ben the old school barber

The street hairdresser had a unique charm and value. Some of the old barbers on the streets had been in the industry for many years and had exquisite craftsmanship. For example, Liu Yuqing, a 70-year-old old master in Shandong, had been in the hairdressing industry for 51 years. He began to be an apprentice at the age of 18, witnessing the changes of the hairdressing industry in Shandong. He still retained his habit in the state-owned shop. He would wear a white coat before cutting his customers 'hair for only 8 yuan. Many customers, including market owners and nearby elderly people, were his repeat customers because his haircuts were very spirited. There was also Li Xiaohua from Huaihua, Hunan Province, who became popular online with his affordable prices, superb technology, and understanding of customer needs. The existence of street masters like them also reflected the diverse nature of the hairdressing industry. Compared with some luxuriously decorated barbershops that were full of commercial routines, they paid more attention to the service itself, providing the public with an affordable and traditional hairdressing option. They didn't need customers to make an appointment, didn't have complicated divisions between masters, and didn't use exaggerated marketing methods. They were a kind of existence that was close to the public's life and full of human life.

There was such an example regarding the Changzhou Old Barber. In Changzhou, there was a mobile hairdresser named Gao Meiying who had been doing voluntary haircuts for more than 40 elderly people in the community for the past 10 years. Initially, she learned how to cut hair out of interest. After she retired, she learned how to cut hair by stealing a lesson from a barbershop next to the supermarket. She began to cut hair for her mother-in-law, and her skills became better and better. Later, she cut hair for her neighbors for free. Some old people who lived far away and had difficulty moving became her "fixed customers". Especially when the first month of the lunar calendar had just passed, she was the busiest because according to the old Changzhou custom," no haircuts in the first month."

In the past, barbershops were often called barbershops. Their scale and facilities were far inferior to modern hairdressing salons, hair salons, and styling shops. They had only developed from open-air barbershops to indoor operations. During the Qing Dynasty, people shaved their heads and kept their hair in braids. At that time, the hairdressing industry believed in the Taoist Luo Zu. After the Revolution of 1911, the long braid was abolished, and the new hairdresser began to be used. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, under the influence of Western culture, barbershops introduced armchairs that could be lifted, reclined, and rotated. In addition to the basic hairdressing services, they also added shaving (including cleaning the nostrils, cilia in the ears, etc.), clearing the eyes (removing the acne under the eyelids), picking the ears (picking the ears), beating the back, shoulder and neck massage, etc. The tools used at that time were first old-fashioned razors, and later imported flexible razors were introduced. In the early days, women didn't cut their hair. Men shaved their heads, following the custom of the Qing Dynasty and using razors to shave their heads. Later on, they began to use hand pushers to style their hair. In the past, in addition to hair-cutting skills, the hairdresser also mastered some special skills, such as the reduction of elbow or shoulder blade dislocations. They had undergone strict and almost cruel training and hard work as apprentices, and their skills were extraordinary. With the advancement of society, the barbershop industry rose from the lower nine streams of the old society to an industry that was equal to other professions. The business of the modern barbershop included hair, washing, perming, cutting, baking, shaving, hairdressing, styling, etc. However, the unique skills of the old days such as shaving, cleaning eyes, and treating dislocations were now difficult to find.

The old-fashioned rural barbers had unique industry characteristics and ways of survival. In the past, in the countryside, barbers often went to the streets to provide services. Their tools were relatively simple and traditional. For example, there would be a small and exquisite fire stove on one end (a large iron kettle was placed on it to keep the water warm), and on the other end, there would be a stool, a pottery basin, firewood, a wooden box for razors and grindstones, and so on. This burden was their work tool. Some barbers would even hang small birdcages (for raising magpies) or bamboo cages (for raising grasshoppers in midsummer) on their poles. For example, the hairdresser Wan Wa 'er lived in a dilapidated seven-story brick tower on a barren hill one and a half miles away from the village and three miles away from the county town. He got up before dawn every day and made some simple food. Then, he carried a tobacco pipe and a bamboo flute and climbed to the top of the tower to welcome the dawn. After that, he carried his hairdresser through the village alleys and shaved people's heads and beards. He would also go to the county town fair to shave people's heads and faces. This reflected the characteristics of the old-fashioned rural barbers who were close to rural life and served the rural people. They relied on their own skills to make a living in rural areas and inherited this ancient professional tradition.

