Egypt
The first barbering is traced to Egypt, with tools made from oyster shells or sharpened flint.
SoCal barbershops
Who's next?You are.
Fades, cuts, beard trims and hot towel shaves. Pick the service, your guard and a time, and barbershops near you take it from there.
GUARD #21/4 in
CHAIR FADE
Drag the mirror or tap a guard. Spin the pole.Lengths: Wahl guard guide
Why people sit down
Everybody has
a reason
Nobody books a barber for nothing. Tap yours and we'll open the right chair.
01WORK
Interview this week
A clean cut and a sharp lineup. Book a day or two before so it settles in.
Haircut02EVENT
Wedding or big day
Cut, beard shape and a hot towel finish. Book ahead and bring a photo of the look.
The works03UPKEEP
Fade growing out
The blend on the sides goes first. Know your guard numbers so any barber can match it.
Fade05BEARD
Beard got away from you
Shape the cheek line and neckline, take the bulk down, keep the length you like.
Beard trim06FIRSTS
First haircut
Pick a quiet time of day, bring something to hold, and keep it short and sweet.
Kids cut08TREAT
Hot towel shave
Warm towel, lather, a straight razor and a slow half hour. Some days you earn it.
Hot towel shave09CHECK
Look up a license
California's DCA License Search shows if a license is current, expired or has been disciplined.
DCA search ↗The craft
Anatomy
of a fade
A fade goes from short at the neck to longer on top with no hard line in between. The barber builds it in bands, one guard at a time.
- 1
Set the guideline
The barber cuts a line around the head that marks where the fade will stop. High, mid or low is your call.
- 2
Go short at the bottom
A small guard or the bare blade at the nape and around the ears. A skin fade goes down to the skin.
- 3
Blend up, one guard at a time
Each step up gets a longer guard, and the barber works the seam between them until there's no line.
- 4
Detail and finish
Trimmer for the lineup, scissors on top, a clean neckline. California's barber course includes 200 hours of shaving and beard work alone. State board
Know your numbers
Guard lengths per the Wahl guard guide. Brands vary a little.The sign out front
Why the
pole spins
BALL: THE BASINSTRIPES: THE BANDAGESPOLE: THE STAFF
For centuries barbers did more than cut hair. Barber-surgeons pulled teeth and let blood, and the pole out front is the story of that work, told in colors.
Red
Blood. Bloodletting was barber work in the Middle Ages, and red is said to stand for it.
White
The bandages. Washed cloths were hung on a pole to dry, the story goes, and twisted into a spiral.
Blue
An American addition. Some say it's for veins. The likelier story is the flag.
The ball
Early poles had a brass basin on top for the leeches and one at the bottom for the blood.
Renaissance Amsterdam read it another way: red for bloodletting, white for setting bones or pulling teeth, blue for a shave. Sources: Wikipedia's barber's pole article and the Farmers' Almanac.
The history
Seven thousand
years of chair
From flint razors to clippers on a cord. Scroll the pole.
Rome gets barbers
Barbering arrives in Rome from the Greek colonies in Sicily. The barbershop becomes the place for news and gossip.
Clergy out of surgery
The Council of Tours bars clergy from surgery. Barbers, already working with blades, take on more of it.
London's barbers
The first mention of the Barbers' Company in London. It gets a royal charter in 1462.
Barbers and Surgeons
An Act of Parliament joins the barbers with the surgeons into the Company of Barbers and Surgeons.
The split
The surgeons break away to form their own company. It becomes the Royal College of Surgeons in 1800.
Hand clippers
Serbian barber Nikola Bizumić is credited with inventing manual hair clippers.
Barber school
A. B. Moler opens what is described as the first barber school in the world, in Chicago.
Electric clippers
Leo J. Wahl patents a final electric clipper design after more than a decade of work.
The pole maker
William Marvy starts making barber poles in St. Paul. By 2010 the company had built more than 82,000.
Book the chair from your phone
Pick your service, guard and time, compare shops near you and book on Lokuli.
Dates from Wikipedia's barber, barber's pole, Worshipful Company of Barbers and hair clipper articles, plus the Farmers' Almanac.
Before you sit down
What the
license means
In California, barbers and barbershops are licensed by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Here's what that covers, straight from the state.
CA Board of Barbering and CosmetologyA barber license takes a course of at least 1,000 hours, including 100 hours of disinfection and sanitation, or an approved apprenticeshipLicense requirements →
CA Department of Consumer AffairsLook up a barber or shop by name or license number to see if it's currentDCA License Search →
Board fact sheetTools get washed, then disinfected with an EPA-registered disinfectant, then stored in a closed container labeled "clean"Infection control →
Board brochureBarbers work on the scalp, face and neck. Cutting, shaving and beard trims are all in scopeWhat a barber can do →
Board fact sheetWant a cut at home? Since Oct 1, 2021, licensees with a Personal Service Permit can do some services outside a shopIn-home services →
CA Board of Barbering and CosmetologySomething wrong? Complaints go to the Board in writing, online or by mailFile a complaint →
How it works
Take a number
- NOW SERVINGPick the cutService, guard and ZIP. That's what the barber needs to know.
- NOW SERVINGPick a shop and timeCompare barbershops near you and request a chair on Lokuli.
- NOW SERVINGSit down, say the number"Two on the sides, scissors on top." Want to check the license first? Use the DCA License Search.
Near you
Barbershops
around town
Good to know
Chair talk
What do the guard numbers mean?
They're how long the clipper leaves your hair. On Wahl's chart a #1 leaves about 1/8 inch, a #2 about 1/4 inch, and each number adds about 1/8 inch up to #8 at 1 inch. Brands vary a little, so tell the barber the number you had last time.
What's the difference between a fade and a taper?
Both go from short to longer. A fade usually goes shorter and higher, often down to the skin, while a taper keeps more length and mostly shows at the neckline and around the ears. Ask your barber to show you where each would start.
How do I know a barber is licensed?
Search their name or license number in California's DCA License Search. It shows whether the license is current or expired and if there's been disciplinary action. Shops have their own establishment license you can look up too.
Can a barber come to my house?
Sometimes. Since October 1, 2021, a licensee with a Personal Service Permit from the Board can offer certain services outside a shop, including cutting and styling hair and trimming beards.
How should a barbershop clean its tools?
According to the Board's fact sheet, tools are washed with soap and water, disinfected with an EPA-registered disinfectant for the time the maker recommends, usually about 10 to 15 minutes, then kept in a closed container labeled "clean". Single use items get thrown away.
Do I need to book, or can I walk in?
Plenty of shops take both. Booking means a chair is waiting for you at your time, which helps if you're squeezing a cut in before work or an event.
How much does a cut cost?
Each shop sets its own price. Shops quote you through Lokuli, so you can compare before you book.
Is a hot towel shave just for beards?
It's a full shave with a straight razor, usually on the face and neck. The hot towel softens the hair and skin first. Some shops add it to a haircut or a beard trim as a finish.
Run a barbershop?
Fill your chairs
Barbers Now sends people to barbershops on Lokuli. Claim a booking page free, take requests online, and pay no commission on any plan.