From Hair-Free to Hazard-Free: Practical Dressing for Barbers

Bree and Cassy discuss what to and what not to wear while cutting hair, from head to toe. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome back to Philosophy of the Barber. Today we're gonna be talking about something a little less on the philosophy side, a little more on the practical barbering end of things. But before we begin, I would like to state a disclaimer that nothing, nothing that we say today is gonna be like advice, medical, none of the things, as far as like don't like, don't sue us. Don't be an idiot. We're not doctors. We're just barbers who are talking about our experiences and any brands or whatever that we're mentioning today, we're not sponsored because we're not we're not that popular yet. Alright. Welcome, Cassie. Hello! So I figure we'll start from head to toe.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Head to toe.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Yeah, we'll go with the debate of generations. Should barbers wear hats to work?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

For me personally, I feel like it depends on the vibe in the shop and if that's like a cleanly hat.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Like if it's because I was the hat they've had for 10 years and it's never been washed.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yeah, that you can see like the dirt and grime stains on it, and like maybe not. It's all rings. Yeah. But if I feel like if it's a nice hat and it's like it you're cleaned up, then it's it shouldn't be an issue.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I think it depends on what's underneath the hat. Honestly. Very, very subjective. Like, hey, if you're bald, or you need all the help you can get. I I understand. You're cold. Yep. You have to protect yourself in case you hit your head.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Like seriously.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Just it even a little bit of hair, way more padding than nothing.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

It's wild how I feel like bald people are. Well, maybe it is just because they're it's more noticeable, but I feel like they're always there's always a something.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yeah, like a ding. Yeah, a ding, a scratch, a scuff, a something. Well, it's because they have they have no padding. Like the difference between wearing a glove and not wearing a glove at the gym, like, that's that's a thin.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Listen, seriously.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

It's a thin layer, but it makes all the difference. Same thing with hair.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

I wear mine all the time.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

But we gotta keep our hands nice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Trying not to beat them up too much.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Yeah, but you're you're abusive. They're too.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

They're accident prone.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

They're independent from the rest of my body.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Correct. They just do their own thing sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Oh, but also, if you're hiding like a serious lack of a haircut under your hat, I feel like that that gives a certain impression as a as a barber. Yeah. It's like, uh, I'm sorry. You you can't get a haircut. You work at a hair place. Why how can you not get a haircut? Do you your co-workers not like you that much? Or but also like how have they not like kidnapped you and shoved you in their chair? Correct.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

So that they don't have to look at you like that. That's my thing. Because if uh at some point I eventually get fed up. I'm like, alright, just come here.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah, unless they like articulate that they're growing it out.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Yeah, that obviously a different story.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Right. It's like, alright, awkward stage, you want to hide with a hat, totally get it.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

But if you're just if that's what you're promoting to your clients, yeah, then I feel like your clients may not come and get haircuts as regularly. But like if you're keeping up a cleaned up haircut look, it's gonna promote something that maybe somebody else wants.

unknown 3:19

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Though at the same time, I mean it is a generational thing, like older people definitely have more of an issue with people wearing hats. And it does tend to skew towards the male end when it comes to like you shouldn't be wearing a hat inside. Whereas we as females, no matter what generation, can get away with murder on the subject of hats. Yes. Absolutely. Which I've never been upset with as a person. Like, I loved, loved not being part of that rule. Yeah. As a kid. Oh yeah. Uh moving on to like eyewear. Like, neither of us wear glasses. Nope. But I feel like sometimes I would like to. Safety goggles seem like they could be handy.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Oh, absolutely. Especially during a beard trim. Those boys get wild.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Beards are like sentient beings that n like do not want to be trimmed, so they will lash out like at the last moment before execution. They're like, absolutely not! I will die on this hill.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Nobody's safe either. Barber nor client.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Or anybody in the vicinity. It's like me and shellfish. Don't don't eat like lobster or anything near me, because those those the shell pieces will fly with it. It could be juice from a lemon, it could be just like pieces of shell, whatever it is, watch out. Like they give you bibs for a reason. I wear. Beards are very much the same way. Yeah. But every once in a while it depends on like I feel like there's a certain moisture point of hair that's like it's not totally saturated, but it's not like getting to the dry point that loves to fly. Yes. Like sheer and comb, and it's just like mowing a lawn all up in your face. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's like, alright, we gotta make sure you're at 40 degrees so that it hits like the torso and not the face. Yeah. I hate when it ends up near my face. We're heading there next. We're gonna be talking about it. Yes. Tops. Tops. That's where the majority of the hair lands if you're doing it right. That that and and you know the floor. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

