Handcrafted Pomade my ass!!

    (Let me just get this out of the way. This is not directed at companies that make huge amounts of pomade, companies that make water based pomade or major companies that manufacture pomade. This is directed towards people out there that claim to be making "handcrafted pomade".)

    I love pomade. The greasy, grimy stuff that leaves a stain on your pillow and then your wife takes away tour pillow case until you guys spend the money on black pillow cases and sheets. I did not have pillow cases up until about 4 years ago (we have been married 15 years). I have been using Murry's, Royal Crown. AGS and what ever cool pomade I stumble across.

    So this all started when i recently purchased a can of pomade from a local barbershop and late in the smae week I received two cans of pomade in the mail and there was only two differences....can/lid was a little different and they were sealed with different color electrical tape.

    There are a lot of pomade companies out there not just in the U,S, but world wide and some of these guys are really making the effort to make there own pomade. But what I am starting to find is that instead of making there own shops, barbers...etc. are buying pomade from other companies and just putting there label on them. I personally think that is kind of cheating.

   I think pomade outfits that are selling cans of "there" pomade to others without labels should require that their name should be on the label somewhere saying "manufactured by". If you did not make that pomade do not take credit for it....seriously. It is not your pomade. Listen, if you are going to have a 2nd party make your pomade spend the extra cash and work with them on a recipe so you are doing something different.

   If you are going to say you are making your own pomade you better be. Take the time to create something you are proud of. Your name is going to be on that can. It is your product that you want people to buy, use and talk about. The thing about doing handcrafted pomade is it is all you and no one else.

   Here is my last statement. If you are selling pomade under the guise of "handcrafted pomade" and the truth is you are not making it yourself....you are ripping off everyone who is buying it. Think about that.

   Below is a list of links that I know are making there own products by hand. Check em out:
Blackjack Pomade
J.M Mulcahy Soap Co. (great shave soap)
High Life Pomade (I know for a fact it is handmade...My best friend worked in the barbershop in AZ.)
Covenant Barbershop (Luis makes his own bay rum aftershave and tonic)

   Anything you want to add to this list...hit me up! Take pride in what you do from the cut to the pomade you promote and make.

Cheers,
Frankie The Barber

Something to motivate you

   If I could pick someone to learn under I would pack a bag and head to England to spend as much time as I possibly could under Dale Ted Watkins and Sid Sottung. There are several people in the states that I would love to learn from but for some reason I am a bit drawn to these guys.

   Recently Dale Ted Watkins gave a speech at the great Barbers Surgeons' Hall in London. Below I posted his speech typo's and all. The reason I am posting his speech is because I think it is a very moving and really something we as barbers should always keep in mind about who we are as professionals.

   Dale thank you for giving me something to think about. I hope when I grow up I am as cool as you.

Cheers,

Frankie  

"GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

MY NAME IS DALE TED WATKINS

I CONSIDER IT A GREAT HONOUR

TO BE INVITED HERE TODAY BY THE BBA
TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES WITH YOU

IN THIS WONDERFUL AND HISTORIC PLACE

THE BARBER SURGEONS HALL

IM HERE TODAY BECAUSE I WAS ASKED THE QUESTION WHAT INSPIRES ME!

SO I’D LIKE TO SHARE MY JOURNEY OF HOW AND WHY IM STANDING INFRONT OF YOU TODAY
WHY DID I GET INVOLVED IN MENS HAIRDRESSING WHAT INSPIRES ME!? WHERE DO I GET MY INFLUENCES FROM ?

AFTER MY 3 YEAR APPRENTICESHIP AND YEARS WORKING IN UNISEX SALONS I DECIDED , I WAS ONLY EVER GOING TO BE OK! AS A LADIES HAIRDRESSER
BUT I DIDNT WANT TO SPEND MY WORKING LIFE JUST BEING OK! A WISE MAN ONCE SAID!

“IF YOU ALWAYS DO WHAT YOUVE ALWAYS DONE YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOUVE ALWAYS GOT”

I FELT BARBERING WAS AN UNTAPPED MARKET A BRAVE NEW WORLD TO EXPLORE AND CONQUER
I FELT BARBERING WAS SOMEWHERE I COULD MAKE MY MARK

ALL THE TALENT WENT INTO LADIES HAIRDRESSING

THEY THOUGHT BARBERING WAS UNEXCITING ,NOT COOL!

