That Barber Bloke

Who decided hairdressers don’t need barbering skills?

I got on my soapbox about this one

I’m not saying every hairdresser needs to become a barber.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t specialise.

But I AM questioning why techniques like clippers, fading and scissor over comb seem to have been put in a separate “barbering” box.

They’re cutting skills.

And surely we learn the fundamentals of cutting hair BEFORE we decide what we want to specialise in?

Maybe you completely disagree with me — good.

Because I think this is a conversation our industry needs to have.

👇 Hairdressers, barbers, salon owners and educators

What do YOU think?

Have we separated hairdressing and barbering too much?

We all know the haircut. 😬

The one that comes up on the booking system and suddenly it’s…

“Who’s that booked with?”
“I’m not confident doing that.”
“Can you take it?”

And before you know it, the same stylist is doing all the short hair while everyone else gets very good at avoiding it.

The problem is, avoidance doesn’t build confidence.

Understanding what to do does.

Breaking down the shape.
Understanding where the weight needs to sit.
Knowing when to use scissors, clippers or both.
And most importantly, understanding why you’re doing it.

That’s what we want to help salon teams with.

Because a short-haired client walking through the door shouldn’t cause panic.

Your team should be thinking: “Yep. I’ve got this.

A few minutes of maintenance can make a huge difference to how your clippers perform.

Keeping them clean helps them cut more smoothly, stay cooler and last longer.

Here’s a quick guide that every barber and stylist should know.

📌 Save this post so you’ve got it to hand the next time your clippers need a clean.

One of the best decisions I ever made was putting myself in rooms where I wasn’t the best barber.

An Italian barber taught me how to marry scissors and clippers together.

Later, working in a premier gentleman’s barbers, I learnt how to soften those techniques into commercial, wearable cuts.

Every mentor taught me something different.

Every lesson has shaped the way I teach today.

I don’t want stylists copying me.

I want them to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing.

Because when you understand the fundamentals, confidence follows.

And confident stylists don’t just create better haircuts, they create better experiences for their clients

Building a business like this means moments like these matter.

We didn’t start That Barber Bloke because we wanted another job.

We started it because we wanted salon owners to stop feeling trapped behind the chair.

More confident teams.

More freedom.

More time for this.

Want clients rebooking every 2 weeks?

Cuts like this don’t just look good.

They create loyal clients.

The kind that come back regularly.
Recommend their stylist.
And help keep columns busy.

That’s why short hair confidence matters so much.

Because when your team feel confident in cuts like this, everybody wins

And right now, to celebrate Rob turning 50

We’re giving salon owners access to our short hair training completely FREE until June 19th.

Learn the exact techniques behind cuts like this.
Build confidence.
Create repeat bookings.

19 days left.

DM “50”

We’ve got something exciting to share…

Short Hair Mastery is now live.

Built for salons who want more confident teams, without relying on expensive external training.

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