It's my goal was floor.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

You have had aprons, smocks, various um protective attire.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yes, I've tried a a variety. I did I noticed a lot of people did aprons in my first shop, but it just wasn't something that I had latched on to yet. And in my second shop, we did smocks, which I I liked. I I think I might consider venturing that route again. Um just because I liked not getting my own clothes dirty and being able to just put something on over it and just it being the same every day was nice. Um but recently I tried like getting on the apron train and I just was not uh a particular fan. Um I didn't like the way like the hair catches in the seams and stuff, and I feel I like I'm I'm tempted to use my pockets on the apron, and I already don't love that. Like I already know those pockets are a catch-all, and I just can't, I don't like the way it just holds all the hair. I know that some aprons are probably better, but it's just not my forte.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Well, I find anything with pockets, it's such a temptation to use them, and it's like no, they are gross because yeah, they catch hair, they're just open. Now, I mean if you got a flap situation, it's a different story, but then it becomes less of a like, oh, this is super easy to use. Yes, it's more intentional to be like, I'm going to hide my personal effects in this little pocket with a flap and you know, a snap. Otherwise, it's like uh and you get the little corners of the pockets, that's where the hair collects for years that you can't get out. Like, even with the little vacuum, you can't get it all out. And like years and years it compacts and then it's there. And it's it's like never leaving, it's like the hole for the headrest. Like, if you don't clean that out, it just compacts and compacts and compacts, and it's super gross. It's like an owl pellet. Yeah, yummy. Yes, it's it's a very accurate comparison. Yeah. So I'm I'm very anti-pocket uh as far as like the the top part of you goes. Yeah. I love pockets in the pants. Yeah, don't get me wrong.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Yeah, having I think it's just because having that frontal pocket access like that, like right in my like waistline, I'm just tempted to use it. Like I noticed I was sticking my comb in it. I'm like, no, stop, put your comb down if you're not using it. Set it down on your station. Like that's not where it needs to go.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Like I wear scrub tops, so they have front pockets. There was one time when I was doing like an awkward like having to put somebody's hair up into a ponytail again. Yeah. And I I just was too far away from my station to put the comb down, so I put it in my pocket. By the end of the haircut, which was like, I don't know, two minutes, I totally forgot that it was in my pocket and I was like looking around the station because I have my like procedures on what I do for cleanup. Yeah. I was like, where did I put the comb? Did I already put it in the comb bucket? Like what happened? And like two haircuts later, I reach into that pocket because you know I keep a handkerchief there, and there it is. I go, oh, cool. That's where you went. This is why sticking to your routine is important. Yes. You don't lose things. And it's like, oh, where did this come from? Right that one time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But scrub tops I find to be like right now, because I've gone through a lot of different attire choices, because I'm very much a routine-based person, like I'm very functional. I'm not in the job for fashion purposes. You're not gonna see me, you know, rocking a$200 pair of sneakers, like that sort of thing. There's no flex in what I wear. I want no impress. In fact, I'm trying to remove attention from myself and have people focus on the surroundings of the shop, the service they're receiving, like the quality of the experience where like I am not front and center.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