WELL I DIDNT AGREE! I WANTED TO PROVE THEM ALL WRONG!
I WANTED TO BECOME AN EXPERT IN MENS HAIR
I WANTED TO MASTER THE CRAFT I LOVED BARBERING

SO AT THE AGE OF 28 I DECIDED TO START ALL OVER AGAIN

I WANTED TO LEARN FROM THE BEST I WANTED TO PUSH MYSELF TEST MYSELF

I WANTED TO WORK FOR THE BEST I DIDNT WANT TO BE OK! ANYMORE

SO I STARTED MY
JOURNEY.

I WAS FORTUNTE ENOUGH TO BE EMPLOYED AND RE-TRAINED AS A BARBER FOR VIDAL SASSOON!

IT WAS A TUFF JOURNEY BUT ONE I WOULDNT CHANGE FOR THE WORLD
SO WHAT DID I LEARN?
HOW DID WORKING AT VIDAL SASSOON CHANGE ME?

PAUSE????

I KNOW LOOKED AT HAIR IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY FOR THE FIRST TIME I CONSIDERED MY SELF A CRAFTSMEN

I RELATED HAIR KNOW TO BEING LIKE A FINE TAILOR
YOU CAN BUY A SUIT FOR A £30 Or
£3000
THEY BOTH HAVE THE SAME PURPOSE BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENT THEORY BEHIND EACH.

A BEAUTIFULLY TAILORED SUIT IS MADE BY A CRAFT PERSON, SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE BODY, UNDERSTANDS THE CLOTH UNDERTSTANDS THAT DIFFERENT CUTS CAN MAKE A MAN LOOK MORE MASCULINE.

ITS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING HAIR IS A CLOTH UNDERSTANDING THE DETAIL, HAIR TEXTURES, HEAD SHAPE, FACESHAPE, AND TAILOR –MAKING IT FOR YOUR CLIENT MAKING THEM FEEL SPECIAL, IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

SO WHERE DO I FIND MY INSPIRATION, WHAT INFLUENCES ME?

TO LOOK FORWARD, FIRST YOU HAVE TO LOOK BACK!
IM VERY PROUD TO BE AN ENGLISH MAN
AND THE REASON BEING IS BECAUSE THIS LITTLE ISLAND IS A WORLD LEADER IN FASHION AND MUSIC
A WORLD LEADER IN YOUTH MOVEMENTS FOR DECADES.
SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING STREET CULTURE AND MOVEMENTS HAVE STARTED ON THIS LITTLE ISLAND

MODS , ROCKERS , TEDDY BOYS, GREESERS ,SCOOTER BOYS SUADE HEADS, RUDE BOYS , PUNKS NEW ROMANTICS SOUL BOYS ,CASUALS TO NAME BUT A FEW
ALL WITH THERE OWN BRAND OF STYLE HAIR CUTS AND MUSIC ALL WITH THERE OWN GANG AFFILIATIONS
SOME EVEN HAD THERE OWN MODE OF TRANSPORT THE MODS - HAD THE VESPA OR LAMBARRETA

THE ROCKERS THERE CHOICE OF TRANSPORT WERE BRITISH MADE MOTOR BIKES LIKE THE TRIUMPH , BSA OR NORTON COMMANDERS.
I GET VERY INSPIRED BY STREET CULTURE ESPECIALLY THE MOD AND SKA SCENE .
IM INFLUENCED BY SOMETHING THAT HAS GOT SOUL ,
THAT COULD BE A PICTURE ,A YOUTH MOVEMENT ,CLOTHS OR A MUSIC SCENE

PAUSE!!

GENERALLY MOST IMAGES I SEE IN HAIR MAGAZINES ARE SOULLESS .
IM NOT INTERESTED IN GETTING GOOD LOOKING BOYS WITH THERE CHESTS OUT WEARING CLOTHS THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY WEAR STYLING THERE HAIR IN A STYLE THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY HAVE

I’D RATHER PLUCK SOMEONE OUT OF A STREET CULTURE OR A SCENE THEY’RE INTO AND USE THEM AS A WHOLE
BECAUSE THEY’RE REAL ,IT’S NOT MAKE BELIEVE . IT’S GOT SOUL THERE IS A STORY BEHIND YOUR IMAGES OR COLLECTION A STORY WORTH TELLING ABOUT OUR GREAT BRITISH STREET CULTURE AND HERITAGE!

