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Nothing increases your confidence or makes you feel as good as a nicely done haircut.
Every mirror seems to fascinate you. Everyone likes a unique identity, and nothing does it better than a perfect hairstyle.
People like to look good; they want to be able to photo-bomb and pop into pictures without worrying about how they look or how bad their hairline is.
As more and more people take on an organic social media presence with their photos all over the place, the need to have a good haircut is vital.
With the need to ensure you looking great and having beautiful hair, we all begin the search for a good barber, and that is where you come in.
Who Is A Barber?
A barber is an expert skilled at changing the look of people by altering facial hair most professionally.
A barber is someone who can make his customers feel at home, comfortable and safe even with a razor to their chin.
A barber is someone who can serve all classes of the business world, from the little children to college people, older men, and business tycoons.no matter your lifestyle, at one point or the other, you will need a haircut.
A haircut is not all you need; you need a barber.
Is Barbering A Lucrative Occupation?
Unlike a lot of other occupations limited to location and availability, a barber can keep making money every time and every day.
At an average, a barber earns over $70,000 a year in the US.
This income is quite a lot compared to even some white-collar jobs. Being a barber is a decent job with an attractive salary if you do it right.
Before we discuss the things that make you a good barber, lets first talk about what makes you a barber.
Why Do You Need To Be A Good Barber
Barbing I, not just an occupation, it is an art. It requires diligence, precision, professionalism, and consistency.
You need to be a professional at your own game. People need to know that their looks are in the best hands
To be a good barber, your customers need to trust you to make them look their absolute best
A regular barber can make a haircut that would satisfy a customer, but as a good barber, you should be able to keep your customers not just happy but keep them coming back for even better haircuts.
How To Be A Barber
Apart from the cutting skills, barbershop, and other requirements, there are some essential things one should do before you can consider becoming a barber
Training And Education
While barbing comes naturally to a lot of people, to set yourself apart as a good barber, there are specific training you should take as well as a certain level of education you should have
Proper Communication
As a barber, it goes beyond just holding a clipper; you should be able to communicate well with your customers.
To be a good barber in the USA, you should be able to understand the requirements of your customers by communicating with them in fluent American English.
Customers can get frustrated if they are trying to explain something, and you do not understand.
So before opening that barbershop, you should check your communication if you are fluent enough.
Training
Just like a lot of other areas of occupation, even barbing has felt the effects of change and technology innovations.
New styles, new tools, and new tactics have p in the barbing line.
Training increases your professionalism; you can meet up with the latest trends, use the latest tools, and work as the latest professional.
A necessary education or training is essential before you can obtain the required license to be a barber. In the USA, you need to have a state license, and that only comes after you have received a considerable level of education or training.
This license further validates to a customer that you are right and trusted barber
Requirements Needed To Become A Barber
You need primary education.
One necessary thing that is mostly ignored by many barbers is having primary education in the USA, and you are required to have at least high school education.
Licensing agencies and bodies will want to know if you have basic knowledge, such as a high school certificate.
You can try to check if your school has a partnership with a community college hat offers barbing classes.
This training could give you a head-start in your barbing career.
Apply For Internships
There are a lot of other things that concern the barbing profession that you will not meet in a barbing school curriculum.
Years of experience make a good barber.
Apply for internships with a professional barber that as spent a considerable amount of time in the business.
These will let you have an idea of how a typical day as a barber would be, type of customers to expect and how to behave with the different ones, how to set up and build your barbing salon, and added services that can set you apart from other barbers.
After your internship, you would have learned a lot of things that would not just make you a barber but a good one at that.
Learn About Your Industry
There are a lot of things to know about the barbing industry.
From safety standards to sanitation standards, there are specific laws set by the state and organizational body to guide your work.
There are standard laws that apply to your business. Knowing these laws and how they work is essential to become a good barber.
How To Become A Licensed Barber
Becoming a licensed barber in the USA requires a certain level of qualification. If you are hoping to become a licensed barber, these are the basic things you need to have.
Get complete training or apprenticeship in barbing from a recognized center. Go through the training, and upon completion, you can get proof of completion.
