The best things in life usually aren’t the fastest.
Barber Synod Mitchell, works on Elvis To at a free barber shop at San Diego City College on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Diego.
I laughed. I probably cut three fades that afternoon. The fade isn’t dead. I’ll probably cut another one tomorrow.
But I do think something else is. I think we’re losing craftsmanship. Not just in barbering. Everywhere.
Somewhere along the way, “faster” became the goal. Faster food. Faster deliveries. Faster replies.
Faster appointments. We got so good at saving time that we stopped asking whether the work itself was actually getting better. For years, it felt like everyone wanted the same haircut. Tight on the sides.
Short on top. Bring in a photo from Instagram. Repeat. More guys sit down and say, “I don’t know exactly what I want.
What do you think would actually look good on me? ”Most men don’t know barber terminology, and honestly, they shouldn’t have to. They don’t walk in asking for a disconnected weight line or debating the difference between a taper and a fade. They just want a haircut that fits their face, their hair and their life.
My job isn’t to give them the haircut that’s trending. It’s to figure out what they’re really asking for. That’s why I don’t believe the fade is dying. I think the era of default haircuts is.
Social media has done incredible things for barbering. It pushed all of us to get better. I’ve discovered talented barbers from all over the world because of it. Scroll long enough and every haircut looks like it took thirty seconds under perfect lighting with dramatic music in the background.
Real barbering isn’t like that. Some of the best haircuts I’ve ever given happened because I slowed down long enough to notice something small. A cowlick that changes everything. Hair that lays completely differently once it’s dry.
A client who says he styles his hair every morning, then admits two minutes later that he never touches it. They’re also the reason someone still likes their haircut three weeks later. I use clippers every day. They’re one of the best tools ever invented for barbers.
This isn’t scissors versus clippers. It’s intention versus autopilot. When every haircut is expected to be finished as fast as possible, judgment becomes the first thing we sacrifice. I’ve also realized that my favorite part of this job has very little to do with hair.
I’ve had clients come in before weddings, job interviews, first dates, military deployments, promotions and funerals. I’ve watched college students become husbands, young couples become parents and little boys grow into young men sitting in the same chair. After a while, you stop measuring your career by the number of haircuts you’ve done. You start measuring it by the lives you’ve quietly watched unfold.
That’s something independent neighborhood businesses still do really well. Whether it’s your local coffee shop, your surfboard shaper, your mechanic, or your barber, people can tell when someone genuinely cares about the work. They might not know exactly why. They just feel it.
I don’t think every haircut should take an hour. People have jobs. Kids. Busy schedules.
Efficiency matters. But somewhere along the way, we started confusing efficiency with excellence. They’re not the same thing. The best haircut isn’t the one that looks perfect walking out of the shop.
It’s the one that still feels right three or four weeks later. Maybe that’s why I don’t think the fade is going anywhere. I just think people are getting tired of default. They’re asking more questions.
They’re looking for something that’s actually built for them instead of whatever happens to be trending online that week. I hope that doesn’t stop with haircuts. Because the best things in life usually aren’t the fastest. They’re the ones someone cared enough to get right.
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