bullerboY Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Did anybody have their hair burnt (singed) by their barber,I was told this stop the hair bleeding when I was a kid,do any still carry this out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwlsChick Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 What??? It sounds a tad wrong to me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatrajah Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yes, barbers used to offer this service at a small extra charge. One of my mates used to have it done after his regular short back & sides. This was at Horace's barbers on Bramall Lane in the late 1950s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleetwood Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 It wasn't burnt in the true sense, it was singed or scorched with a taper to stop as you say 'bleeding'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorset Blade Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I remember having my hair singed at "MacDonalds" on Chesterfield Road in the late 1950s. My mother was told that this helped to alleviate colds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain Talker Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I'm puzzled. How does hair bleed? It has no blood vessels, it's just keratin, the same stuff nails are made of. The only blood vessels are near the root. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillsbro Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I'm puzzled. How does hair bleed? It has no blood vessels...Hair can't bleed (this is a myth) but singeing was done by traditional barbers. In fact my local barber here in Scunthorpe can do it on demand. He keeps the tapers in a drawer but he tells me that it's years since anyone asked for a singeing. I remember in the 1950s at Garnetts barber shop in Middlewood Road, singeing was on the price list (haircuts cost 1s 3d [9d for boys] and singeing was 4d). I was always intrigued by this word "singeing" and on one occasion I actually witnessed it being done. Old Ernest Garnett simply lit a taper and waved it around this bloke's hair after it had been cut. It just gave a sort of frizzy appearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain Talker Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for clearing up that mystery Hillsboro' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hardie Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I remember it being done at Harry's on Ellesmere Road in the 50s. As a kid I thought it was to stop or slow down growth but of course hair grows from the root. I still don't know why it was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagel Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 It was a regular thing when I got my hair cut as a child. The hairs on the back of the head were singed with a taper, which was a very thin candle. This was the early 60s in Liverpool. Here's some links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singe http://thegroomingguide.com/hair/traditional-hair-singeing/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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