Had my hair cut today, and once again experienced the differences between a ‘barber’ and a ‘hairdresser’. I went in and exchanged the usual greetings, even though I’d nevr been there before.. Apparently it was the owner son that was cutting my hair, and the shop had been in the family for 30+ years, the building itself looked a lot older, in a classic way rather than a delepadated way. It was situated on the corner of a cobbled street in Croydon, tucked down a side street.
Anyhow, I asked for it to be tidied up around the back and sides, take little off the top; those who know me know I don’t have a lot to play with! Anyhow the back and sides were great, but the top was a little shorter than I wanted. I think its always a bit of a risk taking a haircut, after all its not like you can put it back if you’ve cut too much off… Oh well, it’ll grow back (fingers crossed).
Out of interest I looked up ‘barber’ in Wikipedia; explains a lot…
A barber (from the Latin barba, "beard") is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. A barber differs from a hairdresser whose business is generally restricted to cutting and styling hair. In previous times, barbers also performed surgery. In more recent times, with the development of safety razors and the increasing popularity of cleanshaven men, most barbers primarily cut hair.
Therefore, although many may still deal with facial hair when requested, the predominant difference in American and Commonwealth culture is that barbers specialize in the simple cutting of men’s hair. They do not generally offer significant styling or ‘fancy’ haircuts when compared to hairdressers working in hair salons. In recent years, larger numbers of women have been going to a barber for their haircuts, especially when they choose to have their hair cut very short or shaved primarily due to the generally lower cost of barbershops."