The Handbook - How To Guides
 
 
 
31 Days: Style Tips and Tricks
 
Volume 5
 

All the tips and tricks needed to shape up for 2013. Each day brings new, expert advice on how to look your best and live life to the fullest, while having a little fun doing it.

Personal Care
Day
19

Find a Good Barber

Get a bad haircut and you're marred for a month, if not longer. According to J.P. Mastey, the grooming guru behind Baxter of California, a haircut should be an easy, relaxing experience—a ritual that results in a better you every six weeks. So when the brand decided to open their own barbershop two years ago, they made a place you'd want to come back to. "It's everything you expect to find in an authentic old school barber," says Mastey, not some slick chop house. Here, he offers pointers on what to look for in a quality barbershop.

 

Atmosphere

"You don't need flatscreen TVs or free beer to appeal to discerning guys. Our shop's not a lounge or a spa, but it is an environment where guys feel at home."

Check the Shelves

"Cheap gels are a warning sign. Quality products show that the barber sweats the details. We carry signature Baxter products along with retaW, a line of body products from Japan as well as classics like Dr. Bronners, London's D.R. Harris."

 

Chairs

"Proper chairs that are both classic and comfortable are definitely an added luxury. I've been collecting early 20th-century porcelain Koken "White King" models for years and restored them for the shop."

The Barber

"He should listen to what you want and be able to interpret that into a cut. He should also have a tidy area and make you feel comfortable. I enlisted Jason Simao of Freemans Sporting Club fame, who prefers real scissors to clippers. That gives hair more shape and depth."

Don't forget to tip

The standard tip for a quality cut is 15% of the total bill.

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Clothes
Etiquette
Food & Drink
Space
Personal Care
A Month of Tips