GROOMING: Ted's Grooming Room - Ted in the City

Anyone who has read previous posts where I get my hair cut will know that I have a rather strong and unhealthy fear of hairdressers, so much so that my hair grows out and to stupid lengths before I build up the courage to finally sit down in the barber chair. Sadly, due to illness I was unable to attend the launch of the latest Ted's Grooming Room near St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London, but managed to wangle a visit a couple of weeks ago to see the new store and what they could do to make me look respectable again after some six months of hair growth.

Before going I likened my hair to a Darth Vader helmet and to be frank, my eyebrow (there was only one) looked as though a hairy caterpillar had crawled across my face and died. The look was not a good - being blunt (am I ever anything but?) I looked a right state.

As always, I opted for 'The Full Ted' of a wash and cut, a beard trim and some much needed threading of the brow. Bearing in mind I was off work at the time I visited, I had partied a little too much the night before so was delicate to say the least. On arrival I was sat down, given a much needed strong and sugary Turkish coffee (it was lush) and had a brief chat on what sort of style I wanted to go for. I opted for an undercut, but one that gradually cut under my flowing hair on the top, with that thinned out and trimmed so that I could sweep it back and manage it easily. 

While struggling to stay awake while my hair was washed (it's so relaxing) the cut itself did take some time, about 50 minutes but that was mainly due to the massive amount of hair on my head and the care taken in trimming my barnet. At my age watching the grey hair fall to the floor is a bit scary (I'm getting old) but even without my glasses on I could see the style taking shape and about ten minutes in I was grinning from ear to ear and the nerves I'd been experiencing (read nausea) has evaporated. Good stuff, good stuff.

As the cut went on the lovely staff continued to talk to me about the theme for the new store. In the store just off The Strand there is a TV theme, but here in The City its Pearly Kings & Queens and when they mentioned that they had had real ones along for the opening I knew I'd missed out on a good night.

After the cut was finished there was another wash, a careful style and a few snips here and there as the barber searched for perfection. He found it very quickly! 

Rather than go for a full clean shave due to Movember I asked what he could do to make the moustache stand out without removing the beard (the other half says that removal of the beard is grounds for divorce). The suggestion was a tapered trim that brought out the hair around my mouth and chin while retaining a reasonable length on the sides gradually getting shorter as it approached my ear. It looked the bees knees when finished.

They say they leave the best until last, I dispute this, they left the pain until last. I may be going soft in my old age, but when I had my brow first threaded back in October 2015 when visiting the Holborn branch I hardly felt a thing, the second time it stung but this time, ouch, it battered. It felt as though my face was being ripped off. The pain was worth it and in all fairness, they did have a lot of hair to remove from the brow and then to separate them properly. The end result, two brows, perfectly shaped and looking spot on.

And here are the before and after shots - it's hard to disagree that they know their craft!

Ted's Grooming Room never fail to turn what I call my hobo-chic grooming efforts into something that looks amazing, well kept and as though I've spent hours perfecting my look. I love my hair, I was impressed with the attention given by the barber to make sure every last hair was cut and trimmed perfectly and best of all, on leaving I felt on top of the world. 

My acid test for hair salons is how I feel when I leave - in this case I felt about a foot taller, felt more confident and genuinely liked the pictures I took of myself on the way home just so that I could see the style again. That speaks volumes in my book, and means that I can't help but recommend this new store and the talented folk who work there. Top marks, top marks.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ted's Grooming Room
9 New Change Passage
St Paul's
EC4M 9AG

Open Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Telephone: 0203 397 9966

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The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel + Giveaway

On 30 June I had an out of body experience - I visited The Legends barber shop in Holborn. If you haven’t seen how they knocked years off me with the best haircut ever (what the hell have you been doing?) you should as they also gave me a bag of goodies to give away. You can read about the out of body experience here. 

I have to confess I was cheeky and asked for a tub of The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel for myself as I really liked the style my barber Darius had managed used it. 

In the shop Darius used just a tiny bit of the gel, explaining that it was unique in that you could achieve different styles depending on how, and how much you apply. It says that it is a no flaking formula (oh god, there really is nothing worse - especially in a black or dark blue suit) medium matte finish. 

The marketing blurb/instructions say:

‘Spike it up or slick it flat, get that wet look or keep it dry, Maximum hold hair gel gives maximum hold and frizz control without flaking for your every style.’

For my cut my hair had been dried and a little massaged into the shaft of the hair which resulted in a fantastic matte look.

