The Barber Shop Tradition
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The Barber shop tradition started way back in Rome around 300 BC but the Golden Age was in America in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In that period men congregated at the neighborhood barber shops to relax in the barber chair to read the newspaper or enjoy the convivial male atmosphere and conversation. While the barber worked rich foamy lather onto their faces and scraped their day's growth off, or wielded his barber clippers or barber trimmers to shape their beard or cut their hair.
The popularity of this tradition declined with the invention of the razor and the upsurge of salons. But the salon chair, salon equipment and salon supplies were designed primarily for women, and men never really felt at home. Sadly, they no longer had a tradition that they could call their own.
But now the barbershop has made a comeback. Barber chairs are once again filling up with men searching for that male camaraderie and wanting to use hair care products and barber supplies that are made specifically with men in mind. Over the years barber shop equipment has not changed dramatically: the easy comfortable chair, the hot towels, clippers, trimmers, the barber's razor and leather strop are stock-in-trade and are as much a necessity as a part of the general atmosphere.
However while some barber products harken back to the 1940's (foamy lather and hair pomade, for example) others have benefited from the passage of time and the influence of salons. Professional barber supplies cover a wide range now, from clippers, trimmers and scissors to hair care and facial products. And as the barber shop becomes increasingly popular again and owners can buy barber shop products wholesale, many are able to offer hair clipper deals and discount barber products.
If you're a man and you have not visited a barbershop yet, give yourself the treat of a lifetime. Reconnect with this tradition of your forefathers. You will not regret it.