's not just about that. Barbershops have historically served a social function within the Black community that carries on to this day. Here's a source.
From what Iβve seen in Australia, itβs the different hair texture and knowledge/methods to style/cut it.
As a white dude with extremely curly hair...yeah, kinda. Curly hair must be cut a certain way, otherwise it turns into a frizzball that you can't fix. And the tighter the curls, the harder it is to cut it properly.
I haven't gotten a haircut in nearly 5 years since I decided to embrace the curls. I'm strongly considering just going to a black barbershop just because of the horror stories I've heard about other shops cutting curly hair.
Kind of a nice message but I don't like that this reinforces expectations that going to a barber shop run by a different race is "strange".
Black barbershop are different because black people generally have tight curly hair, which requires different skills and techniques to cut than straight hair.
They are also seats of culture in a way that your local Supercuts isn't.
Americans still feel it's weird, while I grew up with almost only Turkish barbershops in the Netherlands and here it's mostly Indians. The only barbershop I went to in the US was a black barbershop and it was fully worth it. Biggest difference is that they take the time for you, you can have a nice chat etc. Definitely a lot more expensive than in Europe though.
Nowadays I am bald and don't go to any barber shop. But in my younger days I felt that I got better results at a barber who has a lot of customers with similar hair as mine. I am turkish (living in Germany), but (used to) have thin blond hair. So, while I also went to turkish barbers, I chose those who have many German customers.
Tl,dr: This isn't necessarily based in rasism imo.
Image Transcription:
A six-panel comic.
The first panel shows a white-skinned man and his son entering a barbershop where a black-skinned man is shaving the head of his black-skinned patron.
The second panel shows the barber asking the man "Uh... can I help you?" In response, the man hands the barber a piece of paper.
The third panel shows a close-up of the piece of paper with text reading "Hello, I understand this is strange, but my son is autistic & his hyperfixation is black barbershops. It's his dream to get his hair cut in one."
The fourth panel shows the barber looking at the child who's excitedly saying "I see you're using Wahl clippers. That is so cool! my personal favorite is the five - " (the rest is obscured behind the child).
The fifth panel shows the face of the smiling barber as the child continues his infodump saying "The Senior clipper is the best con- [obscured] -ut the baldi- [obscured] -ipper [obscured] -an on- [obscured] used for [obscured]".
The final panel shows the barber shaving the child's hair as he sits quietly in the barber chair, while his father hugs another black-skinned man in the background and says "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
[I am a human, if Iβve made a mistake please let me know. Please consider providing alt-text for ease of use. Thank you. π]
Thank you!
I like this it was positive and nice. Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome π
Lol, that dad is so worn out.
The kids mouth in the last panel confused me a bit but I guess it just got wider from all the talking