21st Century Beauty

As I’m currently weekly commuting between Liverpool and London I’ve had to take stock of what exactly I own, use and need. That means everything from jeans to toothbrushes to phone chargers. On the whole it’s a dull and annoying task but what did shock me was the quantity of toiletries I possess. Once upon a time I had a bottle of shampoo, tube of toothpaste and some shower gel. Now my toiletry collection includes the aforementioned but also, half a dozen expensive bottles of eau de cologne, hair conditioner, mouth wash, hand moisturiser, body lotion (unused), face scrub, face wash, hair gel, hair wax and hair mould (Pall Mall Barbers brand no less).




As far as I’m aware I made no conscious decision to branch out into all these products. It was not a decision made with the logical process of a list of pros and cons, but more an organic shift to what I perceived to be required. With this in mind I went to the Boots at Euston Station whilst waiting for my train to see just what is on offer specifically for men. The Boots at the station is by no means a big store, but serves as a handy venue for travellers who forgot to pack the all important cosmetic article. This only heightened my surprise to find a whole aisle of men’s products which five years ago most people would declare to be fictional. First thing I noticed was the brands. There were of course the famous male brands – Gillette, Brut, Old Spice etc and the mainstream brands like Nivea and Sure, but they only took up half the aisle space. The rest was filled with brands such as Botanics and the new male range of No7 and at the top end you can now even get Chanel for Men. For some readers this might not be new or surprising. Perhaps you’ve been using these products since their release and I salute you for your forward thinking, but the idea of using some of these products is entirely new to me, as is the contemplation of spending up to £25 on mainstream lotions (if that doesn’t seem extravagant to you, don’t worry, the top end items can reach into the hundreds).



So to recap, I have now discovered a whole new range of brands and having got over my shock at paying £25 for male anti aging cream I now need to comprehend what exactly all these various potions do. The jargon in itself is an eye opener. There are lotions, creams, gels and even serums, to name just a miniscule number of ointments. The use of the term serum holds my curiosity the most. To me it sounds mythical, made from the juice of a rare flower only found in the uppermost crags of a tall misty mountain (normally by a fairy or sprite). Apparently it can also be found manufactured at the Boots factory in Nottingham in the East Midlands. The topic only becomes more complicated with SPF (sun protection factor) factors such as 15 or 25. It feels almost like planning a summer holiday and getting my necessary sun block, which in my unfortunate case tends to be factor 35 minimum. The education process has been long and complicated and fortunately my fiancée has been my tutor.



So, after what seemed like an explosion of male grooming products on the shelves of supermarkets and chemists alike, how have they come to be on our bathroom shelves? It is a rather backward and closed minded view that these products are geared solely for the gay community, but it might well be argued that they were the first to take advantage of the new range. I’m being careful here as I don’t want to make any sweeping statements, but I will hazard a guess that the cosmetic companies did probably target the gay community initially and allowed the products to be drawn into the mainstream market over time. Looking back, the first men I knew to have exfoliating scrubs and eye creams were gay; now the question is more often what brand of exfoliate do you use rather than do you own any.



Some people might suggest that to use these products puts a man into a metro sexual bracket, but I think this term is already becoming dated. I don’t think I dress in a metro sexual manner – I’m more “Geek Chic” – so let’s face facts – Perfect and Protect Serum is as mainstream as Head and Shoulders.



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Secret Societies

“The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club.” Did Brad Pitt’s character Tyler Durden really believe it would remain a secret? Of course not, that’s why he invented the rule, to encourage the illicit word to spread. I have just joined the ranks of a secret society and I think I’m far behind the times – don’t worry it isn’t a violent one! Last December, when I was stuck in Berlin owing to the snow at Heathrow, I got to chatting with some fellow stranded Brits who had been in Berlin to run the very first Berlin Secret Cinema. It has already taken Britain and namely London by storm. Its tag line is “Tell no-one” which it has labelled on its Website, Facebook page and of course its mandatory Twitter account – and lo, the message spread like wildfire. I could tell you all about it, but I think it better I let you go out there and do some of your own research. To tell you would feel like an act of rebellion and who knows whether The Secret Cinema has a secret Authority, an elite like the Masons in all conspiracy theories?