So I like having the same thing to wear on a daily basis. That way I don't have to think about it. I don't have to be like, mmm, but this doesn't look good with these pants. Like, I don't want those thoughts in the morning. Yeah. I got too many other things to worry about. And with my military background and even in high school, like my senior year, public school changed to uniforms. And I mean, that was kind of a bummer in high school, but it set me up to be like, you know what? It's really easy to just get up and wear the same thing every day.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Yeah, I will say, we actually, when I moved to Florida when I was a kid, I started at a brand new junior high and they implemented a very strict dress code. And so we could only wear three colors and like two different colored pants. And so it was very, like you said, it's very easy to just get up and put the same thing on every day. And making that transition going into high school, it became a little bit more relaxed in high school. We could wear different colors, but they couldn't have any kind of like big graphic or anything like they couldn't say anything, yeah. They couldn't say anything, they could have like squares on it or like circles or stars, like they could have a pattern, but they could not have like logos or imagery, yes, yeah. It was and having that kind of freedom, I was like, I don't I don't know what to do now. There's too many options, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

So I mean, as far as like this is work, so I don't I'm not trying to impress anyone personally, like I'm not trying to attract you know significant other or anything like that. Like I'm here to work. Yeah, I'm a professional, this is what I'm here to do. So I feel like the functional attire should reflect that. Yeah. And in the past, we've done smocks. I like those. But even then underneath that, I'm just wearing the same like five, six t-shirts, and shop shirts that have our logos and artwork on it. Nothing, nothing crazy. Nice and simple. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Now, pants take it away. Well, so the the thing is, what I wear, I I wouldn't really recommend to anybody, especially my pant choice today. Um, because when I started barbering, I knew that hair was gonna be like my life, so I decided to like use old pants, and that means most of my pants have holes in them. So I wear ripped jeans to work every day, but again, I don't recommend it for anybody because the way that hair is forever in the phrase around the hole um is annoying, but I'm not gonna continue to ruin pants, so I just suffer in silence. No, not so much silence. Sometimes, sometimes silent suffrage. Yeah, it depends on where the um hair splinter is, and but hopefully I'll be able to invest in some holeless pants soon. I do own like a couple pairs and I like I like those cargo pants that I wear, yep, but I have one pair of those. So I just need more once I'm able to like start investing in some more work attire.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Well, and I've I've gone through a few durations of like what I'm willing to wear to work for pants. Like, I've worn jeans, but jeans become a problem in the summertime. Standing all day, moving around, and depending on your body type, like you got different uh complications to worry about. So, and I tend to wear guys' clothes usually because comfort and practicality over fashion. But I've slowly kind of morph towards like, alright, what what type of like female pants can I wear? Because I don't want to look like a frumpy ball of nothing. But I still want to be comfortable and not self-conscious on either end. Yeah, exactly. So I've done jeans, I've done cargo pants, which I love, love pockets. Like, I'm not a purse girl, I'm a pocket queen. So I had like 10 pockets in my pants. Pants, pockets. It was great. As long as they have flaps or they're like out of the way of the hair falling. Yeah. Um but also I like pants that typically cover my shoes because I don't want hair to get in them. Yeah. However, we'll get to that in a second. Uh but now I'm definitely into the uh the stretchy joggers, so I still have pockets. But like the material definitely allows hair to fall off of it and not get in it. And you get the stabbiness, and you're like, why did my thighs itch? I don't like that. I'm not like I must wear pants.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

I cannot wear shorts, skirts. Like, I've I've tried to dress once and I was like, absolutely not, never again. Like, strictly for Sundays, thank you. Yep. Um, but mostly I'd do it for shock factor if I'm gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

It's really just to have people be like, What? I've never seen you in that. It's kind of like seeing somebody in shorts for the first time ever that you've never seen in shorts. You're like, I'd never imagined your legs in the first place, but now it's really weird because it's like, oh, you have legs.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Yeah. The only time I tried wearing a like knee-length short to the shop before was because I'd gotten a tattoo on the back of my calf and the jeans just hurt to rub against it, and so I wore shorts, and I would just I was just uncomfortable with my legs exposed with the hair just everywhere. Like, I do my best to like not get hair on my body. Like, I'm very much like I try to be particular about like where the hair goes as I'm cutting, but just having it free-falling, like at my ankles and stuff like that, just made me so uncomfortable. I feel like they're my ankles were super exposed to just hair tucking in my shoes.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Well, and you don't typically wear something over a fresh tattoo, like you usually let it breathe, right? So that's like really asking for danger.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

Like we I they not to get into like tattoo info or anything, but like they have a skin you can wear, but I'm allergic to adhesive, so that would actually like really mess up my tattoo. So I only like cover in cellophane for like 24 hours and then it's completely exposed from there on out for me. So I just have to be careful and wash it a lot.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Rolling the dice when you're dealing with hair. Yes. I want a hair splinter in a fresh tattoo. Oh, that sounds like it'd be terrible. No, thank you. New fear unlocked. Right?

