My first pair of scissors was unrefined.  Squeaky.  Awkward.  It lacked the stainless, polished, highly mechanized sophistication that my current pair of overpriced shears has.  In fact, twenty years ago when I bought them, I paid a whopping $24.99 (by the way: I was fifteen years old).  That is about a tenth of the cost of my current shears.

Yes, they were definitely not the coolest pair of sharpened steel blades I had ever owned, but they were my first.  When you look carefully at their age-beaten edges, you can see visible scars of long forgotten haircuts.  The first that comes to mind is, of course, the first haircut I gave.

He wasn’t who you may think though.  He was a she…and she had beautiful blonde hair.  Fine and straight…it was not the easiest hair to cut , but hey- I always liked a challenge. Carefully, comb in one hand, new shiny scissors in the other, I…well, I certainly didn’t ‘cut’ as I do today.  No, I would say that it was more like ‘groped’.  That was how it felt.  Each snip of the shears was like a childish lunge rather than the slice of a fine sculptor.  Like a clumsy teenager on his first date.

In the end, after about an hour, I had completed the strangest looking ‘bob’ anyone could imagine.  It was more like a ‘dob’.  ‘D’ for downright ugly.  It was blonde.  It was hair.  But it certainly wasn’t great. What should I have expected? The heavens did not open with shafts of glorious light. Choirs of angels did not sing the song of my greatness.

But I was on my way.  The story had begun.

It’s pretty common that you’re going to show up at your local barber and find yourself waiting for a bit until you get into his chair. We know this better than anyone here at UOMO, so we’ve stocked our reading material with some of our favourite magazines – and the favourite of a lot of discerning gentlemen as well.

Here are the 10 magazines you’ll find waiting for you in our magazine rack at UOMO Modern Barber.

1. Esquire: Expecting us to have Esquire on our shelves isn’t much of a reach. With its well-crafted writing and coverage of topics that appeal to a variety of men, Esquire is a solid read for the trendy and traditional man. Whether you’re into David Wondrich’s stories on drink or keeping up with the latest fashions, Esquire has got you covered.
2. GQ: Another “gimme” in our magazine arsenal is GQ. It’s been described as “the male equivalent of Vogue”, the popular women’s publication. Fitness, style and tech (among otehr topics) come into play within the pages of GQ, and it’s a good read while you wait to get a great cut or shave.
3. Details: Details falls into a similar category as Esquire and GQ. It is the youngest of the three, and while it’s primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle it also features reports on relevant social and political issues.
4. duPont Registry: If you like the finer things in life, then you’ll like the duPont Registry. It has been described as “a ‘must have’ publication for wealthy men who love exotic, luxury and collectible automobiles, fine watches, jets, yachts and fine homes”. Whehter the contents of the duPont Registry are within your budget or not, it’s always fun to check out what’s inside.
5. Sharp: Canada-made, Sharp is a men’s lifestyle magazine that discusses fashion, travel, electronics, automobiles, food, alcohol, advice and essays of international scope but with a Canadian perspective. And since we’re based in Victoria, BC, Canada — it’s a fine addition to our roster of reading material.
6. Soccer Italia: If you’re a soccer (or football) fan, then you’ll be able to flip through the pages of Soccer Italia while you wait at UOMO Modern Barber.
7. FourFourTwo: Another football magazine, FourFourTwo describes itself as follows: ”FourFourTwo stands for the very highest quality, unparalleled football knowledge and genuine authority – all delivered with passion, humour and flair”. So when you need your football fix, we’ve got FourFourTwo to help you get it.
8. National Geographic: The magazine with the yellow-banded border is our most popular read at UOMO Modern Barber. As the official journal of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic contains articles about geography, popular science, history, culture, current events, and photography. So when you need a break from men’s style, this is a trusted source of information on pretty much everything else.
9. Bloomberg Businessweek: Positioned as a competitor to both Forbes and Fortune magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek has the distinction of being the only one of the three business magaiznes that publishes weekly. Formerly known as BusinessWeek, this magazine offers business news and strong opinion on various topics such as marketing, labor, finance, and management.
10. Architectural Digest: Architectural Digest actually covers interior design more than general architecture, despite its name. Aimed at an affluent and style-conscious readership, it bills itself as the “International magazine of interior design”. That’s one of the reasons it finds a home in UOMO Modern Barber’s regular reading material: it does its part to embody our own motto…where tradition meets trend.

Hopefully by taking a look at what we offer at UOMO Modern Barber for you to read while you wait, you’ll consider adding some of them to your own magazine library at home.

Photo credit: Adam Franco (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

OM After Shave Splash is made with aloe vera, willowbark and witch hazel — which is continuous with our OM Lye-Free Shaving Cream. Willowbark is very anti-inflammatory; it calms and cools the skin. The aloe is very soothing and the witch hazel acts as a very mild astringent, which helps to tighten up the skin cells and prevents any kind of bacteria from getting inside the skin.

To sum up: OM After Shave Splash is basically a drink for you skin.

OM After Shave Splash is available through our online store for only $15.99 and can be picked up in-store or be shipped right to your door.

As an added bonus, because OM After Shave Splash has been profiled in this week’s Style Profile, if you purchase it online before April 19, 2012, you’ll get a 10% discount. Just use the coupon code STYLE6 to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Next time on Style Profile: OM Hair Clay Texturizer

At UOMO Modern Barber, the ratio of scissors cuts to clippers cuts is about 80:20. But what are the differences between the two — and why do so many of our clients go with scissors cuts over clipper cuts?

A scissors cut is basically a more ‘natural’ cut. It contours to the head better than a clipper cut, which often cuts too short. The hair blends in better with a scissors cut, and the hair grows in more naturally. It’s a ‘looser’ cut, whereas a clippers cut is usually tighter.

As a barber, you have more control with a scissors cut than with clippers. Because of the way it grows out, a scissors cut tends to last longer. And overall…a scissors cut just grows out better.

If you want a very close cut — like a military cut — then a clipper cut is the better choice. A clipper cut tends to grow out more “porcupine-like” because each hair follicle grows at a different rate. Scissor cuts don’t have that problem because they generally aren’t cut as short, so that kind of thing is far less noticeable.

Should a barber use clippers while doing a scissor cut, they usually only use it around the edges. They use them in that area to trim out the edges and clean them out a bit. If you want a scissors cut and your barber starts to move up your head (to about a quarter of the way from the bottom) with a clipper, then you might want to say something. Anything beyond that point and you’re looking at a full-on clipper cut.

When it coms to the number you find on clipper guards (the one that indicates how short you’re going to clip the hair), no matter what brand of clipper is used, the measurements are generally universal. So if you usually get a “3″ on the side, then you should be safe no matter what barber you go to. Your barber may even ask you whether you want a number “3″ with scissors or with a clipper. That’s a matter of personal preference, just remember the points above regarding the results of a scissor cut versus a clipper cut. The way you get a “3″ (or any number, for that matter) with scissors is when the barber cuts “scissor over comb”. That’s the way it was done before clippers became widely available. Scissor over comb is a more natural and more tapered way to get the same look a clipper can give. The number indicates length, the types of cutting instrument indicates how the length is going to be achieved.

Now you’ve got a sense of the difference between a scissor and clipper cut. So which way do you go now? Are you a scissor or clipper cut guy — and why? Let us know in the comments.

Photo credit: morberg (CC BY-NC 2.0)