A cut above the rest: Wet shaving enjoying a remarkable renaissance, with 50% rise in British cut-throat shaving barbers
Competition to crown Britain’s Best Wet Shaving Barber launched to celebrate the innovative talent that resides in the British cut throat shaving industry
As the search for Britain’s Best Wet Shaving Barber begins, new research released today shows that wet shaving is enjoying a remarkable renaissance in the UK with the figures showing the number of barbers performing traditional cut-throat shaves in Britain has jumped by 50% in the past 12 months.
Research from the British Barbers’ Association and The Bluebeards Revenge premium shaving brand shows that there is an estimated 14,100 barbershops in Britain, with 5,076 (36% of total) now offering cut-throat shaving to their male clients, up from just 3,384 in August 2012.
Mike Taylor, director at British Barbers’ Association, attributed the dramatic surge to a number of different factors, including rising barbering standards and greater innovation, better marketing of services, the rise of the ‘metrosexual male, the need for men to look good at work and guys wanting to look dapper in tagged photos on Facebook and Twitter.
”Cool young dudes no longer use hairdressers, they prefer the trendier, traditional barber shops, where they can have both a haircut and a hot towel shave,” Mike said.
The stats show that men in Britain, on average, are now visiting their barber for a traditional cut-throat shave once a fortnight. The average cut-throat shave now costs just shy of £17 in Britain, up from £14 in August 2012.
According to the survey, barbershops in London (43%) are the most likely to offer a wet shaving service, followed by barbers in the South East (38%) and the North East (37%). The South West (27%) and Wales (29%) were the regions were barbershops were least likely to offer a wet shaving service.
The British Barbers’ Association and The Bluebeards Revenge have now teamed up to launch a nationwide hunt to find Britain’s Best Wet Shaving Barber.
Dubbed ‘Britain’s Best Shave’, it promises to be not only a celebration of the most creative and innovative of British wet shave barbering, but also a showcase of the growing global reach and talent of the UK cut-throat shaving industry.
The competition is open to any wet shaving barber currently applying their trade in Britain. It will start with 12 regional heats, with the top eight wet shaving barbers in Britain going to a national “speed shaving” tournament inside a boxing ring at Barber Connect 2014 at the prestigious Celtic Manor Hotel in Wales.
Nick Gibbens, marketing manager at The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “We connect with the funky, young new generation of barbers who are the future of the industry. We aim to inspire these youngsters and create a legacy on the back of a re-birth of the almost lost wet shaving barber skills.”
Barbers looking to enter this once-in-a-lifetime competition can register their details at: http://www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk/bestshave/
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For more information on the research or competition, contact Mike Taylor on 02037011773 or michael.t@britishbarbers.com and Nick Gibbens on 01752 898191 or nick@bluebeards-revenge.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
The research was carried out during August 2013.
About the British Barbers’ Association
The British Barbers’ Association is committed to raising professional standards, highlighting and celebrating talent and facilitating the professional and commercial development of barbers, male grooming salons and men’s hairdressers.
They are currently working with leading professional male grooming brands and professional services providers to give members access to great deals on products, tools, training and other services including preferential premiums on a range of financial services products including bespoke insurance and tailor-made pensions.
About The Bluebeards Revenge
The Bluebeards Revenge is a premium range of quality shaving and men's skincare products designed to combat tough stubble and tackle common shaving problems like razor burn and rash. The shaving products contain Decelerine™, a unique ingredient that has been designed to actually reduce and slowdown beard growth. More information can be found at www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk.
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For more information on the research or the competition, contact Mike Taylor on 02037011773 or michael.t@britishbarbers.com and Nick Gibbens on 01752 898191 or nick@bluebeards-revenge.co.uk.
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