SPEAKER_00 16:07

No shorts. No.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Well, and and then there's the whole uh again, kind of like hats with the generational thing of like, what are you portraying as professional to a customer who doesn't know you from anybody? Yeah. Or in a shop where this is the first time in their shop, they have no idea what to expect when they walk in. Like, how are they gonna determine who they want to sit with? So when it comes to the first impressions, you get three first impressions. You get the visual first impression, you get the like speaking to somebody first impression, and you get the physical shake hands first impression. So visual first impression starts first because it's from a distance. Yeah. So if I don't know anybody from anybody, I'm typically gonna go towards the one I think is the most professionally dressed. Agreed. And I just I mean, if it's the vibe of the shop, you're like a surfer style shop or a skater style shop and everybody's wearing them, and like that's just the vibe. Totally different. Cool, I get that. Like, and that is a uniform impression that you give people, yeah. And so solid. But like, if you're the one who's wearing shorts and you got somebody else who's wearing a collared shirt and and slacks, it's like, okay, there's no uniformity here, number one. Yeah, yeah. And I'm I'm always gonna be drawn towards somebody who's more professionally dressed. Yes. So there's always that to kind of remember as like from a branding perspective. Now we could talk about shoes. Because shoes are the most important part of a barber's outfit. Because we're on our feet all day long. And I was even just noticing this morning that I need to buy new insoles. Oh, do you? Yeah, like I'm starting to feel like in the heel. Like that's like the first sign. It's like, yep, yep, that's time. But like the again, the hair. This is the only thing to think about when it's what you wear. You have to take it into consideration, and it becomes our lives. Like it's worse than sand. Yep. It's worse than sand because it sticks in places longer, and sand doesn't stay in your skin. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

That is fair. I just really hate sand. I hate sand too. Like, I wouldn't want to be a lifeguard at the beach, but I'm cool with being a barber.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Well, they're saving graces that they can rinse off. I would rinse off all the time. We don't have that luxury. Yeah, you just blow ourselves off. If you have one of those like air compressors, then like power to you. Yep. Some of us do the whole like manual brush. Yep. But so like that's why I wear slip-on shoes, because hair in the shoelaces gets super gross, like in the corners at the bottom, and then just in the laces themselves, and they look so gross, like no broom can get that stuff out.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

No. I I appreciate that these ones, these shoes, because they're like a thin cable tie almost shoelace. I've don't I've never had an issue with hair getting caught in these. Um, but these are like my winter warmer shoes. So, like transitioning this summer, I'm gonna have to buy different shoes because I'm still only a few years in on my shoe journey. And the last two I've been using Converse, and I can't do that again this year. One, because I don't want to have to buy a pair of shoes to ruin the well, I am obviously gonna ruin them, but like the Converse are just gonna get so ruined. Like, my pair that I only wore last summer throughout the work season was like I can't wear them again this year. Like, once I put them on, I will already have hair splinters in my feet because there's just no getting them out of the laces like that. And like the way it's in the fabric all along near the little uh eye holes where the laces go. Yeah, it's just there's no going back. There's no going back for them.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

Well, and even the like the amount of effort it takes to clean hair out of shoes that are made in that way, it's just so much work. Yeah. Like if you're a sneaker head, like how much work do you have to put into cleaning your shoes on a daily or weekly basis? Like, uh, is it really worth having to wear the couple, you know,$300 shoe to work to have that flex with your clients?

