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PALL MALL BARBERS Pall mall barbers is one of the oldest and most respected barber shops in London. Based in Trafalgar square and Fitzrovia our stores offer men the sharpest haircuts, finest traditional wet shaves and shaving products in London. For more than 100 years, barbers at 27 Whitcomb street have been providing a traditional environment with a range of services and shaving gifts for the modern man. Our stylists are a diverse mix of local and international barbers. All are extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their trade. Between them they surpass 125 years experience in the art of male grooming. A mixture of oak panels, ceramic basins and open blades – the traditional element to pall mall barbers simply acknowledges our rich heritage; while our services reflect a business on the pulse of style and the...

ABOUT B4MEN Jan Willem Huffmeijer is barber at De Heere van Thijssen barberhsop and owner of the b4men blog. De Heere van Thijssen is a barbershop that has a long history and a deep connection with the locals. The place is always been home to hairdressers. The current revival of the barbering profession meant a transformation of this place to a barbershop dedicated to providing men with the perfect environment to escape the daily hassle. . . . . . . contact details De Heere van Thijssen: Heereweg 173 2161 BC Lisse The Netherlands . . . . . . WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME A BARBER? WHAT WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHOOSE THAT PATH? Getting into barbering took a long time and was a long and slow process in my case. I first started at the hairdresser’s salon of my uncle in Amsterdam. I...

ABOUT GENTLEMEN'S BARBERSHOP Gentlemen's barbershop is a place where you can feel at home and where many services are offered ranging from haircuts and shaves to spa treatments. At the bar, you can enjoy a drink and browse through the magazines, or let the shoeshine to give your shoes a bright new look. All the treatments are aimed to let you relax and give a new boost of energy.In this interview, Ian Ros shares with us . . . . . . contact details Gentlemen’s Barbershp : Kinkerstraat 4 1053 DT Amsterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME A BARBER? WHAT WAS THE DEINING MOMENT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHOOSE THAT PATH? The defining moment of becoming a barber was probably my birth! I was born to become a barber and already shaved clients at the age of twelve in the barbershop of my...

ABOUT BARBER CUT THROAT BARBER & COFFEE If you fancy a good haircut, a beard trim or a hot towel shave, or enjoy a good coffee or do them both then this is the place to be! Located at the city centre of Amsterdam, Cut Throat Barber & Coffee attracts many different clients ranging from professionals to students and tourists, all with the same aim: have a relaxing moment and go home refreshed again. In this interview, Jimmy shares his barbering story with us. Source Photo: www.treatwell.nl . . . . . . contact details Cut Throat Barber & Coffee: Warmoesstraat 155 1012 JC Amsterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME A BARBER? WHAT WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHOOSE THAT PATH? Up until I was 18 years old I had dreams of playing professional soccer. After...

ABOUT SCHOREM HAARSNIJDER EN BARBIER Schorem haarsnijder en barbier is one of the famous barbershops in Rotterdam. The barbershop is synonymous to quality where men can get the famous "schorem" haircuts or a traditional wet shave. It is all about taking time for the clients and having a sharp eye for detail. Women are not allowed in and no appointments are made. In this interview Bertus , one of the founders, shares his thoughts on barbering with us. . . . . . . contact details Haarbarbaar : Nieuwe Binnenweg 113 3014 GH Rotterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS BARBERSHOP? Hi, my name is Bertus and I'm one of the founders of Schorem Haarsnijder en Barbier, I've been, like Leen my businesspartner, cutting hair for more than 22 years now and...

ABOUT HAARBARBAAR AMSTERDAM Haarbarbaar is a barbershop is the heart of Amsterdam. For men coming here, it is a tranquil island in the midst of a busy city. The shop does not work with appointments in order to give every men the time he needs and to force the next client to slow down. The friendly staff and the nostalgic interior take you back in time and allow you to relax and feel energized again. . . . . . . contact details Haarbarbaar : Wolvenstraat 35 1016 EN Amsterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A BARBER? I used to be a hair dresser specialized in women's hair. At a certain point I decided to focus on men only and hence I came in touch with the barbering profession. I liked the traditional wet shaving very much. It is an age old profession that is been extinct for a period of...

