Barber Shop Update. 10/10/14

As most of you know, I’ve seen been cutting hair down in the Peninsula (20 minutes south of San Francisco) previously in Redwood City and now (currently) in Belmont. And for some of my San Francisco based clients, it wasn’t feasible to make the trek down to see me… which is perfectly understandable. But for those clients that have stuck with me through the transitions: I appreciate y’all! But… there’s some good news to be had!

Starting October 21, I’ll be splitting my time from my Belmont location with the brand new barber shop in the Dogpatch district, Cream’s Barbershoppe, owned by none other than Chris Eliares. He was one of the barbers I worked with at the beginning stages of my career that helped me progress in this craft, so getting back into the swing of things alongside of him will only lead to more progression! I definitely can’t wait to be back up in San Francisco, cutting hair, no less!

For the time being, I will only be working on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the potential of being opened on Mondays given the demand.

So, if you’re one of my previous clients from San Francisco or looking for a barber in the San Francisco Bay Area, book an appointment with me at the new location. There’s some fun to be had! Book an appointment with me via email:

therebelrouser@yahoo.com

Other methods of booking an appointment will be updated in a later date.

Hope to see y’all soon.

Current Stomping Grounds.

For any and all trying to get a haircut by me:

I’m no longer cutting hair in Redwood City. Best wishes for the shop, and if you continue to get your hair cut there and not by me — no hard feelings. It’s a cool shop and I wish them the best. But, if you’re trying to find out here I’m putting hair on the floor…

You can find me at Bushwackers Barber Shop in Belmont, 1024 Sixth Ave.

Email me or call the shop for an appointment!

TheRebelRouser@yahoo.com
(650) 592-9772 (shop number)

Hope to hear from y’all soon!

Pomp Hard.

Pomade Review: Admiral Supply Co.

First pomade review of the year!

Brett of Admiral hit me up back when I was ready to take the few steps away from barber school, test for my barber’s license, and step into a barber shop. And unfortunately, that frantic time frame meant I wasn’t able to get back to him! But, when a bit of free time opened up I shot him an email and with open arms sent out a jar of his pomade. This stuff came pretty quickly, considering he was shipping it up from San Diego. Now relocated back to San Francisco, I could only imagine how much quicker it would come to my doorstep! Or maybe met up at the bar? Who knows. But, without further adieu, let’s get to the pomade review!

A few pomade brands have taken to the glass jar packaging. In my opinion, it’s a real nice and classic touch. But, no other water-soluble brands have went in this direction…

Admiral comes in a nice amber glass jar with a silver tin lid. A clean and simple style of package can go a long way. And the fact that you can use these jars for something else after you’re done with the pomade? And chances are, you’ll have a few empty ones? Man… You can’t beat that!

The labeling on the jar is clean, simple, effective, and most of all… proper.

Seamlessly printed onto the jar, the white Laurel wreath and anchor logo is perfectly centered on the jar, as well as the ingredient list and barcode. To add a bit of color-flare to the mix, a red and white trim sticker is placed on top of the silver lid. Like other brands with similar packaging (but plastic,) the hint of red really makes the packaging pop.

Twisting off the lid, you get a nice whiff of coconut. Now, personally, I hate coconut… Don’t you dare place no damn Mounds in my Halloween candy sack! Fortunately, this stuff isn’t too pungent, so the aroma of coconut doesn’t bother me one bit, instead its subtleties is rather pleasant.

Sorry, no picture of the pomade in the tin, I got too excited to use it on a client!

Scooping this stuff out is different than most water-soluble pomades. Rather than feeling like a gel, this stuff comes out feeling really creamy. It may be the hint of beeswax in it, but to the touch this stuff feels really nice, and you can tell it’ll apply evenly and smoothly. But, how does that affect the hold?

I tried this stuff on several clients of varying hair textures and it held their pomps up with no problem! Take a look:

Alex

Ed

Both of these clients have very dense and straight hair. Alex’s hair is a bit thicker than Ed’s, so seeing how this stuff works for both of these guys is pretty cool. Remember, the density of your hair is going to make a huge difference in terms of what hairstyle will work for you… Of course, depending on your barber or stylist – they should be able to work their “magic” with your hair and help you achieve various looks depending on your desires…

In terms of wavy hair, I found that this stuff won’t get the hair the straightest, since it isn’t the heaviest water-soluble pomade around, but decent enough to style up a smooth pomp without the waves kicking left and right.