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

If you're just like, in order to keep it in, you know, good shape, you have to put in so much work. Like if you put half the amount of work into cleaning your tools as you do your shoes at that point.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Oh, I remember oh, I remember one time I went to the Barber Expo in Connecticut, and this pretty Instagram famous barber asked me to do um to be a model for him for a haircut on stage, so I was super excited. And I go up there, and of course, I'm attending the expo, so I'm dressed cute. Like, I'm I've got my good all-white brand new leather converse on. Like, I'm dressed very cute, and I go up on stage to get this haircut. I'm so excited, everything's running smooth, and then as soon as he goes to uncape me, he does not take into consideration at all for where this hair is going. Immediately doesn't grab the bottom of my cape at all, just uncapes me with this voila style thing and hair all over my white shoes. I was so mad. I was like, this just honestly made me not like the haircut. Because it's so it's it's honestly simple. If it had gotten on there during the haircut, totally understand. If it slips off the cape, totally understand. It happens. If I notice a big chunk of hair on a client's shoe, though, I get that. Like, I'm that's just I'm just that kind of person. I don't want you to get up and see that. Like, I'd rather try to clean off my mess before that's just I don't know, that's just my style.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

It's been considerate.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Yeah, that's just my style. Like it I'm I want to try to keep you as clean as possible, hence the cape I put on you in the first place. Um, so it all and all it takes is two seconds to grab the cape from the bottom. And when he didn't do that, I was just like no, no thank you. Yeah, you've ruined this entire thing. It just gave me such Yeah, you just gave me such an ick. I was like, and then I immediately also must as I feel like you can relate, I'm not a huge product in my hair kind of gal. Yeah, no. And there was lots of texture powder put in my hair that day, and I felt like this big. And of course he added volume, he had the blow dryer out, teased my roots, like it was a whole big thing. And I had this big old cotton candy ball on the top of my head. And so then when the shoe thing happened, and then I touched my hair and it was like sticky, I was like, I just need I'm dirty now, like I want to go home. Like, I don't understand what's happening.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Word of warning before anybody attends an expo and decides they want to volunteer to be a model.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Yes, watch your shoes.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

Well, and I think that's unfortunate that like they're prioritizing one aspect of their profession over another. It's like you can be a phenomenal platform artist and still give a crap about your model. Yeah, like it doesn't take that much effort. So, alright, back to the shoes, like specifically. Not only do I wear slip-on so I could totally just avoid the whole shoelay situation, but I have uh bought into the YouTube ad world of Vessies because they're waterproof. And my logic is that if they're waterproof, they might be hairproof. That's good enough logic for me. And so far that has worked out. Um now, there is a bit of like comparing pants to shoes because you gotta like take into account how much coverage your shoe is gonna have. Like I'm gonna rock high tops as long as I rock joggers. If there is a cuff on the bottom of my pant, that means uh my shoes are not going to be covered by my pant leg, I need to have high tops because uh like at the bottom of the ankle having hair collect there, absolutely not. Like I've got one little area where it could, like, hair could slide in there, but like I'm willing to deal with that. Um, but the guarantee that it's like this is a permanent shelf, yeah, I I can't. Yeah. So, but when I was wearing the regular cargo pants, I could wear like your average sneaker, tennis shoe, whatever you want to call it, um, yeah, and not worry about that portion of like where hair's gonna land. But uh, I have learned over the years, like uh vans, uh I can't wear them. I can't wear Converse. Converse, you end up with like hair ice skates on the bottom with all that felt.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

So dangerous.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Like hair hair alone, especially if somebody's coming in for a shearing. So slippery. Sweep up between every client, people. Come on.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Yes, you have to. Yes. A danger, danger zone.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

I even tell like anybody who's come in and got a lot of hair off of like before you stand up, please be careful because your hair is slippery. You don't know until you know, and then it's too late. It's way too late.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

So pull one too many of groin muscle. Hence why I will not be wearing Converse this ever. This is why I need to get new shoes. I need to start looking at Doc Martin's again.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Lesson learned.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Lesson learned. I can't not doing that to myself again this year.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

I feel like it might be a little bit better once you wear the felt off of that Converse.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

So long.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Right. Like I own half a dozen pairs of Converse because I wear them outside of work. But because I have so many different ones, like no one pair has had that worn off yet. Correct. Thanks. I don't spend enough time like pivoting on concrete to wear that up. Like, I'm not a skater.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