So what’s the big deal with secret societies? In a previous week I wrote about bolt holes and how they can vary from old school St. James’ clubs to allotment sheds (with Pall Mall Barbers closer to the clubs than the sheds). Bolt holes are our oasis of calm away from chaos. Secret Societies are different as they seem more about the secrets and thrill of the unknown, rather than the identity and retreat.



When I lived in Toronto I was a member of a fraternity – Sigma Nu, Zeta Delta Chapter. Technically I’m still a member and the bond I have with Sigma Nu brothers across the world is unbreakable. My reason for joining was partly the decision that “when in Rome…” but also to feel that little bit exclusive. I have a lot of friends who at the time scoffed my choice to join a frat, but with the very same breath they wanted to know about the secret handshake, codes and songs.



A feeling of exclusivity pervades much of our life, not necessarily just our societies. I’m often aware of it when on holiday. Any good tourist book or local will direct you, “off the beaten track” and suggest locations and eateries popular with the locals. The tourist book uses words like, “haunt”, “secret” “hideaway”. We as consumers want to experience something unique and rare.



I had the great fortune to be treated to a meal at the Ivy last year and whilst chomping on an extremely delicious steak was told about the Ivy’s very publicly known secret of a club, accessed by walking through a florist a couple of doors down the street. It’s made me think – maybe Pall Mall Barbers should have a “secret” club. I think that would be brilliant – come in for a shave and trim and then head on through the shop for a drink and chat with fellow brothers of the Barber Pact.



What do you think of this idea? – Let me know at pallmallbarberslondon@gmail.com

 
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Superstitious Barbers

Last night my partner performed at the opening night of a show she has been rehearsing for at least two months. It’s not a big commercial venture, just some friends getting together after work to be creative. For the cast though, come first night, it is a big affair and suddenly normally sensible people with sound minds become irrationally superstitious and fearful of becoming the victims of a wrathful god – which god in question always seems to vary – probably one of those particularly fickle Greek ones. My advice to anyone who is dating an actor, marrying an actor, or simply passing an actor in the street, is to be wary of everything you say.

The first rule is never say “Macbeth”. Most people will have seen the episode of ‘Blackadder’ where he takes great delight in terrifying the pretentious actors by uttering the most unlucky of words in the theatre. The belief is that it will bring tremendous bad luck on the show that the actors are performing in. Instead the word “Macbeth” must be replaced with the phrase, “The Scottish Play”. I was brought up by actors, and this rule applied throughout life, regardless of whether any of us was currently working on a show and even if we were hundreds of miles from a theatre.


Another rule which must not be overlooked is never say “Good Luck” – don’t ask me why but again there is a substitute, “Break a Leg”. Having done some research on the internet there seem to be loads of conflicting theories as to how this expression came about, with theories going back to gladiatorial days. One obvious theory is that if good luck equates to something bad happening, then breaking your leg being bad would mean the complete opposite would happen. I’m not sure about this. If that was the logic then we would just wish each other, “the very worst of luck” – so why ‘break a leg’? A theory I prefer, which dates back to the Shakespearean era, is that when an actor was applauded he would bow. The classic bow involved bending at the knee or “breaking the line” – which became breaking the leg. A similar theory is that when an actor’s performance was well received, the audience would “tip” by throwing coins onto the stage. If, on the other hand, the performance was disliked, the actors could expect to be pelted with rotten vegetables. In the case of the coin throw, the actor would have to bend down to pick up his extra earnings – “breaking his line”.

All of this has made me think about superstition in the workplace. I’m sure the arts are the worst for it as it’s a place for over exercised imaginations but they’re not completely alone. Barbers work with extremely sharp tools and that always means irrational fears being combated with superstitions. I was chatting with one of our barbers about razors and he told me of a time when he turned 15, and his parents bought him an amazing shaving kit – it was a coming of age gift. It had the badger brush, imitation ivory handled razor and beautifully smelling soap. He was then confused when his dad told him he had to pay for it. Asking how much, his father replied just a penny. The reason being that the gift of a knife or anything knife- like would sever the bond between the two people, so the gift had to be turned into a transaction. It sounds crazy to me but father and son are still close today.

