What is the Difference Between a Barber and a Hairstylist?

Barbers and hairstylists both receive training which allows them to cut hair, but they have different skills and approaches to hair cutting which make members of these professions quite different. When selecting the services of a professional who provides haircutting services, people should definitely consider the distinction between barbers and hairstylists so that they can select the one which will offer the services they need. Both of these professions are quite old. Barbers or barber-surgeons as they were once known used to handle haircuts for men, along with basic medical treatments such as bloodletting. Hairstylists, better known as hairdressers, provided hair services to women which ranged from the creation of elaborate hairstyles such as those in vogue during the Elizabethan era to cutting and trimming. Many hairstylists historically also worked with wigs, and in fact in some cultures women kept their heads shaved, and wore complex wigs. A barber tends to work primarily with ...  more