I’m fairly plain in my appearance. I don’t have a stack of cosmetics. I wear my natural hair. A few years ago, I stressed about my thinning eyebrows, so I went to a permanent makeup artist.

Because I had little knowledge of the beauty industry, I wasn’t aware of many of the conversations happening within the community.

In 2021, I was introduced to Terrence Graham, a former videographer who was looking for a writer for his new magazine, The DMV’s Illest Barbers. He asked me to interview highly skilled barbers throughout the DMV and tell their stories.

Easy! Right up my alley.

In speaking to more than 20 barbers and crafting their stories, I learned nearly all of them had a few things in common:

1. Many are artists. Their creativity just happens to come through haircuts. Ask your barber to get creative and watch them go to work!
2. Loyal clientele takes years to build. If your barber is booked and busy, understand that many clients schedule well in advance to secure their appointments.
3. Skill and demand influence pricing. Experience, consistency and the quality of service all contribute to what a barber can reasonably charge. Whether that price works for a client’s budget is another matter.
4. Many barbers work for themselves. The money you pay doesn’t go directly into their pockets. It supports an entire business, including expenses most clients never see.

Below is an example of what I mean:

My partner is a barber and salon suite owner. He operates two separate businesses because, apparently, his entrepreneurial spirit won’t rest.

Watching him manage both has given me another perspective.

Running a business isn’t as simple as collecting payments. There are expenses, responsibilities, unexpected problems and decisions that affect both the business owner and the people who depend on that business.

The same principle applies to owning salon suites. You have to charge enough to cover expenses and sustain the business without pricing yourself out of the market. And in today’s economy, finding that balance is especially important. Ideally, you’re building something that can withstand a recession, not just survive when business is booming.

So when I scroll through social media and see someone ask, “Whatever happened to $20 haircuts?” I cringe a little.

That’s roughly $20,000 a year based on our scenario. Do people really want their barber to pick up a second job to sustain themselves financially?

I understand the frustration. Everything is more expensive, and consumers have every right to decide what they can afford.

But I also wonder how many people understand what goes into providing that $50 or $65 haircut.

There’s the skill, the time, the business expenses, the taxes and the physical demands of doing this work day after day.

And just because a service is outside someone’s budget doesn’t automatically mean the person providing it is charging too much.

That’s the distinction I hope more people consider.

And that’s why I’m writing this blog…

Just stimulating everyone’s mental again! 🙂