SO IF YOU WANT MY ADVICE EDUCATE YOURSELF BECOME AN EXPERT! DON'T BE PUT OFF IF YOUR THINKING I COULDNT DO THAT! YOUR WRONG! YOU CAN!

I DON'T BUY INTO NATURAL TALENT IT’S NONSENSE- THEYVE JUST WORKED HARDER THAN YOU!
SO IF YOUR UNHAPPY WITH WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR CARREAR CHANGE IT! LEARN MORE AND WORK
HARDER BECOME WHO YOU WANT TO BE!

WINSTON CHURCHILL ONCE SAID: “SOMETIMES YOUR BEST ISNT GOOD ENOUGH! SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE”

SO FOR THOSE OF YOU HERE TODAY WHO ARE STARTINGTHERE JOURNEY AS I DID SO MANY YEARS A GO. MAY IT BE , EXCITING AND A REWARDING ONE
THANK-YOU"

Vidal Sassoon, The Most Important Man in Hairdressing

   A little while ago I turned on my computer for the first time today and the first things I read was "Vidal Sassoon, dead at 84".

    Who would of known that a 14 year old shampoo boy in a London salon was going to grow up to be the most important, most respected and most influential man in the hair industry.

    As a kid I did not know anything about Vidal Sassoon except the brushes around the house had his name on them. It was not until I got older that I learned who he was and then as my wife was going through cosmetology school I began to understand who he was and exactly what his influence on the hair industry truly was.

    Born in London in 1928, Vidal Sassoon was the child of poor parents. After his father left the family, he was raised partly in a Jewish orphanage until his mother remarried and reunited with Vidal when he was 11. He was an avid soccer player as a boy — and a lifelong fitness devotee — but he turned to hairdressing after his mother claimed she had had a vision of his future. She took him to a local shop where the proprietor decided the boy would do as an apprentice because he had good manners.

   

Barbers and Tattoo artist...Trade cut from the same cloth.

Danny Warner and myself in Fresno,CA.

    I am a barber and have had my license since 2006. I have worked in both Washington and California. My friends are barbers and tattoo artist. The whole time I lived in Washington all I did was work and hang out in tattoo shops, but this weekend there was a light switch that clicked in my head and I realized that we as barbers and tattoo artist are cut from a very similar clothe.

    On Sunday while I was getting tattooed by Danny Warner (Classic Tattoo Studio Grass Valley,Ca) we got to have a great conversation about tattooing, regulation and what it takes to be the best tattoo artist he can be. This seriously got me thinking about what I do as well.

    The barber industry is regulated and when I asked him what he thought of the tattooing industry starting to see regulations being put into place his answer was "I am not afraid of it". Continued by making a snide remark about suppliers who sell tattoo equipment and supplies to people at conventions who are not really tattoo artist.

    Just like the "tattoo artist" who buys his stuff from the smoke shop in shady neighborhoods doing tattoos in his kitchen, there are "barbers" who work out of there garages with out going to school and think that is all there is to it. Just because you own a tattoo machine (it is not called a tattoo gun!) does not make you a tattoo artist. Just because you own a set of clippers does not make you a barber.

    As we continued to talk Danny said on thing that made me "wake up" and it was this..."There are going to be people that are better then me and I have to work to be better then them." What the hell this guy who has been tattooing for 10 years and has a nice looking portfolio oh yeah and is tattooing me is honest about that fact that he know there are people that are better then him, but really plans on being the best out there.

    It was at this moment I realized "Wow, barbers and tattoo artist have a lot of shit in common." Not only do we share a craft that goes back hundreds of years but a trade that takes time to master and yeah there are going to be people that are better then us (whether they work in a shop or there moms garage). It is up to you how you handle your career, trade and craft. Someone better then you, what are you going to do to become better then them.

Cut With Pride sucka!!

    It is all in your hands....literally!! Your tattoo machine, your ink, your clippers, your shears, your razor....It is all in your hands!!