With or without blowdrying, you’ll be able to comb up a nice tall pomp or a lower-profiled side-part. The way this stuff holds and sticks together is real nice. Like I said, it has a creamy feel to it as you scoop it out, which applies to how it’ll hold the hairs together, even the little ones that like to stick out!

As most water-soluble pomades go, this stuff has very little to no sheen and does harden (especially with a lot of water in the hair.) But, I noticed it doesn’t get crunchy… Get the difference? The sitff-crunchiness of water-soluble pomades is definitely a turn-off for many, while the hardening can be easily excused. And by that, I mean that when you run your fingers through the hair after it hardens, the now “messed up” hair feels relatively soft and not crunchy… Makes sense? I hope so! I applied this stuff to myself with dampened hair and noticed that it didn’t stiffen like some other gel-type pomades did, but hard enough to give it a solid hold throughout the day without the worry of it splitting apart. Pretty nice, yeah?

This Admiral impressed me. With an overall clean and simple product, this stuff would definitely suit several shops and individuals. The packaging: as I said, is great. The scent: not overbearing like most coconut scented pomades. The pomade: light enough to work smooth finishes with thicker hair, yet, thick enough to hold up finer hair. The product as a whole: a great addition to any personal collection or shop looking to add some diversity (in terms of packaging as well as product type.)

Big thanks again to Brett for shooting me some of his dope pomade! Look forward to meeting you in the near future!

Until the next time, folks…

Pomp Hard!

New Barber Shop: Captain’s.

Starting this Saturday, Redwood City’s Captain’s Skate Shop will have a soft-opening for their barber shop. Towards the back of the store, there will be three stations set-up. Can you guess who will be occupying one? The hours will be going alongside the retail stores hours, but may change given the demand. I’ll be there starting at 11!

Not only will quality haircuts and straight razor shaves be offered, but there will be quite a variety of pomade to purchase! Of course, I’ll be suggesting some brands to carry. They have quite a few brands to start with, but who said you only have to have a few? Can’t ever have too much pomade!

Here’s a sneak peak:

The shop is located at 2066 Broadway Street in Redwood City. Right in the heart of the downtown area, you can kick back in the shop or grab a bite to eat while you wait. It’s in an area where you won’t mind waiting around for a cut! Trust me, in due time, this shop will have a lot to offer!

So far, I’ll be retaining my Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays at my current spot in San Francisco, but I’ll be available here for Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sundays and Mondays are also available upon request. To book an appointment with me for this shop, shoot me an email at therebelrouser@yahoo.com and we’ll get an appointment figured out.

For the time being, stay tuned on the Instagram page: Captainsbarbers and see how this shop will progress into a killer barber shop in the Bay Area!

Hope to see y’all soon.

Pomp Hard!

Christmas came a little early: Part 2.

Big thanks to Jessica at Lucky 13 for sending me out this killer care-package! The wrap and patches are dope as hell! I’m torn between putting the patches on my kids jacket or something of mine! Of course, she gets first dibs!

This stuff will definitely be reviewed soon and used on my select clientele!

Stay Greasy and Pomp Hard!

Pomade Review: Steadfast Pomade

A number of months ago, Cris over at Steadfast Pomade shot me a tub of their pomade. So, clearly, this is a long overdue review! Major apologies, Cris and readers! At the time I was focusing heavily on getting the most out of barbering school by staying all the way through till the end of the night class… You can only imagine how much energy I’d have after being in school from 9am till 10:30 at night! But, I now have the time to give a thorough review, especially since I’ve been able to use it on various hair types! So, lets get back on track with things and start the review!

Spotting Steadfast on your local barber shops shelves isn’t going to be difficult whatsoever. The pomade is packaged in a typical white tub, but the labeling is definitely eye-catching. The nautical themed label brandishes a killer color palette of warm brown, blue and red tones, with the black trim really making the soft-yellow lettered “STEADFAST” pop. And if you aren’t able to spot this on their shelves, it probably means you should tell them to stock it!

Opening it up, you get a whiff of a subtle fresh scented pomade. Most folks will find it refreshing as they’re preferring toned down scents.

