The 6 Most Important Skills Barbers Need To Know

skills for barbers to have

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Barbers have a special set of skills that allow them to work on men’s hair and generally short hair. If you’re interested in becoming a barber, you’re going to need to manage certain skills for your customers. However, the skills you actually need to be a great barber may not be the skills you would assume you’d need. Here are the six most important skills you’ll need to know as a barber.

1. Great Customer Service

If you’re planning to work in a barbershop, you’ll need great customer service skills to get along with your customers and make sure they feel comfortable coming back to the barbershop. Your customers should never feel like you’re selling something to them, but when you provide them with a service, it’s important that they feel taken care of.

2. Active Listening

The experience of going to the barbershop can be a deeply social one, and many people use their time at the barbershop to talk about their life and have a conversation with someone. The more you’re able to listen, the more you’ll be able to ensure they have a great experience. Plus, you also need active listening skills to make sure you know what your customer wants and to incorporate feedback.

3. Hand-Eye Coordination

While hand-eye coordination is crucially important in all beauty fields, it’s especially important in barbering. This is because barbering is often working with less hair, requiring you to make ultra-specific cuts and movements that look amazing even at just a quick glance. If you have poor hand-eye coordination, you may not be able to do these things, leading to issues with your hair cutting jobs.

4. Creativity

When a client comes in the door with a hairstyle they want, you need to be able to visualize that style on their head and make the necessary adjustments so it looks just as good on your specific client’s hair type, hair color, face shape and more. That means creativity is a necessity in the world of barbering. Plus, you may have clients who come in asking you to exercise your creativity to create a truly unique style.

5. Time Management

Many barbers work as freelancers, renting out space in barbershops to take clients. If you’re planning to take clients on your own time, you’re going to need great time management skills. If you accidentally overbook yourself or you underestimate how much time you’ll need for different jobs, you’re going to end up frustrating your clients. Time management skills are necessary as a barber; they’ll help you keep clients and make money.

6. Hair Handling Skills

Last, and probably most importantly, are the skills you’ll have to actually handle hair. Barbers need to learn how to handle hair on clients; even if you’re pretty good at cutting and styling your own hair, you only know a tiny amount of the information that you need to be a great barber. You’ll also need to know how to keep your clients safe, with safety information some of the most crucial elements of barbering education.

The quality of your barbering education will dictate the quality of your work.

This is why it’s so important to go through a high-quality barbering program like the one at Evergreen Beauty College. Evergreen Beauty College will prepare you to work as a barber in the real world, with plenty of hands-on experience to help you in the transition to working in an actual barbershop.

Conclusion

what barbers need to know

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There are many skills you’ll use as a barber. When you’re a barber, you need to know how to get along with your clients, how to manage different clients effectively, and how to handle hair in the first place. After all, that’s why your clients hire you. Make sure you’re well versed in all of these areas before you start your journey to becoming a barber for the best results.

Author
Frank Trieu
Vice President of Business Development & Industry Relations

Frank Trieu is a cosmetology industry leader, and despite his accomplishments and accolades, he still prioritizes students on the Evergreen campus. Through building relationships within the community and local salons, retail stores, and spas, he helps facilitate job placements for aspiring beauty professionals using his expansive network.

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