Pivoting on concrete.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Or sandpaper, like the top of a skateboard deck. Like, I'm it's not where you'll find me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I don't get that, like, what am I gonna do? Take a thing of sandpaper and just sand the bottom of my shoe. Sounds like a great idea. They should do that for me for the amount of money it costs. Though, granted, nowadays I mean that's comparably nothing if you're into sneakers. Yeah, honestly. For somebody like myself who has high arches, like, it's all about the insole. I I need to have support. I've tried barefoot shoes because I've found leather ones, so it's like I don't have to worry about hair getting into like breathable holes of every vented shoe that you can walk into a Nike store and get. I just can't I can't do those. But even the barefoot shoes, I can't do that all day. Like I'm somebody who, you know, doesn't wear shoes at home. Yeah. But like there's this muscle in your leg that people don't realize is there that directly supports your arch if you have one. And it like goes all the way up to your knee, and it when it gets angry enough, it will feel like you've pulled something in your knee or torn something. And that's that's not fun. But you can like barely walk like a normal person because you're just making one muscle work so hard. Absolutely not. So, with my weird high arches, I need to have support. And the only other pair of shoes that like off the shelf have been able to give good support for a certain period of time are sambas. Mm. They're a soccer shoe.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

But they they only come in like two colors. You want black or you want white? Oh really? Yeah, and I'm not a white shoe person.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

No, absolutely not. I own one pair of white white leather converts. Ruined! That's it. I own the one pair. I avoid white shoes as much as possible. They're shoes, they're always on the ground.

SPEAKER_01 27:44

I feel the same way about cars.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

I know I hate my white car. But I didn't have many options on the day of purchase. Right. I feel the same way. White gets can just get so dirty. I don't own a lot of white clothes. I own very minimal white for like special occasions.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Right. And it's alright. I've got like white button-downs. Yeah. But that's because it's just a base for an accessory. Um, but otherwise, yeah. Uh aside from undershirts, but that's because it's an undershirt. That way anything can be worn over it.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Yeah, I don't do white, but that goes both all the way back to childhood. Like, anytime somebody put me in a white shirt, somebody else would give me hot chocolate or chocolate milk or some chocolate that I was gonna spill on me. It was just like, and it was always chocolate. It was never like tomato sauce or anything like that. No, always chocolate. Chocolate. So therefore, always ruined.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

There's no way to get that out. Sorry. So I've just always been very averse to wearing white. And then the whole like, mmm, well, you know, being women. White bottoms, mm-mm. It's unnecessary. So my high school, uh their what they call campus wear, their uniforms, for the first like 10 years, you can only wear khakis. Brilliant. Yeah. Way to go. Yeah, yeah. Don't think of any sort of like situation where a teenager might not want to wear khakis.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

I mean, it looks good. Uh I love people when they do white parties. Everybody looks so amazing. Yes. Gorgeous. Yeah. But I just can't help but thinking of all of the stains and all of the things that are ruined.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

Yeah, because I'm I like bump into stuff all the time, even. And like just run into things. So like I'll get like a black mark on my knee. Yeah. Or whatever. Like, I'm just uh I own like one pair of white shorts, and every almost every time I wear them, I sit in or near something.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Or I get jumped on by the by Willows. Yes. He jumps on me and his paws happen to be dirty. Well, paws are always dirty. Yes. Well, the paws happen to be dirty enough to leave a los mood.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

I feel like the disclaimer of wearing white anything, especially that includes bottoms, is you can't sit. Yeah, no sitting. Nope. No sitting. Um socks. Mmm. Socks. Little little thing that actually does matter.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah, especially if there is a gap between your your pants and your top of shoe. Sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

Yes, the the the hussy ankle exposure. Yes!

