# Best Gent's Hairdressers



## davidaheath (Apr 9, 2012)

So I'm creating this thread specifically today because I need a haircut right now (and the local hair and beauty place which has only just opened next to the Super Save in Loughborough Junction is closed on the Bank Holiday) but I suppose it would also be good to know where people think is the best place for a man to get a haircut in Brixton in general. I've not really seen many places that look suitable for a guy - not that I can remember anyway.

There is George's place on Coldharbour Lane but I always wondered about it ... is it good?

Bonus points if your suggestion is open today.


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## Badgers (Apr 9, 2012)

> Gent's Hairdressers


 
Is that a modern chaps barber? 

/sorry


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## davidaheath (Apr 9, 2012)

Looks like I found a winner, for today at least:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-barber-de-Seville/161563427263691

Super-friendly and a really nice interior, fast, decent and under a tenner!


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## High Voltage (Apr 9, 2012)

Wahl Clipper set - always open, even at the most antisocial of times - first cut maybe a bit pricey (given that you quote the local hair and beauty place as being shut today) perhaps not

Then watch the price of a hair cut tumble


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## davidaheath (Apr 9, 2012)

I do have some of my own hair clippers already, actually.
Unfortunately the level of skill I possess with them is limited.

I also gave Hairy Jayne a text but she replied saying she was off on holiday today: http://www.hairyjayne.co.uk/
I've never used Hairy Jayne before but I like the idea of someone called Hairy Jayne cutting my hair.


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## jezg (Apr 10, 2012)

if you want a "hairdressers" as opposed to a barbers these guys on Atlantic Rd are good, Carlos is a top man: http://www.tidyhair.com


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## gabi (Apr 10, 2012)

davidaheath said:


> So I'm creating this thread specifically today because I need a haircut right now (and the local hair and beauty place which has only just opened next to the Super Save in Loughborough Junction is closed on the Bank Holiday) but I suppose it would also be good to know where people think is the best place for a man to get a haircut in Brixton in general. I've not really seen many places that look suitable for a guy - not that I can remember anyway.
> 
> There is George's place on Coldharbour Lane but I always wondered about it ... is it good?
> 
> Bonus points if your suggestion is open today.


 
Yeh, George is great. Take a newspaper though as he doesnt rush things evens if theres a couple of people waiting. everyone gets the same amount of care. Usually has the football on the tadio or chat about football on...

Peter's next to the academy is decent too, but a bit more rushed than George.


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## mashton (Apr 23, 2012)

palu at brixton barbers in the market (next to franca manca) is the man.


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## CH1 (Apr 26, 2012)

gabi said:


> Yeh, George is great. Take a newspaper though as he doesnt rush things evens if theres a couple of people waiting. everyone gets the same amount of care. Usually has the football on the tadio or chat about football on...


 
I'd second that about George, though for the older non-yuppy wanting a full service hair cut at the cheapest possible price Alfreds in Coldharbour Lane at the Camberwell end charges £7 (undercutting George by £1). Alfred trims nose hairs, eyebrows, ears etc free and without prompting by the way - maybe his claimed Transylvanian origins help with this sort of detail.


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## Rushy (Apr 26, 2012)

CH1 said:


> I'd second that about George, though for the older non-yuppy wanting a full service hair cut at the cheapest possible price Alfreds in Coldharbour Lane at the Camberwell end charges £7 (undercutting George by £1). Alfred trims nose hairs, eyebrows, ears etc free and without prompting by the way - maybe his claimed Transylvanian origins help with this sort of detail.


Haircut Sir? at the junction of Brixton Water Lane and Tulse Hill still charges £4.50.
Family business, father son and daughter. Been there 30yrs.


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## leanderman (Apr 26, 2012)

Rushy said:


> Haircut Sir? at the junction of Brixton Water Lane and Tulse Hill still charges £4.50.
> Family business, father son and daughter. Been there 30yrs.


 
It's great value.

Like it more now the father (Andy) works Saturdays only.

He was a very awkward conversationalist.


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## Badgers (Apr 26, 2012)

I walked past earlier and the sign said £5.00 for clipper cut and from £5.50 for 'style' cut. Still good value though.


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## Badgers (Apr 26, 2012)

leanderman said:
			
		

> He was a very awkward conversationalist.



Indeed


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## Frumious B. (Apr 26, 2012)

Our Little Secret on Railton Road is the best hairdresser I've ever been to.