ABOUT BARBER AMSTERDAM Barber is a unique barbershop in the heart of Amsterdam where men can enjoy a shave or a trim and where they can find the finest grooming products carefully selected for them. In this interview, Petra van Roon tells us about her journey to founding Barber and shares with us what her barbershop has to offer. . . . . . . contact details Barber: Binnen Oranjestraat 24 1013 JA Amsterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A BARBER? I have always worked on my own business for the last seven years, not necessarily in barbering or hairdressing, but I have always had a passion for work that involves craftsmanship. It could be anything as long as craftsmanship is involved. My previous shop focused on women and while running that business a lot of men asked me where they can find...

Whether you’re looking for a new style or trying to fight the receding hairline, when shaving your head there are some aspects to keep in mind which I want to share with you in this post. Shaving your heard follows the same steps as shaving the beard in addition to taking two extra measures. First use a hand held mirror to see the back of your head. Second be gentle on the blade. The skin on your head is more sensitive than that of your beard.   PREPARATION Start by inspecting the growth direction of the hair. This is important because you want to shave first with the grain. If your skin can take it, you can have a second pass shaving against the grain. The head can roughly be divided in two areas that intersect at the crown. There the direction of hair growth changes. The first area is from the crown to...

ABOUT JAN HEIDEMAN Jan Heideman is owner of a barbershop in Haarlem. His barbershop is a place for everyone. With his enthusiastic attitude, excellent shaving skills and thorough knowledge on skin care, he manages to put a smile on everyone leaving his barbershop. Having a background as a sales manager, it was his passion for craftsmanship and history that pulled him towards barbering. . . . . . . contact details Jan Heideman: Spaarnwouderstraat 72 2011AE Haarlem The Netherlands . . . . . . WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A BARBER? I got into barbering because of my interest in its history. I used to be a sales manager. I quit this job because I wanted to do something that involves craftsmanship. I had some interest in shaving and little by little I got to know the profession better. I began shaving at the Railway...

Shaving cream is widely used by wet shavers as an essential part of their shaving routine. There are different ways to apply shaving cream and for those wondering how to use shaving cream properly I wrote this post. Keep in mind that shaving cream has different properties than other shaving preparation products. An important one to keep in mind is that you need much less shaving cream than you would with foam or gel. You find a lot of novice wet shavers that use shaving cream for the first time, complain about the lather being dry. The fact is that they use a lot of shaving cream with little water which automatically leads to a dry lather. APPLY BY HAND Shaving cream can be applied by hand directly on your face. First hydrate your face thoroughly using warm water. Then take an almond size bit of shaving cream and put a...

ABOUT NEW YORK BARBERSHOP New York Barbershop is a fourth generation barbershop in Rotterdam. At the moment, the shop is run by Robert and his team. Robert is the great grand sun of the founder who started the barbershop 128 years ago. New York Barbershop is unique and offers men the perfect environment where they can slow down and take a moment for themselves. . . . . . . contact details new york barbershop: Koninginnenhoofd 1 (in Hotel New York) 3072 AD Rotterdam The Netherlands . . . . . . WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A BARBER? Barbering is in my blood. This barbershop exists for 128 years now and I am a fourth generation barber. Having said that, this does not mean that it was obvious that I would become a barber too like my father and grandfather. I got in touch with the craft of barbering at an early age and...

For the past few months I shared with you some shaving tips . The topics where diverse and covered the most important areas you should master as a wet shaver. They covered how to deal with and prevent most common shaving problems; such as ingrown hairs and nicks and cuts. They explained what a proper shaving routine should be like and explained the reason why each step in this routine is important. They also covered how you should take care of your shaving equipment. All the posts are based on knowledge I gained over the years. Although shaving is universal, it is at the same time very personal. Each man has his specific needs and might be suffering from specific problems and each person learned how to shave in his own unique way. Therefore I open the opportunity for everyone to ask questions on how to deal with specific...

Most men shave in the morning. It’s great to start your day with a fresh clean shave. However, sometimes you’re in a hurry and you just need a quick shave. In this post I want to share with you how you can use those few minutes you have in the morning to achieve a comfortable shave. PREPARE - 15 SECONDS Wash your face with warm water and allow the hairs to soften LATHER - 1 MINUTE Lathering is important as it further moisturizes the hairs and creates a protective layer on the skin to allow the blade to glide easily. SHAVE - 1,5 MINUTE Use a fresh blade and apply minimum pressure. This will prevent you from getting nicks and cuts. AFTERCARE - 15 SECONDS Wash your face with cold water and apply an aftershave balm. Leave the face moisture as it will dry in a minute. If you happen to have...

