Barbering: A Short Introduction

Barbering has been around since ancient civilizations. Barbers have been around wherever there was hair to be cut. At one time, barbers were also dentist and surgeons because of their great skills in handling sharp instruments with precision.

It was a common practice to perform a procedure called ‘Blood Letting’. When people were stricken with certain diseases, their blood was actually drained from them. After the procedure, white clothes used in the process were red stained by blood. These clothes would then be hung outside of the barbershop; these cloth strips then twirled together by being blown by the wind. It soon become a symbol of the barbershop, which later was turned into the barber pole.

The art of cutting hair is also known as tonsorial art.

Ways to Become a Barber

Barber school

Most states in the U.S.A require aspiring barbers to complete state mandated hours of technical and practical training (meaning that you have to read a text book and work on live customers or mannequins). The main objective of barber school is to instill sanitary practices to help you pass the state board exam.

Apprentice Programs

In most states, an aspiring barber attends a class one day a week and then accumulates his state required hours by actually working in a barbershop under a licensed barber (which is a great way to earn money and build clientele).

Caution

Make sure you practice good habits and know your options, not all barbers you start off working under are the ones you want to continue working for. It is better to know what your options are if you need to change mentors. Also make sure that you are being treated fairly, if something does not sound right, ask your instructor or another barber for their opinion.