Written as a diary account of a day-in-the-life-of celebrity hairdresser Shaun Lockes (a pseudonym to protect his and others’ identities), this story reads like fiction but is really fact condensed for dramatic effect! At times a little clichéd, but if you pretend that you’re actually sat in the chair listening to your crimper in top-gear gossip mode, then it’s actually very entertaining.
It was tricky to get into at first because it did just feel like the author was fighting a battle of wills: wanting to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; but actually couldn’t for fear that his identity would be leaked and his reputation (and clientele) ruined! The effect of this is that it’s difficult to believe, and it affects the pace, too.
Don’t get me wrong, this book is great; and tremendously insightful for little ol’ journos like me who have no real clue what it’s like to be the one with the scissors and tricky clients, so for me it was an opportunity to get even further behind the scenes. But at times Lockes seems to sit on the fence too much for fear of upsetting his clients, and indeed his readers, most of whom will be paying clients!
There are some fabulous little anecdotes and it explodes the myth that all male hairdressers are gay, tipping is old-fashioned, all your secrets are safe with your snipper, and many, many more!
Interspersed with tips and facts about hair it’s certainly a useful read for all hair juniors and trainees, if not for the inspiration then as an insight into what not to do as a trainee! Having said that, I’d still recommend it to my friends so they can peer into, and have a laugh at, a world we barely even knew existed as mere hair clients.