Once you see the cool translucent blue pomade, you can kind of figure out the type of hold the product will offer. More-often-than-not, the clearer the pomade the lighter the hold.  And scooping it out proved just that…

One issue I had with Steadfast, was how light of a consistency it was. I wasn’t concerned about the hold, but rather how it’s a little too easy to scoop out. I’ve found myself taking out too much and having to scrape some back off into the tub. While this isn’t too big of a deal, it just makes using it on clients a bit tricky.

But, since it does come out easily, it also means it applies just as easily. Running this stuff through your hair dry is just as smooth as it is if you apply it damp. My thick hair had no trouble with it goin’ on splotchy, nor did my clients with fine hair.

Now, combing this stuff through your hair, thick or fine, is smooth sailin’. THEPUNZ?! Even if you’re combing it through dry hair, you won’t have too much pullin’ goin’ on.

In terms of consistency, it’s a bit lighter than the well-known yellow labeled product. The hold is strong enough to mold a high pomp, and since the product is light, it doesn’t weigh it down whatsoever, allowing you to sculpt a real smooth lookin’ pomp, when applied to damp hair!

Not only does this stuff do justice to my thick and wavy hair, but it also works great on fine hair… Take a look…

This was used on my client Adam, who has fine hair… BUT A LOT OF IT. Applying it to dry hair brings out more of the textured look, and not so much the slick look that you’d get from applying it to dampened hair.

While using it, I didn’t notice any flaking from recombing it dry. While it’s not exactly a recombable product, I didn’t deal with any flaking, which is always a plus! There’s a tiny bit of a glossy finish, so don’t expect a completely matte finish.

Overall, Steadfast is a pretty dope pomade. Not only is it affordable, differently colored, it works damn well! As mentioned, the only draw back I’ve dealt with was scooping out excessive amounts, which is more of a professional issue than an at-home issue. Again, not too big of a deal. If you’re in the market to change things up a bit with your water-soluble pomade market, I’d definitely say take a look into this stuff. Again, big thanks to Cris over at Steadfast, and major apologies for such a late review. But hey, better late than never, right?

Until the next time (which won’t be months away!,)

Pomp Hard!

Video: Using Lucky 13’s White Lightning Pomade.

Here’s a quick little video introducing y’all to Murray’s Lucky 13 White Lightning Pomade. Don’t worry, it will get a thorough written review as well! I’ve been meaning to put all of em to use, but I haven’t had the “right” haircut, that would warrant using this cool line of pomades! So major apologies, I’ll be putting them to good use soon.

So, until I get a cool haircut from Chris aka Cream The Barber, here’s the video!

Updates/Recent Haircuts.

Hey folks, long time no see!

Once again, for the umpteenth time, I apologize for the lack of updates. As most of you know, I’ve since been graduated from barber college and have been cutting hair at The Barber Lounge. And as you all probably realize, I don’t have time to blog. Especially since I’ve previously worked a few 11+ day work weeks, having actual weekends is something I take full advantage of! Majority of the time, my weekends consists of naps and more naps. But, I am committed to getting things back on track. Each and every email, comment, and question asked will be replied to- even if it may be ‘too late. So, starting in August, I will be dedicating one day a week to writing up new content for the site, answering emails on the weekends, as well as making new YouTube videos. I definitely appreciate the patience and support you’ve all been giving me throughout this journey, and hope you all are down for the entire ride!

For the meantime, here are a few of my recent haircuts. Big thanks to everyone that’s come through to get a haircut via the blog/YouTube channel! Hope to get some of y’all in on a more regular basis! I mean, it’s a bit easier than having to just set the new standard for your haircut with another barber, right?

To book future appointments with me, call The Barber Lounge at (415) 934-0411, located on 854 Folsom St  San Francisco, CA 94107

Recent Haircuts

C&C always welcomed! Enjoy.

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Recap: Viva Las Vegas 16.

Unlike previous VLV trips, this one was last-minute. While we did have the rooms booked since last years VLV15, the original plans fell through and I had to figure out how I’d be able to make it out there without a plane ticket or a hotel room… Not exactly the ideal way to plan a trip, eh?! Plus, it wouldn’t be my best showing, since I hadn’t had that good ol’ VLV prep (dieting and all that good shit!) I figured- fuck it! And after a couple of phone calls, rushed packing, and a sketchy car with no radio, I was on my way to Viva Las Vegas 16!

