Today visiting our Barbers in Oxford will ensure the very best of hairdressing experiences, coupled with a warm, friendly atmosphere; but things were not always as cordial and relaxing as they have become.

The profession of being a Barber, has its roots way back in the Bronze Age around 3500 BC, and evidence of this has been found in Egypt, where archaeological digs have unearthed relics of the trade including razors. Barbers were regarded as highly respected individuals in ancient Egyptian culture, where the majority of Barbers were either priests or medicine men. Early belief had it that evil spirits were able to enter a person through their hair and having it cut was a way to drive out these spirits.

As the Barbers in this ancient culture were revered as religious or spiritual leaders, they also performed marriage ceremonies and baptisms and during these ceremonies they would cut the men’s hair after the celebration to ensure no evil spirit could enter or no good spirit leave the body.

Around 296 BC the art of Barbering was introduced by the Greek colonies to the Romans and they set up specific Barber shops, which soon became extremely popular as meeting places for social gatherings, news and discussions. Men soon adopted a daily routine of visiting the Barber shop, to have their hair cut, beards shaved or just to meet with friends.

During the Middle Ages the duties of Barbers changed when they became known as Barber Surgeons and took to performing surgery and dentistry. As well as cutting hair and shaving, the Barbers of the Middle Ages performed enemas, teeth extraction, bloodletting, leeching, draining of boils, lancing of cysts, and other surgical procedures and when they had completed an operation, they hung the bloodied bandages around a pole to dry and this was where the origins of the Barbers Pole came from.

The significance of the Barbers pole was to indicate the two practices which the Barber undertook, the red for surgery and the white for barbering and the earliest poles were placed in a leech basin outside the shop. Barbers were paid better than surgeons for their services up until surgeons were taken aboard ships during the naval battles, when they were remunerated accordingly.

By the fourteenth century, academic medical surgeons were known as Surgeons of the Long Robe and Barber surgeons were known as Surgeons of the Short Robe and in 1505 Barbers were given their own guild and admitted to the faculty of the University of Paris. Ambroise Pare who was known as “The father of modern surgery and the greatest surgeon of the Renaissance,” is known to have started his career as a Barber Surgeon.

Look out for Part 2 of this interesting blog, brought to you by Oxfords leading Covered Market Barber.

Part 2 of our interesting ‘History of Barbers’ blog, brought to you from Oxford’s leading Covered Market Barber.

By the turn of the 18th century, Barber shops had become extremely influential, in particular, in the developing African/American culture and they had become a haven for men to escape from nagging wives and every day cares, a place where they could participate in ego-boosting verbal contests and a refuge where the men only domain reigned supreme.

Early in the 19th century a new name for barbers came into use and this was ‘Chirotonsor’, Chiro meaning ‘hand’ and Tonsor meaning ‘shaver or shearer’; thankfully people preferred to call them Barbers, which is still in use up to this day. In 1893, a school for Barbers was established by A B Moler in Chicago, where students were taught to cut hair, shave and apply facial treatments, which proved to be extremely popular and its success resulted in further schools being opened in almost every city in the United States.

From 1920 onwards, the profession of Barber took a turn towards the more modern approach and huge efforts were made to professionalize the business as it was necessary to secure a good level of professional work, by means of licenses and an adequate training and education. An introduction to a more scientific approach with the assistance of biologists, chemistries, and anatomists saw the barbering profession takes a new approach in the early 20th century.

During the second half of the 20th century, fashion changed immensely and men began to wear their hair and sideburns long or to have perms and this disrupted the traditional male-only barbershops enough for them to reconsider their clientele and offer their services to both men and women. By the 1980’s several unisex barbershops had appeared on the high streets and during the 1990’s almost every salon (as they had now become known) provided services for both men and women, offering not only hair cutting and styling, but perms, colouring, bleaching, highlighting, and sometimes skin and nail care.

Fortunately, in the modern society of today, there are still a few traditional barbers’ shops around, which offer decent haircuts, men’s styling, and shaving and grooming services. Even in this age of unisex everything, some men still prefer to go to a traditional barbers, while some ladies prefer to go to a salon which caters for females only and these gender specific businesses will hopefully continue to thrive.

