More Barbershops
A true craftsman knows his tools, and Tim Wilkinson—known as Tim-O to his regulars—has been a barber for 25 years. He and his partners at A Cut Above the Rest have been in business since 1994, and their Downtown shop has been planted at Carson and Seventh since 2001, serving a diverse array of customers with just the right cut. Here’s the gear that Tim-O uses to keep his clients looking sharp:
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Clippers
“I use Andis for shaving and outlining hair, Wahl for blending and skimming and initially just taking the hair down, and then Oster is like the grandaddy of all clippers. It has a detachable blade, so you can take the hair down, as well as it lets you do some blending.”
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Shears
These are what barbers call scissors. “We use shears mostly to get the wild ends off or to hold the hair and get that fine cut, or if we’re working with a different grade of hair like caucasian. I have Oster shears, but 44/20 are the best of all thinning shears.”
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Razors
The days of barbers sharpening straight razors with a leather strap are long gone. “For medical reasons, all razors these days are disposable, and it’s actually one of the more costly items for barbers within the profession. But every customer gets his own fresh razor for a shave, that’s the right way to do it.”
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Lather
This isn’t the stuff that comes out of your can at home—this is concentrated. Tim-O uses Campbell from a dispenser that warms it up and adds water, so it comes out “soapy and thick and warm. [It] breaks the hair down and enables the barber to manipulate it to the fullest, so it won’t pull or bite when the rider is sliding across the skin.”
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Neck strips
Sanex neck strips separate the cape and the customer.
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Oils
A finishing touch, oils leave a nice shine on hair. Tim-O uses Jamaican Mango & Lime and Island Oil “to put on with the lather and hot towels for a shave. It has a nice refreshing fragrance.”
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Aftershave
A sage-tinted aftershave rub provides that necessary cooling sensation after you’ve been smoothed over.
