One of the more interesting and underrated intricacies of being an Asian American male is how hard it is to find a place that knows how to cut your hair. Back in my hometown of Milwaukee , there was one place my dad and I would always go to. When I moved out to Cincinnati, I went to Great Clips and kept trying different ones, hoping to get find someone who would cut my hair right.
I learned from a few of the barbers I talked to that Asian hair is one of the hardest to cut because it's so thick and straight. If you cut it the wrong length it sticks straight out. Asian women have the option of leaving it long. I guess guys do too (one of my barbers said my other option was to leave it long and put it in a ponytail… it did sound like it might work, but it just wasn't me). I've seen many Great Clips barbers struggle with my hair, sometimes taking a long time because they kept on having to fix and refix things.
I have found a place that I go to now. Amit, one of my Indian friends, introduced me to it… It's Martin's Barber shop in Sharonville. I go to one guy there all the time, because I'm always satisfied with the cut I get there. I also got a recommendation from another Asian friend to go there, and I happen to run into a 3rd Asian friend there too.
So that begs the question… how much untapped demand is there for services or products aimed towards Asians, and specifically the underappreciated Asian male?
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8 comments:
Hi Dale,
Where's the place in Milwaukee you like? I tried cutting our (Thai) kid's hair myself and I think it's bordering on child abuse. =)
Robin
Ha, love the quote!
We'd go to Mr. Dino's in Brookfield Square. Still pretty happy with them when I go back for haircuts.
Given Alvin's hair, this really made me laugh. He spends more time on his hair than I do. When we go to work out, I just put my hair in a pony tail - he has to do the whole wax and gel and whatnot routine, or else, as he says, it gets "fluffy".
To be fair, Great Clips can't cut anyone's hair right. Anytime I've asked people who have nice style cuts where they go, some salons get repeated, but I have never heard "oh, I got the $10 cut from Great Clips".
There has, however, been many times where a person (including men and men who don't care about their hair) says: "I got the worst haircut. That's the last time I go to Great Clips"
I went to Great Clips ONCE (I was so obviously on a budget). I had long hair and just wanted a trim, nothing else. They couldn't even handle that. I thought that since my hair was so long that it wouldn't matter, but within weeks I had to get it fixed b/c it irritated me so much. It really is worth $40+ per cut at other places. I would swear Great Clips is where people go before they consider going to hair design school.
The 2nd part of martha's comment is pretty much what I was going to say...I don't think it's quite right to say that Great Clips can't handle Asian hair, when quite frankly, Great Clips just can't handle hair. period. (is it redudant to type period and then add a .?)
I think I'll step in and defend Great Clips a little. Yeah, I've had my share of bad Asian hair cuts from them. But, through mostly trial and error, I've actually found someone who can cut my hair pretty well. And now I have to hope she doesn't quit because she's not being paid enough.
I've gone to Great Clips numerous times, and have no complaints. The trick is to go with the 'messy' look and let your hair stick up, out, or whatever. I'm sure they've given me my share of bad hair cuts, but who would know??
Morris does have a great point - I rarely get a "great" cut from a stylist their first time. But onces they've cut my hair a few times and are used to it's quirks, they can consistently give great cuts, even when changing styles and trying new things.
I had a GREAT stylist in Ohio. She was the best and gave great cuts and styles from the first day (though she did require a free consultation prior to setting up an appointment - that helps reduce the chances of that first not-so-great cut because she already got a feel for my hair). I think her name was Nicole at Mitchell's in hyde park.
However, there is a difference between a "not great first cut" and a "crappy first cut"
I did my fair share of SuperCuts and didn't have too much of an issue.
You need to move out to the Bay Area and get $5 cuts at Chinatown.
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