At Dukes barbers we are striving to achieve a bridge between the traditional style of barbers and the modern styling required by the men of today. All of our stylists are qualified in men’s grooming and hairdressing and our traditional classic wet shave has always been highly recommended by our customers.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

This celebratory dinner was followed by dancing and music for over 4000 of the poorest people of Oxford and the following morning, a visit to the Town Hall took place where the town clerk W E Taunton and Major of Oxford, Joseph Lock were knighted and given the ‘Freedom of the City’.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

In 1814, ‘The Victory over Napolean’ was celebrated by a spectacular dinner, hosted for some of the most impressive Royal visitors ever seen in the city; these included; The Prince Regent accompanied by Alexander 1 of Russia, Prince Metternich, Frederick William 111 of Prussia, distinguished soldier and statesmen including Marshall Blucher.

This celebratory dinner was followed by dancing and music for over 4000 of the poorest people of Oxford and the following morning, a visit to the Town Hall took place where the town clerk W E Taunton and Major of Oxford, Joseph Lock were knighted and given the ‘Freedom of the City’.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

The Committee controlled the use of the new Covered Market in the city for the sale of vegetables, herbs, meat, fish and poultry and it became illegal for the sale of these products to be sold elsewhere on the public streets, once the Covered Market was completed.

In 1814, ‘The Victory over Napolean’ was celebrated by a spectacular dinner, hosted for some of the most impressive Royal visitors ever seen in the city; these included; The Prince Regent accompanied by Alexander 1 of Russia, Prince Metternich, Frederick William 111 of Prussia, distinguished soldier and statesmen including Marshall Blucher.

This celebratory dinner was followed by dancing and music for over 4000 of the poorest people of Oxford and the following morning, a visit to the Town Hall took place where the town clerk W E Taunton and Major of Oxford, Joseph Lock were knighted and given the ‘Freedom of the City’.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

To establish the Oxford Mileways Act a joint committee of respected gentlemen, including city and university representatives was set up on 12th June 1771 and Mr William Elias Taunton was selected as Clerk of this Committee and paid a handsome salary of £10 per annum. Mr Taunton sat on the Committee for a period of almost 50 years and was knighted in 1814.

The Committee controlled the use of the new Covered Market in the city for the sale of vegetables, herbs, meat, fish and poultry and it became illegal for the sale of these products to be sold elsewhere on the public streets, once the Covered Market was completed.

In 1814, ‘The Victory over Napolean’ was celebrated by a spectacular dinner, hosted for some of the most impressive Royal visitors ever seen in the city; these included; The Prince Regent accompanied by Alexander 1 of Russia, Prince Metternich, Frederick William 111 of Prussia, distinguished soldier and statesmen including Marshall Blucher.

This celebratory dinner was followed by dancing and music for over 4000 of the poorest people of Oxford and the following morning, a visit to the Town Hall took place where the town clerk W E Taunton and Major of Oxford, Joseph Lock were knighted and given the ‘Freedom of the City’.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

Oxford’s Covered Market came about as a result of the ‘Oxford Mileways Act’ of 1771 which was introduced to make the city’s main roads safer, provide more space for traffic, allow for the demolition of the old city gates, the widening of the narrow streets and the construction of new roads.

The old markets located in Butcher Row, Fish Street and St. Aldate’s, which had survived since medieval times, were considered to have become messy, untidy and unpleasant and these were condemned by the Oxford Mileways Act and promised to be relocated in the new Covered Market.

To establish the Oxford Mileways Act a joint committee of respected gentlemen, including city and university representatives was set up on 12th June 1771 and Mr William Elias Taunton was selected as Clerk of this Committee and paid a handsome salary of £10 per annum. Mr Taunton sat on the Committee for a period of almost 50 years and was knighted in 1814.

The Committee controlled the use of the new Covered Market in the city for the sale of vegetables, herbs, meat, fish and poultry and it became illegal for the sale of these products to be sold elsewhere on the public streets, once the Covered Market was completed.

In 1814, ‘The Victory over Napolean’ was celebrated by a spectacular dinner, hosted for some of the most impressive Royal visitors ever seen in the city; these included; The Prince Regent accompanied by Alexander 1 of Russia, Prince Metternich, Frederick William 111 of Prussia, distinguished soldier and statesmen including Marshall Blucher.

This celebratory dinner was followed by dancing and music for over 4000 of the poorest people of Oxford and the following morning, a visit to the Town Hall took place where the town clerk W E Taunton and Major of Oxford, Joseph Lock were knighted and given the ‘Freedom of the City’.

As the Covered Market has been trading for over two centuries, it obviously has a rich and varied heritage and some businesses have stood the test of time and still operate under family names with their origins way back in history. Trades have changed over the centuries and now incorporate, cake shops, florists, jewellers and, of course, barbers.

Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding and courtesy of the Oxfordshire Archives and Newsquest Oxfordshire; there has been access to previously restricted historical documents and archives to enlighten us to the evolving personality of this wonderful market.

The simplest, guaranteed means of finding a good barber is to ask around, finding men with smart looking haircuts and asking where they go for their hair cut will lead you in the right direction, as most men are happy to recommend a good barber.

Barber shops vary greatly from the sedate, one-chair operation which gives you the impression of stepping back in time, to the multi-chair modern salon style, with music or television playing and high energy chatter; but each is unique and finding a good one can be a minefield.

Because a salon looks chic, modern and good, doesn’t necessarily mean you will get a good haircut there, one of the most powerful means of advertising is word of mouth and if customers of a salon recommend it as being good, then it usually is – after all it would be hard to recommend a decent barber if you were sporting an awful haircut.

Barbers shops also tend to be a hub for social gatherings, where men can be men and discuss football, horse racing, or sports of all kinds, politics, news, weather and local events and where they can enjoy the masculine environment and have a laugh. In general, a barber shop is considered to be primarily a men’s domain, although some shops also cut women’s hair, and some feature female barbers.

Before the arrival of mass produced safety razors, men would regularly attend their barber shop to get a facial shave and most modern day salons do not cater for this service, so the barber shops still in operation today who offer this provision, are valued and appreciated by numerous gentlemen and will take their place in history as an important gathering place in the lives of men.

Here at Dukes barbers, in the historic Covered Market, gentleman can get the very best attention to detail for all their hairdressing requirements, superb cuts, shaves and rest assured that we only use the very finest of hair products. All of our stylists are qualified in men’s grooming and hairdressing and our traditional classic wet shave has always been highly recommended by our customers.

Using an open or cut-throat razor to shave will definitely give you the closest shave you have ever had and reduce the ‘5-o-clock’ shadow from appearing until much later in the day, but wet shaving is an art and one which has to be learnt through practise until experience is gained.

Finding a good barber shop which offers a wet shaving service can be amazing as they will alleviate the problem of you having to risk the numerous nicks and cuts while you learn the art of wet shaving, eliminate the problem of having to correctly sharpen your blade (this is an art in itself) and search around for the best possible razors, soaps, brushes, etc;

Your barber will firstly apply hot towels to prepare your skin and then build up a decent lather, which he will apply to your face ready for your shave and he will then commence your shave using a technique which he has years of experience and practise at. Several aspects are relevant in performing a decent and professional wet shave, such as the angle the razor is held at, whether you use an upward or downward stroke, the pressure applied to perform the shave, and even the type of material the razor is made from, so leaving it to the professional is usually the best option unless you personally have years of experience yourself.

Your barber will finalise your wet shave with some luxury post-shave products to leave your skin feeling smooth, soft and rejuvenated. The history surrounding wet shaving dates back to circa 1745 when barbers used razors, a brush, soap and towels, all of which were seen as very progressive in the era. Cut-Throat or Open-Razors were made with handles of bone, ivory or tortoiseshell and have now become very collectable.

A Hone, is a block of abrasive material, usually derived from naturally occurring minerals and used to sharpen barbers razors. Some synthetic hones are made from Carborundum, which is produced using Silicon Carbide. After using the Hone to sharpen the razor, barbers then used a Shaving Strop, which is a strap made from leather or canvas used to smooth the blade of the razor.

Shaving brushes were made from badger or boar hair, but are now made from synthetic materials and they usually have a bone handle. These brushes were used to apply the soap lather prior to shaving, and many barbers still use them today in traditional shaving.

The experience of going to a barber shop can be unlike any other hairdressing visit you have made; unlike the discount haircut chain of salons, a barber shop will offer you a quality haircut at an affordable price, and the bonus of a first-class facial shave should you wish.

Most barber shops operate on a walk-in service where first come, is first served, but a few barber shops may request an appointment is made. Unless you attend the barbers of your choice regularly, you will normally be attended to by the next available stylist, but if you become a regular visitor, you will be able to opt to have a particular stylist attend to your hair cut.

Once you are seated in the barber’s chair, the barber or stylist will ask you a few questions about how you particularly like your hair to be cut, what style you prefer, if you wish the barber to just trim your existing style or restyle your hair, if you would like your sideburns trimmed, your neck shaved, whether you wish to have your beard trimmed or a full facial shave and if you have a preference of products to be used on your hair.

If you select to have a very short hair cut, the barber will ask if you wish to select the clipper blade number to be used and if you have a specific style in mind, you will need to discuss this with your barber, to ensure that he knows what it is you want. Depending on your preference the barber may use either clippers or scissors, each of which is equally as good as the other.