There was an old hairdresser in Loutang Old Street. His hairdresser's shop was located at No. 26, Dabei Street, Loutang Old Town, Jiading Industrial Zone. It had been standing in the old street for more than 40 years. The owner was Jin Yiming, 70 years old, and had been in the hairdressing industry for 53 years. There were iron chairs, shavers, shaving knives, cloth, and other old-fashioned furnishings in the shop, which made it look like an old shop. Old barbers like them had their skills passed down for many years and had unique values. They were different from modern barbers. Not only did the old hairdresser know how to cut hair, but he also knew how to shave customers 'faces. For example, he would use hot water to warm the customer's chin, brush soap on it, and then squat down to shave the customer's face with a razor. In addition, the old shavers also had some industry slang for communication in the industry, such as calling women "shovel" or "black show", men "tiaoma", male genitalia "tiaoer", shaving heads "wooden dragon", western hairstyle "western grass" and so on. They also had special skills such as picking out ears and rolling eyes. The old hairdresser liked to shave children's full moon hair and would shave the heads of the dead (some hairdresser were willing and good at it). In the past, the barbers in Old Street were cheaper than the barbers now, and they retained the traditional hairdressing service.

Old-fashioned razors were usually manual razors. When electric razors were not available, people used them to shave. This kind of razor was usually packed in a small metal box made of aluminum alloy. The inner layer of the box was used to place the blade, and there was a mirror on the other layer, which was convenient to use when shaving. Using an old-fashioned razor required a certain amount of skill. If one was not careful, it was easy to shave one's face and bleed. In some traditional barbershops, such as the Peacock Barbershop, the masters would use slightly older objects to stick to traditional craftsmanship, which might include old-fashioned razors. Yangzhou's hairdressing skills had a long history. When Yangzhou's barbers shaved their faces with razors, they could shave them one by one, making people feel extremely comfortable and painless. The razors here were similar to the old-fashioned razors. Like the barbershop in Yuanhe Town, Hongjiang City, the 88-year-old Grandpa Xie might have been using an old-fashioned razor (the article mentioned using a razor) to stay in the village for 70 years to provide service to customers.

In the old days, the tools of a hairdresser included a shaving knife, a sharpening cloth, and so on. The shaving knife was used to shave the customer's neck, and the sharpening cloth was a necessary tool for sharpening the razor.

The old-fashioned hair salon had some unique features. In terms of shop layout and facilities, it was often relatively simple. For example, some old-fashioned hair shaving shops were not big. They had a hairdresser's chair, a mirror, a hair washing pool, and cabinets filled with dry towels, hair dye cream, and other necessities. In terms of services, in addition to regular haircuts, there might also be some traditional items, such as shaving. When shaving, the hairdresser would be skilled. He would first apply a hot towel on the customer's face, then apply foam, and finally use a razor to adjust the strength. Judging from the time of operation, many old shops had been in business for a long time, some as long as 20 to 30 years. The owners had accumulated many old customers with their superb craftsmanship and enthusiastic service. Moreover, the price was relatively reasonable. For example, a shave might only cost 5 yuan. The owners of old-fashioned hair salons often had a high level of skill. Whether it was the classic perm, hair bun, or ordinary haircut, they could better meet the needs of customers. The skills were passed down from generation to generation or the owner had rich experience in the industry, which could satisfy customers.

The old cartoon barber often has a classic style, maybe with a traditional barber chair and old-fashioned tools.

The traditional old barbers had their own unique ways of shaving their heads. They often relied on their years of accumulated experience, skilled and precise techniques, and could complete the operation of shaving their heads in detail. For example, they would first wet their hair and then carefully shave it off with a razor. However, there were some differences compared to the modern electric hair clipper that was specially used to shave the head. Modern electric hair clippers, such as bald artifacts, had some convenient functions, such as a full-body washing design, a curved blade, a 360° no dead angle shave, multi-gear power adjustment, LED intelligent power display, long battery life, and a convenient charging port. Therefore, whether the old hairdresser shaved his head or not depended on his personal needs and preferences. If traditional craftsmanship and meticulous service were more important, the old hairdresser was a good choice; if convenience and modern functions were pursued, the modern electric hair shaving machine might be more suitable.