FEB RUARY 2017
RUNWAY
REAL LIFE
THE LATEST “IT GIRL” HAIRCUT FROM
COLORPROOF HAS A FEMININE YET EDGY VIBE
MAN
UP
WRITTEN BY Andrea Dawn Clark
THE BEST OF
BothWorlds
THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING
A COSMETOLOGY AND
A BARBERING LICENSE
barbers—Fernie Andong
(@fernthebarber) and Nieves
Almaraz (@howtofadehair)—talk
about the advantages of having
both a cosmetology and a barbering
license in the ever-growing world of
men’s grooming.
Fernie Andong
hard at work
Fernie Andong
Paul Mitchell Barber Specialist
His first license… I received my
cosmetology license first. One random
day after work, I stopped into Paul
Mitchell the School and picked up an
application. A month later I was enrolled. His desire for a second license… When I
was a cosmetology instructor, a student
needed help with a skin fade. It was my
job to help get the student out of the jam,
but no one—including myself—knew how
to do a proper fade. We faked our way
through it. The client wasn’t happy. And
I felt like I failed. I didn’t want to feel like
that ever again, so that day after work I
enrolled at The Real Barber’s College in
Anaheim, CA.
His biggest hurdle getting a second
license… Transportation. I would have to
54 americansalon.com
February 2017
Paul Mitchell’s Fernie
Andong styling a
long-hair look.
catch a bus or bum a ride. Paul Mitchell
was very supportive of me going to barber
school, knowing the skill set I’d learn
would benefit them too. And, at school I
would show my peers how to use scissors,
because they did not teach that at The
Real Barber’s College. In return they would
teach me how to do clipper work.
His best advice for getting a second
license… Watch your ego. Don’t be afraid
to be a learner again and ask questions.
Save some cash before you go back to
school because it does cut into your work
schedule. And, ask yourself: Why am I
doing this? Don’t do it because it’s cool.
You’ve got to really love the craft. His life now with both licenses… Having
both licenses allows me to bridge the gap
between barbering and cosmetology.
And, getting a new license gave me the
opportunity to be a learner again. As soon
as you stop learning, you stop growing. Nieves Almaraz
Wahl Education
and Artistic Team member
His first license… I received my
cosmetology license first, with the intention
of learning how to do shear work because
I already felt comfortable with clippers. I
actually find that funny now; I still apply
all those shear-cutting techniques in my
classes, but I use clippers instead.
His desire for a second license… I wanted
to get my barber’s license because in my
state you’re required to hold a barber
license to use a straight edge razor.
Nieves Almaraz
His biggest hurdle getting a second
license… Balancing time at my own
business, Jacob’s Barber Shop in Cicero, IL,
and succeeding in school at the same time.
His best advice for finding a new school…
Do your research and choose the school
wisely. It’s important to go to a school with
patience and understanding. Some schools
even give you credit for having a license
already, requiring fewer hours for the
program as well as taking money off of your
tuition. I also recommend finding a school
that offers both day and night classes to
accommodate your work schedule.
His life now with both licenses… I have
several clients that I use both skill sets on
during their service. They’re looking for a
longer, textured style that is traditionally
done by a cosmetologist, along with a
short, faded clipper cut on the sides and
back, which is a barber’s specialty. I’ve also
seen a boost in revenue because I’m able
to provide both services in one place.
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF PAUL MITCHELL AND WAHL
T
WO OF THE INDUSTRY’S top
4
2
5
3
6
BEARD
GROOMING
NOW THAT YOUR CLIENT HAS MANAGED
TO GROW AN EPIC BEARD, SHARE THESE
GROOMING TIPS FROM WAHL’S ANDRES
"DRE" REYES WITH HIM AND DON’T
FORGET TO RECOMMEND THE WAHL
TOOL THAT WILL GET THE JOB DONE.
7
1 Comb the beard and remove the tangles with a wide-tooth comb. 2 Use a longer attachment comb on the clipper to trim and shape the beard. Run the clipper
with the grain beginning in the sideburn area with the attachment comb touching the face.
When you reach the jaw line, pull the clipper straight down, lightly skimming the beard.