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## Rushy (Apr 26, 2012)

leanderman said:


> It's great value.
> 
> Like it more now the father (Andy) works Saturdays only.
> 
> He was a very awkward conversationalist.


 
If you found Andy's chat tricky you should have tried talking to his brother who owned Ken's Autos on Brixton Water Lane. (Before he sold the yard for about 3million and retired to Croydon.)


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## leanderman (Apr 27, 2012)

Rushy said:


> If you found Andy's chat tricky you should have tried talking to his brother who owned Ken's Autos on Brixton Water Lane. (Before he sold the yard for about 3million and retired to Croydon.)


 
I hate to think. 

You make an inconsequential observation, Andy disagrees. You change your mind to humour him, only to find he has now switched to your original position.

And so it goes on. Forever

Andy is doing ok too. He owns the shop and the flats above. Plus his five-bedroom house in Bromley.


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## Rushy (Apr 27, 2012)

leanderman said:


> I hate to think.
> 
> You make an inconsequential observation, Andy disagrees. You change your mind to humour him, only to find he has now switched to your original position.
> 
> And so it goes on. Forever


 
So true! 

Talking to Ken was more like dealing with a tethered bee stung Rottweiler. But his bark was a lot worse than his bite. Out the back of the car yard he had an amazing unused carpentry workshop with the most incredible hardware. We used to rent it from him from time to time. Each time we asked he ranted incoherently and then gave us the keys.


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## BoxRoom (May 27, 2012)

davidaheath said:


> Looks like I found a winner, for today at least:
> https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-barber-de-Seville/161563427263691
> 
> Super-friendly and a really nice interior, fast, decent and under a tenner!


Went there today and they charged me 18 quid because my hair was long.

What!?

Top price they displayed was £14 for a scissor cut.


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## davidaheath (May 27, 2012)

BoxRoom said:


> Went there today and they charged me 18 quid because my hair was long.
> 
> What!?
> 
> Top price they displayed was £14 for a scissor cut.


 
That doesn't sound cool. Actually, I've been there twice now and I've noticed that they don't really take much time over the cut either. I get quite a short haircut and I always notice I end up with some missed hairs which are longer than the others. It's only noticeable immediately after having a shower when my hair is fluffiest, but it's definitely not very good. Both my cuts have been from the same guy, though, so I can't tell if the other guy in there would be better. Time to move on ...?


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## colacubes (May 27, 2012)

davidaheath said:


> That doesn't sound cool. Actually, I've been there twice now and I've noticed that they don't really take much time over the cut either. I get quite a short haircut and I always notice I end up with some missed hairs which are longer than the others. It's only noticeable immediately after having a shower when my hair is fluffiest, but it's definitely not very good. Both my cuts have been from the same guy, though, so I can't tell if the other guy in there would be better. Time to move on ...?


 
Bit naughty if they don't have it on the price list, but £18 is probably about right for a hair cut if you're a bloke with longer hair.  My fella has longish hair and he plays between £15-£20 depending on where he goes.  Whereas my hair is shorter than his and I pay at least £30


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## fortyplus (May 27, 2012)

Frumious B. said:


> Our Little Secret on Railton Road is the best hairdresser I've ever been to.


creepy name though


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## BoxRoom (May 27, 2012)

davidaheath said:


> That doesn't sound cool. Actually, I've been there twice now and I've noticed that they don't really take much time over the cut either. I get quite a short haircut and I always notice I end up with some missed hairs which are longer than the others. It's only noticeable immediately after having a shower when my hair is fluffiest, but it's definitely not very good. Both my cuts have been from the same guy, though, so I can't tell if the other guy in there would be better. Time to move on ...?


That's a shame. I was really searching for a good barber what with me being completely rubbish about getting my hair cut and having some sort of anxiety problem about such things! I went there under the impression, thanks to recommendations here and elsewhere on the net, that it was pretty good. And I'm really not unhappy with the cut! It's good enough for me and I'm never really happy with cuts because I never have known what's good style for me. But to be charged extra because my hair was encroaching shoulder length was a bit unsettling and has set me back.
I'm not rich in the slightest but if there was a £18 option mentioned then I'd think that was fair enough, it's not a massive chunk out of my wages and I could do without a beer, I just wish I'd known. There's a place I went to near Farringdon that cost 11 quid so I thought 14 ain't all bad. Then it went up to 18 because of length at Seville? 
I guess I'm just a bit unlucky.