If you wish to try something totally different, ask your barbers advice, he/she will be able to advise about what cut would suit your shape of face, your head shape and facial features, remember that just because a particular cut looks good on your mate or a celebrity doesn’t mean that it will suit you. Payment is usually given directly to the barber who cut your hair at the end of the cut, and tipping is customary.

Here at Dukes Barbers we are always willing to take the time to discuss your requirements with you and offer you professional advice and guidance.

Hair is made of Keratin and Protein and has no blood supply, nervous system or reparative qualities, so looking after your hair is of the utmost importance and maintenance from an early age is vital to keep your hair strong, looking healthy and shiny. The following tips will help keep your hair looking its best:

• Ensure that your shower is not too hot as very hot water can strip the natural oils from your hair and leave it dry and brittle.
• The condition of your hair is frequently an indication of the health of your body. Eating well, exercising, drinking plenty of water and reduce stress in your life will result in a healthier scalp and great looking hair.
• Repeatedly colouring your hair can result in it looking damaged, dry and dull. Avoid do-it-yourself chemical products and find a good stylist for such services. A stylist will know how to properly prepare your hair and select the best products for your hair type. Results are always better from a trained professional than those which you do at home.
• Towel drying your hair can cause immense damage, as your hair becomes very fragile when it is wet and will break easily causing split ends and sometimes, frizziness by being rubbed with a towel.
• Blow drying is another cause of damaged hair, as the direct heat from a hairdryer will dry out both your scalp and hair. Hairdryers may cause over drying, so it is always preferable to allow your hair to dry naturally if you have the time.

• Using a recommended quality shampoo and conditioner will not only cleanse your hair, but add moisture, elasticity and shine. Speak to your barber or stylist to get advice on the products available.
• The only genuine way to eliminate damaged hair is to cut off the damaged section and keeping your hair trimmed regularly will help. Even if you are growing your hair, ensure to get it trimmed about every six weeks to begin with as this will encourage growth.
• Don’t use a brush on wet hair, when the hair is most vulnerable. When combing through wet hair, use a wide-toothed comb and gently work out any tangles. Avoid heated tools such as blow dryers or irons which can dry and damage hair.
• Brushing wet hair is another cause of damage. Your hair becomes extremely vulnerable when it is wet and combing with a wide-toothed comb is preferable. Also, do not pull at knots and tangles in your hair, tease them out gently to avoid damaging your hair.
• Wearing your hair in a pony-tail or under a tight hat can cause a condition known as ‘Traction Alopecia’, this is where the hair gets pulled out of the scalp and can cause permanent, irreversible damage.
• Your hair gets noticed almost immediately when you meet someone, so following these simple tips can help to keep your hair healthy looking and attractive.

Years ago it used to be only women who changed their hairstyle, while men sported the short back & sides of the post war era. Some say that fashion goes in cycles, but if you look over the past decades, specific qualities that separate trends in hair fashion vary from decade to decade.

In the early 60’s young men began to rebel against the formal haircuts of their fathers and began to grow their hair, usually modelling themselves on their cult idols, such as The Beatles and as the next generation arrived, it became more focused on the ‘love & peace’ era of the hippies and numerous young men, in the 70’s, grew their hair to extreme lengths.

The 80’s saw the start of a new craze when ‘new wave’ bands such as ‘Wham’ emerged and subsequently big hair styles arrived, some with extreme quiffs and the possibility of a boost in sales of hair products designed to hold such styles in place.

In the 90’s mens hair fashion took another turn when the huge football players such as David Beckham spiked and highlighted his hair, the craze was copied by hundreds and hundreds of fans and now men and boys alike were attending their barbers requesting hair like Beckham.

In the 2000’s the fashion for mens hair became even more diverse, with patterns being shaved into haircuts, men having short cropped sides and long on top, more spikes and more highlights.

In this day and age, mens hairstyles consist of ever-changing fashion fads, with the younger generation wanting to style their hair like their pop, film, or TV favourites and mens hair fashion has gone from very limited options of the past to an abundance of styles to choose from. Men have also become accustomed to using numerous hair products to style, dye, highlight, perm or hold in place their chosen style.

Barbers today, unlike the past, are considered to be hair stylists qualified in the art of cutting, tinting, highlighting and fashion styling mens hair, but an added bonus is when your barber is also able to offer the good old fashioned traditional art of close wet shaving alongside the modern hairstyling in demand.