With your proof of completion, you can apply for a license to validate further that you have completed the training.
Apply for an examination in your barbing field.
This exam could be either written or practical.
A pass in the exam would earn you another certificate that would further increase the level of trust your customers have for you as a good barber.
There are lots of barber schools in the USA where you could take a barbing examination.
Whatever school you decide to enroll with must meet specific practice hour requirements before a state license can be open to the institution.
Becoming a barber is essential in the USA. It is an occupation that is not gendered restrictive either as the barber or as the customers.
In the USA, barbing is a vital skill, and that is why the state body determines the license. In certain parts of the USA, a practice time of 1500 hours is required to complete a program and be liable for certification.
Curriculum And Courses Included In Barbing School
A school that will be open to certification will be required to offer specific courses.
Do well to check out for these courses. Hygiene, sanitation, sterilization are all a part of important things the courses should entail.
How To Pass The Barbing State Examination
There are lots of areas that should be covered for assessment to pass the license exams.
The National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology is responsible for the examinations.
You can decide to either take a state examination or a national examination.
Passing the exam requires you to have a standard level of knowledge about barbing.
From your tools to styling and cutting as well as hair care and treatments are all equally important.
You need to have experience with these things to be considered as a good barber.
You should work low-key with an already established barber to have a clue on the things you need to know before you opt for a licensing exam.
There are a lot of important things to being a barber, and the use of chemicals is one of them.
Knowing the right chemicals to use, what amounts to use them, how to use them, and those to steer away fro is very important as well.
Barbing goes beyond just cutting facial hair; it also includes hair care and treatments.
Depending on state requirements, the practical NIC barber exam may assess candidates in the use of chemicals.
Areas like setup, client protection, shaving, and cutting, as well as the proper use of barbing tools, are parts of the things that the examination will entail.
You will need to pass the exams before you get a license.
Character Traits Of A Good Barber
Now that we have discussed the legal and official standards required to be a good barber, let us talk about the character traits and requirements that you most likely would not find in a book.
One very notable fact is that people like to get a haircut with someone they feel very comfortable with during the barbing period.
A good barber has a way of making his customers feel at home while giving them quality hair cuts at the same time.
Thee are certain traits of a barber that makes his customers not just customers but a part of the history of his profession.
Extensive Knowledge In The Field
Customers like to know that no matter their requirements, their barber is up to the task.
A barber that can give you your desired styles and cuts at the same time suggest even better ones to fit your personality has a way of warming into the hearts of customers
Respect For The Profession And Customers
Passion is a great driving force in the barbing profession.
Having respect for your job means you would do things with consistency, dedication, and preciseness.
Having respect for your customers is even better. Their likes and dislikes can have them respect you and your business in return.
Everyone likes a little bit of respect.
Chatty and social
Good barbers have a way of engaging with their customers.
Being able to hold a conversation and give no space for silence would help you relate and understand customers better.
Creativity
Creativity is one of the essential traits of a good barber. You must be able to be creative with the styles and trends in the barbing industry.
The ability to take a customer’s style and lace it up with creativity would certainly win their hearts.
Quality Tools And Knowledge On How To Use Them
Every work gets better with proper tools, and having a quality collection of useful tools will make your job even much better.
Many barbers collate a lot of tools in their salon without any knowledge on how to use them.
Style Up And Setup
Getting a haircut in a classy place would make you feel sophisticated and chic.
It would also make you feel like you are in the right hands. Styling up and setting you your salon to accommodate every class of people will make your salon the first choice for your customers.
These are the basic requirements and traits a good barber needs to have to keep his customers.
To be a good barber, you do not just need to be skilled with a certification.
You also need to have these traits to keep your customers.
Conclusion
Once you have all these figured out, then you can go ahead to determine your fees (make sure you do proper research on the pricing range in your location).
You can team up with other barbers and grow the salon together with a part of the earnings going to each one.
Being a good barber is not so hard once you follow these simple steps listed in this article, have this done and you are on your way to not just be a good barber but a great one.
