Splice Barbershop Articles

By Katie Cheng (AskMen) As you already know, not all hair is created equal. Just because you’re able to grow a lustrously thick head of hair doesn’t meant growing a beard or mustache will come just as easily. In fact, a lot of guys — while attempting to grow out facial hair — run into a whole new set of frustrating issues. Perhaps the biggest one of all? How to make grow it faster. First things first: how is the hair on your head different from the scruff on your face? Rayon Mclean, renowned barber and creator of the buzzy new grooming...

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These days, when we hear the phrase “dress code” we’re most likely to associate it with workplace rules. A lot of jobs still have written guidelines for employee attire, at varying degrees of strictness. Much rarer are dress codes for social events. These written requests for attendee attire are usually only one or two words long, meant to be printed on an invitation and understood by all the potential guests. Unfortunately, universal understanding of social dress codes is going the way of cursive handwriting: it has an old-fashioned appeal to some people, but most of us don’t bother with it anymore. So if you’ve been invited...

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BY DAVID ALEXANDER     I'm quite often asked, "Should I go to a barber or salon?" The answer to that question depends on a number of factors. Just as you wouldn't go to a cardiologist for brain surgery, you won't want to go to a salon for a flattop. Likewise, a barber isn't likely to give you a long shag with chunky highlights. Deciding how to chose a barber vs salon and find a men's haircut near you can be tricky. The main difference between the two types of haircutters is that barbers are typically trained to cut shorter,...

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A sociologist on the race, class, and gender dynamics of the “men’s salon."     With their red, white and blue striped poles, dark Naugahyde chairs and straight razor shaves, barbershops hold a special place in American culture. But numbers show that barbershops are dwindling. According to census data, from 1992 to 2012 we saw a 23 percent decrease in barbershops in the United States (with a slight uptick in 2013). As a sociologist, I find barbershops fascinating because they’ve also traditionally been places where men spend time with other men, forming close relationships with one another in the absence...

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