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Mine more for uh warmth purposes. Yes. But I'm always a ankle sock kind of gal.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

I can't I can't wear no-show socks typically if I got the high tops on. Unless it's like uh oh like my particular shoes now, because I'm very used to wearing them, I'm not like irritated by the the rubbing of the fabric of the shoe on the top of my ankle. It's fine now. But there are some shoes that uh I just cannot. Like if the tongue is too long and it's sh like just rubbing up against the front, like the very bottom of my shin ankle area, I c I can't stand that. It's really like the the fabric of the sock that makes all the difference for me. Cause I mean, we're especially alright, we're getting into the details, the minutiae, alright? With waterproof shoes, they mark it as breathable, but uh they're not breathable the way like meshy Nikes are. So there's gonna be some heat buildup. So if you're somebody that's got sweaty feet, nobody wants to admit it to other people, but some people do. Like having a wool sock is really handy for moisture wicking purposes. Like smart wool, huh, freaking lifesavers. Like, I love smart wool, and they offer good cushion when you're on your feet all day long. And then when you're dealing with Converse, if you happen to be that person, um, sometimes they run a little big, okay, or they're a little more on the banana end of things. And if you're if your toes aren't that long, yeah, um, it can help like fill that gap so where you're comfortably filling your toe box and not like having a little shift. I find a a solid quality sock makes any shoe experience a lot better. Because like the construction of shoes nowadays hit or miss depending on what brand you're getting, and even then depending on what model. Because I mean I loved van slip-ons, but I can't wear van classics. It's just where the stitching is will rub against my foot knuckle. Foot knuckle. Toe knuckle, foot knuckle, like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

Oh no, I know exactly where you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

That's exactly what my vans do. Right there where it's like the the top of your your big toe knuckle that's there's three or four levels of fabric that are just all sewn together. Yep. So it's just pushing on it the whole time. It's terrible. It's the little things. Yeah, and how many parents like teach their kids how to fit a shoe nowadays? It's like, alright, where's your toe? Other than that, it's like we need to give you room to you know grow into these. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But other than that, it's like, alright, are you feeling like rubbing anywhere? Because like that's why we try on shoes and walk around in them. It's like, alright, is something gonna give me uh a blister? Like, can I walk around Disney World in these? Yeah. So, like, those things matter when you're on your feet all day.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

I don't love shoes that I have to like break in excessively for them to be comfortable. I got bad news for Doc Martins and Oh, fair. You're gonna have to like uh change them out halfway through your day until you do break them in. Oh I would highly recommend that. Okay. That's what we did in the military for our combat boots. Okay. Because I mean most people aren't used to wearing boots when you're, you know, 18. Yeah, yeah. Um so they would have us do our first half of the day in our boots and then the second half of the day in our like PT sneakers. That way, like our feet could kind of get used to it and break them in slowly.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

Oh, okay. Yeah. That's smart. I will do that when I eventually get them.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

That and maybe a Neatsfoot oil or something, if they're leather, like it's gonna be it'll help them soften. Yeah, okay. Because that's a that's a conditioner that they use on like uh horse bridle items. They also use it for strops if you're like that old school of a barber still using a strop with conventional razors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yay for you. Yay for you. I don't have that kind of time. But other than that, um, I think maybe branding, like your your whole ensemble, what as a whole you're displaying to people. Yeah. Very important to like be cohesive.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

Yeah. I feel like I intentionally set up my shop environment to be something that my clothing, the clothing I already like to wear, would fit into. So that way I didn't have to worry about because I considered almost doing a more um fancier attire. Yeah, a more upscale attire, but I was like, that I don't want to upkeep that.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Yeah, dude was like, Well, are you willing to do that every day?

SPEAKER_00 34:57

Yeah, I don't want to upkeep that, and I don't want that in my space either. Like, I don't want to have to blend with that. So casual it is.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

Yeah. Casual solid, because if it's very approachable. Just like with the previous topics, I'm definitely a proponent of set an expectation for yourself that you can meet on your worst day. Yes. So that's why I I gravitate towards uniforms. Like, I don't care if I got three hours of sleep and am super bummed or stressed or like any other kind of way, I still am going to visually be the same expectation that anybody should have of me. Like, so it's like, alright, I I automatically know exactly what I'm gonna grab every day. Not a problem. Bing bang boom. So it's it's never like a uh I forgot to iron my shirt or oh the laundromat is running late, or the the dry cleaner. It's like lovely, cool. And then you have to like scramble and figure out an alternate situation. I don't ever want to like have that. Yeah. Um so yeah, I definitely like the grab and go. But I think it's it's important if you're in a shop that has a uniform that like it's it's good for you to have your own spin on it while still respecting the purpose of the uniform in a shop.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Yeah, and the message that the shop is trying to portray.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

