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This white boy got a fade
Eric Kayz Barber Shop
Cost: R60
Eric Kayz Barber Shop is a garage-turned-hair salon. I was greeted by Eric and two of his co-barbers. The shop was small compared with my usual hair salon, but was well kept and had a street vibe to it, which added to its charm.
I was apprehensive at first and wasn’t too sure whether he was used to cutting white people’s hair, what sort of haircut to ask for, or what to expect. We discussed how he was going to do the cut and finally decided on going the classic route with a “box fade”. It consists of cutting your hair short to long, starting from the bottom and neatly trimming the edges. I was nervously imagining the worst-case scenario, a bowl cut. But he pulled through, and I was remarkably happy with the result.
His main tool was a hair clipper and he used several attachments to create the fade effect. He worked with precision and was able to chat while paying attention to what he was doing. You could tell he had been doing this for a long time.
Eric began by cutting his own hair before turning his ability into a profession in 1991. He has the skill to do both men and women’s hair.
“No special treatment is needed to keep your hair healthy, except for a good shampoo; my preferred one is Dark and Lovely,” he said.
“When it comes to keeping your Afro silky smooth and in shape, there is a supplement called ‘Vita-Grow’, a pill that is especially good for Afro hair.”
All in all my experience was good and cheap. He capped off the session with a razor blade finish on my trim, followed by a splash of methylated spirits (instead of aftershave). It burned, but apparently the shape will last longer this way. I would recommend this place to anyone, even if you’re white.
Can they handle my black cotton candy?
Nicci’s Hair Studio
Cost: R118
We drive towards the more boujee side of town – Melrose area – and I start to worry. How much would this Euro cut cost me? Would this person know how to handle my black cotton candy? You can get a good haircut and a bad trim which would render the process a waste of time and a horrible memory. Nevertheless, I was prepared to let Michellene at Nicci’s work on my mane.
I ask for a wash and a cut. I’m ushered into a back room that smelt like incense and that pretty girl smell you get at the spa. I had my hair washed and massaged all while having my hand held by one of the stylists, Haydi, who could sense that I was out of my depth and fearing for my fibres. She shared a few of her insights about male hair care:
“I don’t know much about ethnic hair but if you lead an active life, such as playing sports, keep it washed regularly. Be sure to keep it tidy around the ears and if yours is curly, get some product to keep your curls soft and crisp.”
Word is that adding levels and layers to your hairdo is definitely the trendy look this year. The cut went okay. The techniques used were similar to the way my white homies get theirs done: with the fine comb and the scissors. As far as the shape up went, this approach worked, but the trim was underwhelming. I got back to the office and people couldn’t really tell I had my hair cut. And no methylated spirits or hair food either.
Understated is good and I won’t have to see my barber for too much correctional work, but this process did reveal the vast differences in hair.
Switching to a black barber was easier for Julian than my switch to a white hairdresser. The odd thing is that in both shops we couldn’t find a single person who knew of a place where all hair types are catered for equally. Odd, don’t you think?
