A math problem arose the other day while I was getting a haircut at 95 years old. I've had my hair cut seven or eight times each year that sums up to over 700 haircuts. I won't even address the cost of haircuts in my lifetime but am still blessed with hair to cut!

Barbers are becoming scarce today. There are only a few barbers in the Okoboji area; one in Arnolds Park, one in Spirit Lake and one in Milford. Otherwise men go to a hair stylist to get their hair cut. The COVID-19 virus shut the barber shops down for several months. The barbers wear a mask but we take our masks off. While I was getting my hair cut I reflected on earlier times. The barber today uses clippers, scissors and a comb. The one thing that has really changed is the price as it used to cost 25 cents and today $12 to $20 or more.

Barber shops are identified by a barber pole, red and white and even blue added. The blue stripes in America represented the American flag. Barbers in earlier times also pulled teeth and did minor surgery. One story about the barber pole says that the barber surgeons would hang their blood stained rags out on a pole to advertise their shop. The look of the barber poles is linked to bloodletting, with red representing blood and white representing the bandages used to stem the bleeding. George Washington's doctors did some bloodletting in his last days. The pole itself is said to symbolize the stick that the patient squeezed to make the veins in his arm stand out more prominently for the procedure. Men's hairstyling has come a long way since the Middle Ages, but the barber pole still preserves an iconic representation of the trade.

My early recollections of getting my hair cut were at home. Mother cut my hair until I was about 5 years old. She was pretty good with those hand clippers, scissors and comb. She also cut Dad's hair.

As a youth I believe my first encounter with a barbershop came when I was five. The barber was a personal friend of my parents so I knew him quite well. My dad dropped me off at the shop and the barber told me to sit over on the bench until he was through with the fellow he was shaving. I was familiar with shaving as I had observed my dad and uncles shave at home but to see somebody in a barber chair getting his whiskers shaved off was a new sight. I also got to observe the rest of the shop while waiting. There were three barber chairs available for getting shaves and haircuts, a shoe shine chair and little room off to one side.

That little room fascinated me and upon investigation I discovered a bathtub in the room. My first thought was that was a queer place for a bathtub but it wasn't long before some fellow came in and told the barber he wanted a bath. The barber took his money, gave him a towel and the guy went into the little room. He closed the door and I could hear water running into the tub and soon splashing so I assumed he was taking a bath. We had a bathtub in our house so I thought it was peculiar for someone to come to town for a bath. Little did I know that many houses and especially farmhouses had neither bathtubs nor running water!

While waiting for my turn I was able to watch the barber shave the man. It was quite a procedure to observe. First, the man sat down in the chair, and then the barber tilted the chair back until the man was almost lying down. Next the barber took out some very hot white towels from a steam box and applied them to the man's face. That procedure really looked hot and all I could see of the man's face was his nose sticking out from the towels wrapped around and across.

After a time the barber took off the hot towels and then with a brush and a glass mug put shaving lather all over the fellow's face and neck. Following that the barber took a long straight edge razor and ran it back and forth on a leather strap that hung to the side of the chair. I knew about razor straps as my dad had one that hung back of the bathroom door and if I did something naughty it was used on my backside to get my attention.

The barber shaved off the whiskers with long, even swipes. I admired the way he held the fellow's nose and shaved off the whiskers below his nose. What really caught my attention was when the barber shaved the fellow's neck. The guy had his head back and the barber took off those whiskers slick as a whistle. I thought to myself that I would have to be brave and very trusting before I would ever let a barber shave my neck.

When it was my turn to get a haircut, the barber put a board across the arms of the chair for me to sit on. Later in life it was really gratifying when I didn't have to have that baby board while getting a haircut. Then the barber put tissue paper around my neck and wrapped a large apron or towel around my front side and pinned it in the back. He then proceeded to cut my hair.

Those electric clippers sort of startled me as I was used to Mother's hand clippers but it went very smooth. He trimmed off some hair from the top of my head and sides, combed it nicely to see if it all matched and then dashed on some stinky hair oil. He again combed it, whipped off the apron and told me he was finished. I got up and proudly gave him 25 cents. It sure made me feel like a big boy.

That hair oil was in standard use by men in the United States for many years. The most popular brand was Fitch. Elvis Presley made it very popular with his slicked back hair, oil and the "ducktail" hairdo. I suppose it is still sold but I haven't checked lately. Barbers do not use it anymore.