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## BoxRoom (May 27, 2012)

nipsla said:


> Bit naughty if they don't have it on the price list, but £18 is probably about right for a hair cut if you're a bloke with longer hair. My fella has longish hair and he plays between £15-£20 depending on where he goes. Whereas my hair is shorter than his and I pay at least £30


I really shouldn't be whining, my girlfriend pays more for her haircuts too and I can't understand it!
(shorter hair also!)


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## smirker (Sep 5, 2012)

mashton said:


> palu at brixton barbers in the market (next to franca manca) is the man.


Mate... that barber shop next to Franco Manca has closed down... and Palo gave me the best haircut I've had in years. Desperate to get hold of him, any chance you have (or know someone) who has a number for him, or know where he works now?


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## el-ahrairah (Sep 7, 2012)

Naz on the hill.  great lad, decent haircut.


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## leanderman (Sep 7, 2012)

el-ahrairah said:


> Naz on the hill. great lad, decent haircut.


 
Agreed. And always good for a gossip.


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## BoxRoom (Nov 16, 2012)

Not in Brixton area but worth mentioning, I braved it and went for a haircut here today: http://www.jeffsbarber.co.uk
Just off Borough High Street.
£15. Took his time too, was brilliant. Friendly, put me at ease, offered a drink too. Trimmed my eyebrows an' all!
I recommend heartily.


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## CH1 (Jan 31, 2015)

Was getting desperate today as still no sign of George's hairdressing salon re-opening following George's retirement. Work is going on - but unclear if this is refitting the barber shop or something else.
So I took a detour this afternoon to Michael's - another Cypriot barber at 64 Loughborough Road, a few yards along from Five Ways towards Brixton Road.
Service was quick and congenial, basic price is £7 (including eyebrow trimming!) On Saturday Michael's son is there so 2 chairs in operation. 





The only cheap local alternative to the Haircut Sir (3 Tulse Hill) probably.


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## thriller (Feb 1, 2015)

George is retiring I've heard. Used to be my hairdresser of choice until 2003 when I decided I shouldn't be giving him £7 for something I can do myself.


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## CH1 (Dec 21, 2017)

SW9 Gents hairdressing news:

1. I bumped into George (formerly of 340 Coldharbour Lane opposite the Barrier Block) yesterday in Brixton Village by the fish shop. He was pleased to have a chat. Said he was buying stuff for his son for Christmas and was on 2 weeks Christmas holiday. He's living in Cyprus permanently now. He said a bit misty-eyed that he'd carried on til retirement - nearly to 66 actually he said, but you have to stop sometime.

2.Michaels - went past there today on spec and was pleasantly surprised to see the whirly barbers pole rotating. The shop seemed empty, but a slight young man of Eritrean appearance smoking outside told me to go in.

It turned out that this was the barber. We had a bit of chit chat, and he seemed to need a certain amount of encouragement to do what Michael used to do on auto-pilot (sideboards, eyebrows etc). Also he seemed very committed to electric clippers. To the point where after 20 minutes I was beginning to wonder whether the scissors on the wall were purely decorative.

Never fear, my barber gave my head almost total immersion, then took to the finger grip/scissors cutting - whatever that is called.
Fortunately this guy considers the clippers are adequate for the neck and I was spared the cut-throat razor treatment.

The particular part of the ritual that he missed - and I only realised when I got home - was no showing the back of the head in the mirror and asking for the approval.

That said it was a serviceable haircut. Instead of Michael going on incessantly about the evils of Lambeth Council I was interrupted  by two mobile phone calls which my barber took whilst on the job (or my haircut that is). I have slightly old-fashioned values, and although I can't say my time is precious, I do think a good barber probably ought to turn off his phone whilst with a customer.

So for me this relaunched Michael's (which apparently belongs to the new barber's cousin who runs the Eritrean Coffee Shop next door) might be a goer, if the price stays low. But I rather fear that there has been too long a service break to keep much of the old customer base. So anyone interested might give him a try in the interest of keeping the facility going.


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## donkyboy (Jan 1, 2018)

I do wonder what the end of the month take home pay for these barbers is? Can't be much? Are we talking about 16k pa?


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## CH1 (Jan 3, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> I do wonder what the end of the month take home pay for these barbers is? Can't be much? Are we talking about 16k pa?


When Michael was there he used to do 2-3 people an hour @ £8. Mind you I think the rent on the shop had been agreed with the council many years ago and had not been up-rated much. And of course he had dead times with no customers no doubt.

I got the impression that Michael continued with the job as a social thing. And mates of his dropped in for a chat as well. No doubt the new proprietors if they continue will simply be forced to up the charges as their living costs will be much greater.


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