Hot take: The number of barbers who skip the neck shave prep step is too high

I watched a new guy at the shop in Knoxville give three haircuts last Friday, and he went straight from the clippers to the razor on the neckline every time. He didn't even dampen a towel first. I pulled him aside after his last cut and showed him how I run a hot towel for 90 seconds to soften the hair. It makes the shave cleaner and way more comfortable for the person in the chair. How do you all prep the neck for a shave?

2 comments

2 Comments

martin.tyler9d ago

Ugh, that's just lazy. I mean, a dry shave on the neck is brutal. It pulls, it leaves bumps, the whole thing is just wrong. I use a hot towel every single time, no question. It softens everything up and the razor just glides. Skipping that step is like building a house without a foundation, it's just asking for a bad result.

lucasgarcia9d ago

You ever notice how this happens with all kinds of small, important steps? It's like people get in a hurry and skip the quiet, boring part that makes the whole thing work right. You see it with cooks not preheating the pan, or someone just wiping a counter instead of actually cleaning it. That prep step is the difference between a good result and a rushed, kinda bad one, and it feels like we're losing patience for doing things the right way.