While I was getting my first haircut at that early barbershop a couple of elderly men came in and sat down on the bench. Neither of them looked like they needed a haircut or a shave but what did I know? They were soon engaged in a lively discussion about some subject I couldn't follow. I did hear the words "president" and "congress" mentioned but that was beyond my comprehension. Soon another fellow came in and then it was a three-party conversation with the barber getting his "two cents" in every so often. The other barber chairs were empty but none of those fellows moved to get it. I finally figured out they only came into the barbershop to talk and read the newspaper. The barber didn't seem to mind.

The barbershop that I frequented as a youth did not cater to women and was strictly for men. One of the other barbershops in town did have a part of their shop partitioned off for women to get their hair fixed. There was an electric machine in there with all sorts of electric cords with some gadget attached that curled women's hair. I only went into that shop when I accompanied the barber's son who was a buddy of mine. I took one look at that electric hair curler and thought to myself that it looked dangerous. I do not ever remember my mother, grandmothers or aunts going to a barbershop to get their hair beautiful. Later several beauty shops opened up in town and the women went there.

I didn't know exactly what they did in those beauty shops but I did deliver a newspaper to one of the shops and had to go in each week to collect. Women were sitting under some sort of a hood or they had electric wires and clamps in their hair. It was very confusing to me and it wasn't until much later in my life that the whole procedure was explained.

Today many men go to beauty salons and get their hair styled, dyed and or curled. The beauticians cut hair differently than the barbers as they use a razor for most of the trimming. They usually wash your hair before they cut it. They do a great job but I'm old-fashioned and still prefer a barber!
 
Posted at Dickinson County News

Some people think of hair as a crown that you always have to wear, and clearly, Victorian women agreed with that sentiment. Back in the day, hair was a powerful symbol of feminity and there were strict rules of how a woman should wear it, not only because of its social significance but also because of its importance regarding gender. Despite that, there were true Rapunzels that lived in the Victorian era who didn’t hesitate one second to show off their hair, even if it was considered a social offense. But because they believed in the power of beauty over everything else, they decided to carry on and show their true selves to the world.

​Bright Side took a closer into the topic and wrote an article that explores how courageous some of the Victorian women were when they first decided to free themselves from stereotypes and enjoy their hair beyond any social norms that were imposed on them.  And to prove it, their article includes a selection of pictures of the best hairdos from the Victorian era. 

Here's a list of why Victorian women loved their long hair.  

1. Victorian women loved having long hair.

2. Not only because their impressive manes allowed them to have these types of hairstyles...

​It’s safe to say that most women have had at least some experience with hair dye. Whether it was out of a box and done in the bathroom sink, or while sitting in a chair at a salon, most of us have at least done it once.

Of course, there are different kinds of hair dye these days, some more expensive and sophisticated than others, but most were derived from the accidental discovery of a hair color-changing substance by French chemists in the 1800s.

Before that, there was no single agreed-upon way to change the color of your hair. Of course, that didn’t stop people from developing all sorts of interesting techniques to switch their shades.

Some are dangerous, some are gross, and some are plain confusing.

One thing is for sure — they will make you appreciate your current standing appointment, even if it’s with a box from the drug store.

1. Henna In Ancient Egypt

Wikimedia Commons / The Yorck Project

The Ancient Egyptians are legendary for their innovation. In the hair department, this involved the use of henna to darken what was often graying hair.

Another solution for pesky grays was to shave your hair off altogether and sport a wig, which was also often dyed with henna. Today henna is most commonly used for temporary tattoos.

2. Fermented Leeches In Ancient Greece

Wikimedia Commons / Marie-Lan Nguyen

Dark hair was all the rage in Ancient Greece. They found that the most effective permanent formula consisted of leeches fermented in lead vessels.

3. Sulfuric Acid In Renaissance Europe

Flickr / callmekato

In a book called Delightes for Ladies published in 1602 during the Renaissance, they suggest a substance called Oyle of Vitrioll to transform and lighten their hair. It is mentioned that it should be kept away from the skin, which makes sense because it’s sulfuric acid.

4. Ashes And Nuts In Ancient Rome

Wikimedia Commons / Yann Forget

There was a law in Ancient Rome that required all prostitutes to have blonde hair. If a prostitute wasn’t blonde, she would have to make herself so via a wig or by coloring her hair with the ashes of burned plants and nuts.

5. Gold Flakes In Wealthier Ancient Rome

Flickr / Ancient World Image Bank NYU

On the other hand, wealthy Romans also enjoyed golden locks. Emperor Commodus is said to have powdered his white hair with actual gold flakes.

