Old timer swore by using a lighter on synthetic hair for fades

A retired barber told me to hit the flyaways with a flame for a cleaner fade and after nearly burning off a client's sideburn I'm sticking to my trimmer.

2 comments

2 Comments

black.amy15d ago

Three barbers I've shared a shop with all had their own weird shortcut that almost cost someone an eyebrow. People will try anything to shave off a few minutes even when it creates a bigger mess.

taylor30515d ago

Yeah but hear me out, sometimes the old heads knew what they were doing before people got scared of everything. A quick flick of a lighter on synthetic hair seals the ends and gives a perfect crisp line you can't get with a trimmer. You just need the right technique and not be heavy handed with it. I've seen guys spend ten minutes chasing flyaways with clippers when a two second flame pass would handle it. The problem is everyone rushes and gets sloppy, not that the method itself is bad. If you're burning off sideburns that's user error, not the tool's fault.