Click to continue reading!

Pomade Review: Layrite (Super Shine)

Water-soluble pomades have got to be the most popular pomade on the market to date. I mean, there are brands popping out of the woodwork pumping out some cool pomade! But only so many have been able to make their pomades stand out from the rest, and one of those brands is the one and only Layrite. Being one of, if not, the first water-soluble pomade brand around, several brands race to achieve the popularity Layrite has amongst other products around.

One thing that Layrite fans wanted, was some shine. As we all know, most/all water-soluble pomades dry with a matte finish- for the most part. People have been asking me for ways to add shine to such water-soluble pomades. And well, Layrite heeds the call! They’ve kicked things up a notch, by releasing their newly developed Super Shine pomade.

Disclaimer:

This post will include Affiliate Marketing links in which I may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases. Every link is linked to a product that I, myself, have purchased and used personally as well as professionally.

The Layrite Super Shine comes packed in the same white plastic container as the other Layrite products. Using a deep wine red label with gold foil trim helps differentiate it from its Layrite brethren. Personally, I think the color is odd in comparison to the other two products, but since it is an entirely different product type- it gets a pass.

Opening it up, you see a pastel orange cream-type product. This throws off many cats, as they’re used to seeing a gel-type product. Well folks, let’s introduce you to something new!

Getting this stuff out of the container is not difficult whatsoever, you’ll find that this stuff feels like a cream-type pomade. The closest product I’d compare the product consistency to, is 360 Styles (with Layrite being much lighter.)

The only real downside Layrite Super Shine has is the scent… For the most part, it is scentless. But, it has the smell of plastic, which I’m assuming is from the plastic container. From what I’ve heard from gossiping pomade enthusiasts, is that they’re working on developing a (new) scent for it. With the lack of a desirable scent/any scent, it has turned off a number of cats from using it on a daily basis. Hopefully we’ll see and smell something fresh in the near future!

Applying this stuff to your hair may be tricky. Due to the sticky texture of the product, you have to make sure your hair has the “right” amount of moisture in it, to ensure even distribution. Trust me, I’ve got stuck with a fat skidmark right down the center of my head, when I had too much water in my hair! I guess I could’ve passed it off as the bleach streak some cats rock?

Combing up a pomp with Layrite Super Shine can be tricky, especially if you’re used to how the original two products comb. Unlike most water-soluble pomades, this stuff combs just like a grease. No really, it does! One thing that attracted me to this stuff, was the ability to effortlessly shape a well-rounded pomp with it, without any tugging (giggity.) And since this stuff combs through like a grease, you won’t be left with flat shield pomps, that most water-soluble pomades leave you with if you don’t comb them right. Definitely something that I can dig!

The hold of this stuff is like a light medium-weight pomade. So don’t expect any crazy height like you’d get from their Super Hold pomade! But, you will have a greasy lookin’ pomp, without the worry of staining your ladies pillow cases or couch cushions, all while having a slick ‘do! Take a look…

This stuff will retain its hold throughout the day… for the most part. I found that if you try to slick through it dry, it’ll cause it to looks the slickness from the original styling, causing you to (pretty much) restyle your hair completely. For most cats, this isn’t a big deal, but for the rest of you– make sure you got your comb or brush near by a sink!

Overall, I gotta say I really dig this product. You all know how much I dig 360 Styles, and since this is like it’s completely water-soluble little brother, I’ve got no complaints whatsoever! It’s great for modest pomps and for when you want that greasy look, without actually having to go to that “greasy kid stuff.” For you cats looking to add some shine to your flat water-soluble pomades, or if you just want to retain that greasy look while you’re degreasing, this is definitely one to look into!

Now, this review is only for it as a standalone product. So stay tuned for the video, showing you how to use it as a top-coat, adding the nice greasy sheen to your Layrite Super Hold or Layrite Original pomade!

Big thanks again to Mike and the folks at Layrite. Hopefully, we’ll see a little somethin’ somethin’ between Layrite and The Rebel Rouser in the near
future!

Click the link below to purchase:
Layrite Super Shine: https://amzn.to/3liZniO

Until the next time.

Stay Greasy & Pomp Hard!