The day after I tried applying to my hair while still damp which the blurb says should result in a wet look and guess what, it did, in fact the hold was solid once the gel had been absorbed and absorbed in my hair. Styling was a breeze with damp hair and while the gel does leave a sticky residue on the hands to wash off it has a reassuring crisp feel to the touch. 

When applied to damp hair I found myself checking throughout the day that it hadn’t flaked onto my suit jacket. I’m happy to report that there were no such signs all day. In fact, on examination the morning after applying there were still no flakes in my hair - result.

I really wanted to recreate the style that I had in the shop so applied to dry hair, styled and then dried it on a low setting so not to blow out the style. Styling wasn’t the easiest - I think more down to my ability rather than the product. After a few tries I managed to get close to the style I wanted and my hair had a great matte finish, in fact it looked and felt a little ‘fluffy’ as though it had more volume than usual rather than when I have sharp spikes.

The dry, matte style also didn’t result in any flakes being visible. It’s a big bug-bear of mine that most products do but this doesn’t.



Again, even when applied to dry hair it holds, and holds and holds. 24 hours after applying the style has remained rock solid and for a hair gel to can’t beat that. Even better, if you want to re-style while out and about you simply run a damp palm through your hair and hey presto you are ready to go again.

So, what can I say? This gel has a 1980’s retro feel to it. It looks great in neon pink and has that retro hair gel fragrance, an almost chemical aloe vera aroma that doesn‘t overpower aftershave.

At £8 for a 220ml tub of The Legends Maximum Hold Hair Gel this represents great value for money. Less than a pea sized amount is enough to style hair at about an inch in length which means that this will last month after month after month.

You can find stockists at their website here.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have a 220ml tub of the gel, a smaller travel tub and some alum matchsticks to give away thanks to the lovely people at The Legends. To enter just click here and fill out the rafflecopter entries.

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The Legends London + a Giveaway!

Any readers of the blog with a Rain Man like memory (and stamina for wading through my musings) may recall that I once took the plunge and admitted to having a morbid fear of hairdressers and barbers.

It stems from a trip of young Stephen to the barber (known as whip it off Wilf) for what I thought would be a trim, instead Wilf, god rest his soul (no I didn’t kill him, he was old and it was 30 years ago so safe to assume) took his cue from my dad (no, I haven’t forgotten dad) and proceeded to shave my head. Imagine a peanut that has been in the sun for a week and you get the idea of what I looked like.

This fear has meant that trips for haircuts have been few and far between throughout my life. I once found the perfect stylist when working in Southwark, London – Trevor was the first hairdresser who could cut my hair to perfection but sadly he moved on, it was also expensive at the time circa 2005 at £40 for a wash and cut. Trevor’s departure resulted in very infrequent visits to my local barber shop for an acceptable cut at £10.

Out of nowhere I received an e-mail from The Legends, a traditional barbershop based in Holborn, London asking if I would like to try a cut and some of the treatments they offer. Their full contact details are below and directions can be found from their website. 

After considering the phobia I tentatively accepted and on Monday (30 June) I made the short walk from my office to the shop to see what they could do with the face and hair only a mother could love. Below is the arty shot taken before I stepped in (and after about the third cigarette smoked with shaking hands)!

So what do The Legends say about themselves?

‘The Legends Barber Shop carries you back to a time when taking care of the way you look was part of being a man.

With uncommonly friendly service and a passionate attention to detail, the trained professionals at The Legends Barber Shop are schooled both in the time-honoured traditions of barbering and shaving.

With skills firmly rooted in tradition, all of The Legends barbers will work hard to give you a haircut you can be proud of.

Our friendly and talented staff will hook you up with the latest styles as well as a fresh interpretation of the classics. From the traditional and short hair cuts, through to old-fashioned hot towels and a straightedge shave, to the head massage you enjoy when you are finished.

At The Legends Barber Shop, we bring you the nostalgia of yesteryear with a modern twist.’

The shop itself is traditional in nature, the window display of antique barber ware struck fear into me but it does look cool. There are chairs for waiting customers but what strikes you from the moment you walk in is the feeling of openness and light. It is really bright considering the narrow shop front and as you walk down towards the rear it really opens up to reveal a host of barber chairs, sinks and the coolest cash register ever.

The barbers, all dressed in white look the part (always check out the hair of a hairdresser is my motto) and as soon as I arrived and before they knew who I was they were attentive, noticed I was a bit warm and offered to take my suit jacket.

