Rant: A customer asked me to fade his receding hairline and I just couldn't do it

So this guy maybe 45 years old sat down at my chair last Saturday and pointed at his temples, said he wanted a skin fade right up to where his hair was thinning. I looked at his photos on his phone and it was this super clean high fade on a guy with a full head of hair. Ngl I tried to talk him into something more subtle like a low taper or just keeping it natural with a combover. But he insisted and told me he was paying for a fade not my opinion. So I did it and honestly the back and sides looked great but the top just screamed trying too hard. He left happy but I felt weird about it the whole time. Has anyone else dealt with a client asking for a style that just doesnt work with their hair situation?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_lane731mo ago

Nope, you're not alone. Last month I had a guy in his 50s with a pretty obvious horseshoe pattern starting. He wanted a zero fade all the way up and slicked back on top. I did my best to steer him toward something with a little more coverage on the crown, but he was dead set on it. The result was exactly what you described - the sides blended clean but the top was so thin you could see his scalp through the product. He tipped me $20 and said it was exactly what he wanted. I just smiled and finished up, but deep down I felt like I should have put my foot down harder. Sometimes I guess people are gonna do what they want even if it's not the best look for them.

riley_coleman81mo ago

Man, I never really thought about it that way before. I used to be all "it's their hair, let them do what they want," but you guys have me seeing how a barber's job is part honesty too. Like, you're not just cutting hair, you're saving people from themselves sometimes.