Everything about Barber totally explained
A
barber (from the
Latin barba, "
beard") is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give
shaves, and trim
beards. In previous times, barbers also performed
surgery and
dentistry. In more recent times, with the development of
safety razors and the increasing rarity of beards, most barbers primarily cut hair.
Therefore, although many may still deal with facial hair when requested, the predominant difference in American and Commonwealth culture is that barbers specialize in the simple cutting of men's hair. They don't generally offer significant styling or 'fancy' haircuts when compared to hairdressers working in hair salons.
The place where a barber works is generally called a barbershop.
Some barbers prefer to see themselves as
hairdressers or
hairstylists.There is a common misbelief that barbers don't perform any service other than hair cutting and that
cosmetologists perform all coloring and perms but this is untrue. Barbers can cut hair, trim beards, color, perm, provide facials and shave. They are also licensed to work with artificial hair replacement products (toupees, etc). Many working stylists are legally barbers. There is some professional rivalry between barbers and cosmetologists, both of which are licensed and regulated. At one time, both groups were allowed to cut hair, but only barbers were allowed to shave or trim beards: this required mastering the arcane technique of using a
straight razor.
History
The barber's trade is an ancient one. Razors have been found among relics of the
Bronze Age (circa 3500
BC) in Egypt, and barbering is mentioned in
the Bible by
Ezekiel who said "Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber's razor to shave your head and your beard. (5:1
NIV)"
Shaving, either of the head or face, wasn't always a voluntary act, for it has been enforced by
law in
England and elsewhere. Cleanliness and
vanity were therefore not the sole reasons for a "clean shave"; the origins lie deeper.
Before the
Macedonian conquest brought the custom of
clean shaving, the κουρευς in the Greek
agora would trim and style his patrons' beards, hair, and
fingernails, as
gossip and
debate flowed freely.
Barbering was introduced to
Rome from the
Greek colonies in
Sicily in 296 B.C. and barber shops quickly became very popular centres for daily news and gossip. A morning visit to the
tonsor became a part of the daily routine as important as the visit to the
public baths, and a young man's first shave (
tonsura) was an essential part of his
coming of age ceremony.
A few Roman
tonsores became wealthy and influential, running shops that were favorite
loci publici of high society; most were simple tradesmen, owning small storefronts or setting up their stool in the street and offering shaves for a mere
quadrans. Some had reputations as clumsy butchers who left their patrons
scarred about the cheeks and chin; their dull
bronze or
copper (never
steel)
razors must share some of the blame. The better barbers offered
depilatories for those customers who refused the razor.
The barbers of former times were also surgeons and
dentists. As well as haircutting, hairdressing, and shaving, barbers performed surgery, blood-letting, cupping and leeching, enemas, and the extraction of teeth. Thus they were called
barber surgeons and they formed their first organization in
1094.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Barber'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://barber.totallyexplained.com">Barber Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