My barber was to be Darius, a cheerful looking chap - he looks 35 (claims to be older) with a well groomed beard and moustache. He looked the part and after a brief introduction I sat into the chair of doom. 

I had considered letting Darius loose on my hair with a brief of ‘do what you think would suit this face’ but decided I might be a tad upset if he placed a paper bag over my head. Instead I opted for the sides to be shaved with really short top that could be styled into a bed head look.

After washing my hair and trying to keep consciousness (chilled out as my head was massaged by one of Darius‘ glamorous assistants - they set to work). A promise was made, “by the time we’ve finished you’ll look 16 again”. A pretty impressive boast I thought. 

Normally when I get my hair cut they start by shaving the top - instead Darius trimmed away at the top and as I gasped at the sheer amount of grey hair falling into my lap we struck up conversation about blogging, how they had found my blog, the history of the shop and his ethos as a barber. 

As the cutting continued I was surprised given it’s location tucked away between Red Lion Square and Theobalds Road at the number of people popping in to book appointments, having their hair cut or just stopping by on the off chance of a cut. This isn’t a place that needs bigging up in any way I thought to myself. 

The haircut took around 40 minutes and we chatted away, my nerves put completely at ease. We moved on to talking about shaving, blades etc as the clippers came out and the sides were shaved down to the bone. 

It was a completely painless experience and actually incredibly relaxing - I could have happily closed my eyes and slept I was that relaxed and at ease. 

Readers will have to wait for the final look at the bottom as the haircut wasn’t the end of proceedings - oh no. What I will say here is that for the first time in 10 years, and for only the second time I have found a barber who makes my hair looks simply amazing, is easy to style and does actually make me look substantially younger. 

Darius is a barber, not a miracle worker but I’ve been surprised at work with the number of really positive comments on how it makes me look younger (had three of these), that I now look like Andy Coulson the disgraced spin doctor who used to work for David Cameron (seven of these and counting - Jane Bailey*) and two where people had to take a second look to realise it was me.

You can’t beat that!

Anyway, I digress - I’d always wanted to have a traditional shave using a cutthroat razor and this is on offer. After applying lotion that cleared my sinuses in seconds (a lovely mint/menthol) a warm towel was placed over my face for a few minutes. Again I had to resist the urge to sleep I was so relaxed.

After wiping off my face shaving cream was applied. My leg started to tremble - I was nervous as soon as I saw the blade. Darius, sensing this put me at ease with references to the size of his liability insurance and some good humoured banter. The shave was such a unique experience and the final results were one of the closest shaves I’ve ever had.

His hands were steady (bonus), he didn’t cut me (bonus) and when the phone rang and I jumped he didn’t slash my throat (bonus). 

As I left I had the biggest smile on my face in a long time. My hair looked great, my face was so smooth and I felt like a new man.

There are pictures littered throughout this post about my experience and they show the magic that is The Legends and in particular Darius who is clearly a hair artiste with skills other barbers can only aspire to.

The shave was £22.50 and I will be having one again, probably as a treat now and again or if I’m going to a special event.

The full price list can be found on The Legends website here but at £18.50 for a wash and cut that is only just a touch more expensive for what I have been spending to be under whelmed by my local barber. You could add £20 onto the price and I would still pay it.

When they claim to give you uncommonly friendly service, passionate attention to detail and give you a haircut you can be proud of they are right on the money. Everything they claim to be is true and that is rare in this day and age. 

In summary:

Darius = Legend
The Legends = Legends

I normally have a kind of scale that I use ranging from ‘avoid at all costs’, ‘not recommended’, ‘recommended’ and ‘highly recommended’. In this case I have had to add a new one ‘forget the rest and go with the best’.

Forget the rest, go with the best

*names have not been changed to protect the very guilty

THE LEGENDS LONDON GIVEAWAY

In addition to making my week, I also have some of The Legends products to giveaway to one lucky blog reader thanks to the generosity of the staff, the Rafflecopter widget is below.

For a chance to win:

• 220ml tub of The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel (another post on the way)
• 40ml tube of travel sized The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel
• A pack of The Legends London Alum Matchsticks (used to mop up blood from nicks when shaving)

 

• Sadly this giveaway is limited to residents of the United Kingdom (don’t worry; another giveaway for a global readers is not far away).  
• If you are under 18 years of age, please ensure you have your parents permission to enter because I will need your address to post the prize.
• All Entries will be checked

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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