Yeah, it's like find a balance. Like you can still be you, and I mean that's one of the things with your hair, it's like a permanent accessory. It doesn't matter what you're wearing, you can always like display your hair, especially because that's what you do for a living. Yeah, but also like you know, if you put wear glasses, rocking like your super cool frames, like those types of accessories, or bracelets and stuff, I still don't understand how people wear them. Like I could barely wear rings. Uh but like if that's something that you're comfortable wearing, like, alright, that's a way for you to display your individuality to your customers and to be comfortable in yourself. Because I mean that's important. I'm comfortable in the vast majority of my wardrobe. So I don't even think about like the comfort aspect of it because I've already taken that into account before I buy these things. But there are a few things that like I've tried to you know get myself out of my comfort zone a little bit, and I don't necessarily feel as confident in public, even though other people are like, oh, you look fantastic. Like it's just it's not my comfort zone. So even though I may look good in it, it's not necessarily something I would reach for because I go, mmm, I would need to exert more effort throughout the day to feel okay in that than if I, you know, grab something that's in my you know regular rotation. Yeah. So I feel like taking that into account going, alright, what is comfortable for me? Yeah. Because that's different for everybody. Everybody's got different body types, everybody got different insecurities. Like take those things into account that way you feel as confident as you can. Yes. Without without sacrificing your body to the hair splinter gods. Because we didn't even talk about the concept of like low-cut tops for women.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Oh god. We didn't. The danger. Like you can I w I was wearing I'll wear the low-cut top occasionally, but if it's too low, you have to be careful because the hair will occasionally land on the chest.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Yeah, we're talking like mid-sternum. Yes. It's like the lowest. Yes. There is no actual cleavage showing. No. If it is, you've already lost. Yeah. Absolutely. Game over.

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Hair splinter logs, they're yours.

SPEAKER_01 38:52

And then the bras ruin too. And like hair splinters in those types of areas, mmm. No. They're the worst. And until you've experienced it, you don't know. Yep. Do not understand. It's kind of like getting one in your foot and not realizing it until you're in bed and the sheet uh runs across it just right to twang it and shh have shooting pain. And you'll jump up out of a dead sleep and you gotta look for that sucker.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

I hate that. That's my least favorite.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Oh, your least favorite? Yes. What's your favorite hair splinter area? What's at the top of that list?

SPEAKER_00 39:33

Hair. I mean hair. Finger. Honestly, finger. If I could get anywhere, it's a finger. At least that's easier to f find, get, see, usually. I hate the foot. It's hard for me to get him and see him sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 39:46

I will say I do sometimes get hair splongers under my nails. Like I have one. Like right under my middle fingernail right now. And it's just like it doesn't cause pain or anything because it's it's all the way in there. I have to wait for my nail to grow out before I can get it. Become one with it. Yeah. So I mean, it's just like I I know you're there, but you're not causing me any trouble. It's kind of like a spider in like hanging out on your porch light. Oh yeah. I go, oh, hey, what's up, Fred? Stay there. Yeah. Enjoy your feast. As long as you don't come inside and cause me anxiety and issues, we're good. Yep. As long as I can see you, I know where you are. Clear. All set. Don't ever come on my door. So yeah, as far as friendly hair splinters go. Under under the nail, where it's like, alright, you're not a problem. I I can't get you by, you know, obviously, you know, washing my hands or anything. Yeah. Yeah. Alright, I'll see you in a couple weeks and then I'll take care of you. Any other uh attire? Subject matter? Are we pretty good to go? I think we're good. Fantastic. Thanks for joining us for this lighter end of the conversation, a little less philosophical, a little more on the practical end. And we will see you all next week. See ya.