The Truth about what’s going on in the barbering world.

Barbering’s been around longer than sliced bread. Ancient Egyptians were trimming fades before we even had electricity. In medieval times, barbers didn’t just cut hair, they pulled teeth and drained blood. The iconic red and white barber pole is not just for show, it dates back to when barbers doubled as surgeons, performing haircuts and bloodletting in the same chair.

Fast forward to the 1980s, when salons, started turning their noses up at clippers like they were weapons of mass destruction. “Sorry, we don’t do clipper cuts.” So what happened? Men went back to the barbers, where they actually knew what a taper was. That’s when barbering had its comeback tour and it’s been thriving ever since.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in every town: the endless stream of Cheap barbers popping up like mushrooms after rain.

Some of them are very good, flame-in-the-ear, threading-your-eyebrows-without-consent, head massage that makes you question reality… and all for £14. Seems magical. Or is it mathematically impossible, considering a high street location in Oxfordshire can range from 18k-25k a year.

In April 2025, the National Crime Agency raided 265 "cash-only" businesses, most of them barbershops and froze over £1 million.

Why? Alleged drug trafficking, modern slavery, and money laundering ? So yeah, you might’ve thought you were walking in for a skin fade, but apparently you were three feet away from a crime scene.

The Times even dropped a piece in 2023 claiming some of these shops weren’t even cutting hair they were just fronts for washing dirty money.

You know it’s serious when the barbershop has a sign that says “Cash-only,” but hasn’t had a customer since lockdown.

Not every budget barber is dodgy, some are killing it in the right way. But too many are operating under the radar: no tax, no training or qualifications, no receipts, and no clue how to do a fade that doesn’t start halfway up your head.

Meanwhile… at HARE.

At HARE unisex barber shops, we do things differently. Actually, we do them properly:

•⁠  ⁠We pay our staff legally and fairly, no backdoor cash nonsense.

•⁠  ⁠We invest in training and development. We’ve got five NVQ assessors, three apprentices, and two newly qualified stylists getting mentored and supported daily.

•⁠  ⁠We’re big on staff wellbeing funding driving lessons, gym memberships, health checks, even private sessions on posture and back care.

•⁠  ⁠We encourage our team to grow, perform on stage, build their socials, and actually have a career, not just a job.

•⁠  ⁠And yes, we pay our taxes. We play by the rules and support our economy, we even run charity events and sponsor Witney Rugby club.

•⁠  ⁠We even recycle your hair and have a sustainability driven studio build policy.

So Here’s the Deal:

Support your local barbers.

The ones investing in people, not finding creative ways to balance the books. We don’t just do great hair we do it right. If you’re after a haircut from a team that genuinely cares, about you, your style, and the industry, come to HARE.