Cleaning a shaving brush is necessary to ensure that it performs well and to maximize its lifetime. A shaving brush is probably the most costly equipment in your traditional wet shaving kit, so you want to take care for it properly. In this post I would like to share with you some tips on cleaning your shaving brush to maximize its performance and keep it in good shape as long as possible. RINSE WELL After each use, wash the brush thoroughly to remove shaving cream residues. Sometimes the lather gets deep in the shaving brush and to wash it out you have to wash it for a minute or so. Hold the brush straight up and let the water flow deep in between the bristles. Squeeze a few times to remove the water and with it the lather. When there are no shaving cream residues, give the brush a last squeeze and a few gentle shakes....

How to shave properly and without discomfort? That is the question I aim to answer in this definitive guide. A question that is on the mind of every shaver. After a period of trying different products and techniques, every person develops his own personal way to achieve a comfortable shave. For some, achieving a comfortable shave does not require a lot of attention. But to a lot of others the everyday shave is regarded as the necessary evil. Shaving irritation, ingrown hairs, nicks and cuts show up regularly. It is true that genetics play a role on how your skin reacts when shaven. The truth is that the discomfort can be reduced significantly, when you know what is going on and how to shave properly. In this post I want to tackle two main points. First I want to share the essentials of how to shave and explain why these...

Shaving the neck is for many men a challenge because it is the area on which the majority of men end up getting shaving irritations. This is partly due to the fact that the skin and hair structure is different under the neck when compared to the rest of the face. It is therefore important to get familiar with the properties of your skin under the neck area. Under the neck, the hairs typically have a lower elevation angle and the skin is rougher than the rest of the face. The combination of these two factors makes the neck area more prone to shaving irritations. In this post I want to share with you three tips that will improve your shaving experience under the neck area. PREPARE AND RELATHER Preparation is in general very important and more so for a problem area such as the neck. Make sure to hydrate the skin and hairs...

How to keep razor blades sharp as long as possible; a question every shaver asks. There are different types of blades available and regardless of which one you use it might be helpful to maximize the utility of the blades by treating them properly. This does not only save you costs, but also makes shaving more comfortable because the razors remain sharp. In this post I want to share with you a few tips on how to keep razor blades sharp for as long as possible and maximize their lifetime. The two enemies of your razor blades are the beard hairs and oxidation. When beard hairs are dry they are as tough as a copper wire of the same thickness. This has an impact on the sharp edge of the razor. The same holds true for the oxidation. Due to air and humidity a layer is formed that reduces the sharpness of the blades. PREPARATION...

Shaving sensitive skin is a challenge if you want to achieve a close shave without sacrificing on the comfort. In this post I want to share with you a few tips on how to shave sensitive skin. Sensitive skin is known to be reactive to a variety of external factors. The key to treating sensitive skin is moderation: in temperature, in products and in the shaving technique. PREPARATION IS HALF THE WORK Good preparation is essential for all types of skin and specially for sensitive skin. Make sure to shave after a warm shower and avoid high water temperatures on your face as this will cause the skin to get sensitive. While the face is moist, apply a shaving cream that has a high content of natural oils. This protects your skin and allows the blade to glide freely on the skin. Make sure to use products that suit sensitive...

Razor burns are common among shavers, some more than others. Razor burns are caused by poor shaving technique and improper usage of shaving products. The reason behind getting razor burns is the removal of too many skin layers during shaving which exposes the sensitive lower layers of the skin. In this post I want to share with you how to treat and prevent razor burns to gain more shaving comfort. USE SHARP BLADES Using sharp blades is important to prevent razor burns. This because a sharp blade can cut the hairs more easily than a dull blade. A sharp blade allows you to use apply little force to cut the hairs and therefore do little damage to the skin. APPLY MINIMUM PRESSURE A lot of shavers believe that by applying lots of pressure they will get a closer shave, which is not true. By applying a lot of...

The adam's apple is tricky to shave and might result in shaving discomfort when not done properly. In this post I want to share with you some tips that make shaving around the adam's apple easier and more comfortable. Shaving blades are flat, and the area around the adam's apple is not. So the key idea behind shaving the adam's apple properly is flattening the skin. This can be achieved in two simple ways. FLATTEN, DO NOT OVERSTRETCH The first way to flatten the skin around the adam's apple is to pull the skin sideways. By pulling the skin sideways the area that needs to be shaved shifts to the more flat area around the neck making it easier to shave. Pull the skin to the right and shave part of the adam's apple area. Pull the skin then to the left and shave the other part. Shaving the adam's...