3 With no attachment comb on the clipper and the blade closed, cut any unruly hairs that
do not want to lay down. Be sure to have a steady hand. You can always use the Wahl
5-Star Hero Trimmer to execute this step.
4 Lift the beard up with a comb or your hand and line the bottom of the beard with the
Wahl 5-Star Hero Trimmer.
5 Using just the edge or corner of the blade on your trimmer, line the top of the beard to
the style that best fits your client’s face shape. You can start at the top of the beard by
the sideburn or in the lip area.
6 Line the back of the beard with your trimmer, either straight down or curved forward or
backward depending on beard style.
7 With a wide-tooth comb, lift the beard and shave the stubble. A Wahl 5-Star Finale
Shaver will do the job.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDRES "DRE" REYES FOR WAHL PROFESSIONAL
1
BUSINESS
BARBER
TALK
Rob Ferrel
(@robtheoriginal), Master
Barber with BaBylissPRO,
and Sofie Pok
(@staygold31), BaBylissPRO
Hair Architect, chat about
what it means to be a
barber influencer.
ROB FERREL: I started on social media to
show off my artwork. Then I noticed that
I was making connections with people all
over the world. People were coming up to
me saying they started barbering because
of my social media photos. Fifteen clients of
mine have become barbers. Cops, teachers—
they’re all signing up for barber college.
SOFIE POK: It wasn’t until this year that
people started coming up to me. I actually
get more females because they appreciate
me being a vocal person for our smaller
community. Being an influencer means your
work sparks something in people, it makes
them think and gives them courage to try
the work themselves.
ROB FERREL: I think influencers are also
entertainers. An influencer means that
people want to see more of your work. What
I like about you Sofie is that you’re very
careful about what you post. You’ll take 20
minutes to make sure a post is on point.
You’re careful with your image and all of
your photos are magazine-quality.
SOFIE POK: I love that you’re always
reinventing yourself. When I met you at
Long Beach three years ago you were barely
doing designs, just regular hair portraits.
But now you’re using ketchup, salt, wood—
the list goes on when it comes to the cool,
innovative stuff you’re using.
ROB FERREL: You have to be creative to be
successful on social media. And you have to
do the work and build a routine. We know
when to do our posts. We know what scenes
we need to set up for the day. We know
what haircuts we’re going to film. Luckily, a
lot of people are stepping their game up on
Instagram. I’m running into barbers that are
very talented, and I’ve never heard of them
before, but they’ve got 150K followers. And
that pushes me to keep my game up.
102 americansalon.com
February 2017
“A barber has always understood the
power of a good story—social media just
made his crowd a lot bigger.”—Leen and Bertus,
Schorem Barbers (@schorembarbier)
It’s midnight here in
my Los Angeles penthouse loft. I’ve had a full day of work behind the chair, and I’m
thinking about how I got to where I am. Barbering is now a full-on lifestyle, a lifestyle
that depends on social media. This platform allows us to build stories and share our
thoughts with the world. Something as simple as a #hashtag can change a word into
a phenomenon. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a leading influencer in
the barbering community. But it wasn’t always this way. I used to think of myself as
an underdog. Why? Well, back then it wasn’t “cool” to be a barber. But look at me
now, giving advice to the next generation of barbers. My main advice, ask yourself:
Why did you choose to do hair? To become an influencer you have to have genuine
passion behind your craft. My other advice: freely share and learn knowledge. I believe
barbering and hairdressing have now done more
than “peek over” each other’s “fences.” We’re
now in each other’s “gardens.” Keeping an open
mind and broadening my skills established me as a
barber influencer. Some argue that #socialmedia
has actually made us “unsocial.” I disagree. If it
wasn’t for social media, the world wouldn’t know
@JuliusCaesar, other than the old Roman ruler.
I’ve built myself a brand, and with this brand I have
built a credible influence, and it’s an incredible
honor I take quite seriously. Sincerely, Julius Caesar
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF BABYLISSPRO; SCHOREM BARBERS; JULIUS CAESAR
BAR B E R S
BETTER
Rob Ferrel and
Sofie Pok sharing
the stage.