Book your next appointment
It all begins with an idea.
This is your reminder to book a haircut. My automated system gives you a 3 day heads up, so if you need to reschedule, you can do it then. Just book a cut now, and figure it out later. Do it. Go. I double dog dare you.
Now that that's done and out of the way: How are you? Good, me too, thanks. Welcome to the World's Best Monthly Barbershop Newsletter. TM.
Once again, spam laws require me to get consent before sending these marketing emails, so thanks for agreeing to them. Unsubscribe if you'd like, no worries. But you may think, "Hey, he didn't ask me, why am I getting these?" And in some cases, I didn't. I just figured, "Nah, this person's cool, they totally want my ramblings filling up their inbox. They probably use their spam email for booking anyway." You're not gonna narc on me, are ya? Are you cool?
Now. Let me tell you about Kent combs. They're nice. My wife got me a model 2T like 10 years ago, the lettering is worn off, and I've dropped it so many times on the tile floor, but it's held up. Teeth still as straight as an orthodontist's child's. These aren't some plastic pumped into a mold kinda comb, they're hand made! With a saw! I don't know how that works, it's what it says on the comb. I mean, it can't be a hand saw or anything, can it? It's probably a sophisticated zinger pulled down by some chap in England wearing a three piece suit with a waxed moustache and flawless hair. It's a simple, shiny chrome lever pulled with one hand so the other can sip tea. The blades are hand-sharpened weekly by the local bladesmith.
The box says they're by appointment from the Queen (must be old boxes) so you KNOW they're made with elegance. I bet the Queen's combmakers have butlers and drive Bentleys. Which is crazy, because the combs are only $18! (the foldable 20T is $20, but the extra $2 is a small price to pay for the extra cool). If they're good enough for HRH, they're good enough for peasants such as us.
I like to imagine the lever puller is a man named Giles. He's a 7th generation Sawyer, an Eton man from East Chestlewick-on-Thames. He works hard from 9:00-3:30, 4 days a week. His wife, Agatha, runs a bakery and the whole family smells of cinnamon rolls. The children, Rose and Wilfred, will one day take over as 8th generation sawyer and 2nd generation baker. Which is which? It's 2024, either can happen! Or will the two break tradition and be 1st generation TikTokkers?!
I guess it all depends on how well Kent Combs sell.
Swanyway, Kent Combs are now on the menu. Try one out next time you're in. They've got heft. Buy nice or buy twice. Or thrice, even.
Thanks for your time. You're handsome, you have great taste in barbers, and if you happen to say "Giles says Hello" next time you're in, you get ten percent off your next cut. It's a "Van Halen Brown M&Ms contract" kinda discount.
Love, your second favourite barber,
Seth
Seth's Handy Hair Tip #2
Just as important as washing your hair is drying your hair. Most of us give the towel a quick rub on the head and get going because we think we're so busy, but if you have thicker/denser hair, that water can sit on your scalp and cause flaking or irritation. Would you let water sit on your hardwood floor? Maybe if you're a renter, but you own your head, so no, you wouldn't. Is it dandruff, or are you just not drying well enough? Try drying your hair with a separate towel after you dry off, down to the root, and extra points if you use a hair dryer. Use it on low power and it won't poof out your hair. Zero points if you laughed at "poof". Magicians don't like to be laughed at.
Everyone loves emails!
It all begins with an idea.
Hi, it's me, your second favourite barber. Welcome to my newsletter.
First of all, you can totally unsubscribe from this list, I won't blame you one bit. I won't send more than, say, one a month. Heck, it's taken me 13 months to send this one. But the website charges me like $20/mo to send marketing emails, so by gum, I'm gonna get my money's worth. Here comes your $20 email.
Secondly, I want to thank you for coming into my shop this past year and letting me cut your hair. Getting a business going is tough when you have to rely on people coming in your door, and it makes me genuinely happy when you do.
Brass tacks: more than a couple of you have mentioned that you just plain forget to book your appointments until the last minute, and that I should send reminders. I'm not just saying that, I actually did hear that from actual people, to my actual face. And my booking app doesn't do individual reminders, yet, so this is the next best thing.
Next time you're in, I'll be asking you if you'd like to schedule your next cut. Everyone says, "I don't know my schedule yet", so the cut gets left until panic time. I say, why not make your haircut the first thing on your schedule for next month? What's more important than self care? Why do I always have to be on the back burner?!? Besides, the appointment app notifies you a few days in advance, so if something more important (I mean, come on) is on that day, then it's an easy click to reschedule. Bingo banjo.
I'm going to throw in some tips on hair care and stuff like that, just so it doesn't feel like I'm just nagging you to make an appointment. Which I kind of am. But I'm leaning into some new products I'm excited to tell you all about, so just you wait.
Thanks for reading this far, and book your spring cut!
And maybe a bottle of Seth's Beard Oil for your bearded friends? Seth's Negroni Aftershave for your beardless friends?
I'm working on a few other exciting ideas to share with you, I'll let you know when they're ready, or I'll run them by you when your in the chair.
Thanks,
Seth
Seth's Hair Tip #1
I started shaving 30 years ago, but didn't know how to do it right until I went to barber school. I used to think I'd get a closer shave by going against the grain. It was closer for a day, but I was pushing the hairs back down, leading to ingrown hairs and irritation. Always shave with and side-to the grain of your facial hair. Look closely in the mirror and notice which way(s) your hair grows and follow it. The growth patterns can look like Starry Night under there.
Best to shave after a shower so the hair is nice and soft, and use thick but minimal lather so you can see the hairs just in case. And get a better razor! I've found that 1 blade is better than 4. Safety razors are less expensive and have a better shave. Come in and let's talk about it.