Had a walk-in yesterday who wanted a skin fade but kept flinching every time I touched his neck

Guy was super chill about everything else but the second I hit the zero-gap on his hairline he'd jerk his head like I was shocking him. Took me 20 extra minutes just to get the blend smooth. Any of you guys have a trick for jumpy clients or do you just power through it slow?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.phoenix1mo ago

I read somewhere that some barbers check if a client is jumpy by just holding the trimmer near their neck without actually cutting first. If they flinch, you know what you're dealing with. For that skin fade situation, I'd try keeping a light touch and maybe talk them through each pass so they know what's coming. Some folks are just ticklish or have sensitive spots from past bad cuts. Easing into it and using a comb to press down the hair before the blade touches can help smooth out the shakes.

wesley_hart1mo ago

@taylor.phoenix that comb trick you mentioned is exactly what I started doing with jumpy clients. I also let the trimmer run on my own hand first so they can hear and see it's nothing scary before I bring it anywhere near them.