I was also amazed to see how barbers handle their scissors. Rich was telling me how a new pair of scissors (which cost well into the hundreds) is never truly yours until they’ve cut you. Being so sharp they do tend to nick the flesh on your knuckles as you hold the hair. So the next time you’re at the barbers take a look at their knuckles. If they’re seasoned veterans you will see some scars and even scar tissue.

The subject of superstition is boundless and you can even argue that some traditions are really well observed false notions. For example do you know why we shake hands or clink glasses? – The original reason is a cracker going back to the age of knights…

So, let me know if there are any fascinating superstitions in your work place or home and I’ll tell you why we shake hands and touch glasses during a toast. Email me at pallmallbarberslondon@gmail.com and be careful not to walk under any ladders.


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Bolt Holes

Good day – I’m writing this week’s blog from the sunny yet freezing climes of Liverpool. I have had to take leave of absence from Pall Mall Barbers as a job opportunity has presented itself to me up north. I do however wish to continue to write this blog and muse on the world of the modern man.




I’m currently staying in a lodging house – it feels wonderfully old fashioned, with a lovely scouse landlady inhabiting the front room and lodgers in the upstairs bedrooms. Living with strangers however can be tough, or at the very least awkward, so I have found that I tend to retreat to my room and stay up here with the safety of my creature comforts: computer, DVD box sets etc. It is my bolt hole away from home.



It never really occurred to me how prevalent bolt holes are among men until I realised today that I was talking to my father on the phone from my bolt hole to his. My father’s bolt hole is his beloved shed at the allotment. That’s right, he has reached the age of sheds and home grown vegetables. But where else do you find bolt holes and why do we need them?



I would argue that you don’t need to look any further than Pall Mall Barbers for a convenient bolt hole. It has all the essential ingredients. It is away from the man’s usual cohabitants, whether that is family or colleagues or even noisy neighbours. It’s predominantly male, providing a safe environment to say what might be on your mind without fear of repercussion (depending upon what is actually on your mind of course) and it’s also a place for jovial banter, on the whole about something pretty meaningless. A bolt hole doesn’t need all of these characteristics to define it but each one makes it that little bit more the perfect escape.



As a student I had the opportunity to go for a meal at a gentleman’s club in St. James’. It was called the East India Club. Maybe some of you have been there as well, or might even be members. It’s from a different world – wood panelled walls, oil paintings, smoking rooms and extremely attentive waiting staff. It was one of the most luxurious bolt holes I’ve ever been to. It also confirms that the concept and need for a break from it all is not a new phenomenon and no doubt a history of bolt holes could be compiled right back to the time the cave men created men-only dens away from their nagging women wanting to know when they’re going to pick up the T-Rex carcass from the Osbornes’ two caves down.



And before I get accused of sexism by referring to the bolt hole as a male need, I should say that the evidence is there that women need boltholes too. If Pall Mall Barbers is a bolt, it’s easy to see how hairdressers, beauty parlours and of course Spa centres can also be as well. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily bolting from the opposite sex either, just simply taking a break from it. It was a wise man who said we should take half an hour each day to reflect on where we are and how we have treated those around us.



But to consider the men’s bolt holes specifically. What is it that we most want from our oasis of calm? Is it companionship? Is it the advice of a stranger? Is it a stiff drink or the tranquillity of hushed conversations happening around us? Or is it in fact the wood panelling. Take a second to consider the wood panelling of the East India Club and all the fancy clubs in St. James’ and of course the beautifully panelled Pall Mall Barbers, wonderfully set against the white tiles and old fashioned sinks and faucets and I can assure you that my father’s shed is exclusively wood panelled. Here endeth my insane theory from a wood vinyl panelled lodging house in Liverpool.

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