6. Volcanic Rock In The Maasai Tribe

Flickr / Karen Blixen

Warriors from the Maasai Tribe in Kenya would color their hair red to make themselves look more fearsome. Their formula of choice came from natural pigments in volcanic rock, mixed with animal fat to make a paint-like texture. The Maasai people still exist today.

7. Horse Urine In Medieval Times

Wikimedia Commons / Web Gallery of Art

Women who wanted to lighten their hair during this time in history would sometimes reach for formulas whose main ingredient was horse urine.

8. Saffron And Sulfur In The Elizabethan Era

Wikipedia / George Gower

During the Dark Ages, red hair was supposedly a symbol of witchcraft. However, when Queen Elizabeth I came into power, her red hair became fashionable. Some wealthy ladies tried to achieve the Queen’s hue with a mixture of saffron and sulfur, which would not have been pleasing to smell at all.

9. Goat Fat In Viking Times

Pixabay / Alseeger

During the Viking age, it was the men who were much more likely to color their hair. The remains of Viking warriors reveal that they used a type of strongly basic soap called lye to lighten and redden their beards. Lye is made out of goat fat and ashes.

This article was originally published here

I heard this referenced on a morning talk show and had to look it up.  We definitely did not call it this when I was growing up in the 70's.

Top definition

butt cut
Hair style parted down the middle, popular in the 70's to 80's. Usually feathered.
That dude is rockin a serious Butt Cut!
 
#butt cutt#haircut#feathered do#feathered#robert plant

Even if you don’t know the show this is from, you could probably guess a few things about them — they’re the most popular kids in middle school, the bad-boy heartthrobs all the girls are after, with names like Scott or Brandt or Dustin or Alex.

The show is Pen15, the unflinchingly funny 2019 Hulu series about two girls entering seventh grade in the year 2000. It’s digging up deep-seated blunder-year nostalgia in 30-something so-and-so’s like me — many of whom actually rocked this haircut, or a far-less-attractive Supercuts version of it. It’s the “butt cut” — so nicknamed for the shape it turns the top of the wearer’s head.

Lara Cilento, Pen15‘s hair department head, says the styling choice is no accident.

“We knew [the butt cut] was a must for the ‘popular’ kids, and ‘older’ kids like [lead character Maya’s brother] Shuji,” Cilento says. “While doing our research, we pored over Tiger Beat, J-14 and the like, and also just pulled from our own memories and photos from kids we grew up with for inspiration.”

The butt cut “was so popular during this time period,” she continues, “we had to be careful not to overdo it and really decide who was a best fit for the butt cut.” In other words, the butt cut phenomenon was stranger than fiction. A realistic representation of a Y2K-era seventh grade class might look overdone, or too on-the-nose, on TV.

But how did the butt cut, of all styles, come to be the de-facto haircut of late-’90s bad boys?
​
Get the scoop here >>>

The afro is more than just a hairstyle, it was an incredibly powerful symbol of the civil rights movement. During and after the period of slavery in the United States, most Blacks styled their hair in an attempt to mimic their oppressors. European settlers considered kinky or “nappy” hair unattractive and undesirable.

The hair of Africans was often referred to as cottony and woolly. Europeans deemed their straight and fine hair texture as the ideal. Black hair was the antithesis of the Euro-American standard of beauty thus possessing nappy hair was negative and shameful.

The Civil Rights Movement sparked a change in the way Blacks viewed their hair and themselves. The movement was a catalyst for Blacks to embrace who they were were naturally including their hair texture. In the African American community, there was a renewed appreciation for the Black aesthetic resulting in the popular phrase “Black is Beautiful”.

The afro became a powerful political symbol that reflected the pride one had in their African ancestry. No longer were Blacks attempting to assimilate. Prominent Civil Rights activist, Angela Davis, one of my inspirations, rocked a picked out ‘fro which led many women to follow in her footsteps. A Black person wearing a ‘fro was dubbed as militant and threatening. This notion was promoted by law officials, politicians and the media. Maybe you weren’t able to read inbetween the lines but basically, Black people loving themselves was frigthening to mainstream America.

​It is important for us to remember our history and the power symbols possess. For me, rocking my hair in it’s afro texture meant I was choosing to love and accept my Black self and I would no longer use abrasive methods in an attempt to alter who I was naturally.

I hope it’s more than just a ‘style for you as well. With the deaths of Eric Garner, Travyon Martin and Kendrick Johnson—I believe a new movement for Blacks in America will begin soon. It seems like the natural hair movement will make a perfect pairing once again.