# Turkish Barbers and the Art of the Shave: From the Past to Today > In Turkey's barbershops, men's grooming is a genuine art passed down through generations. We explore the traditions of master barbers and the secrets of their craft. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/turetski-perukari-za-borodoiu-vid-mynuloho-do-sohodennia/ - Language: en - Published: 2025-08-23 - Categories: Culture, Historic Sites, Leisure, Turkey, Food & Drinks, Relaxation --- Nihat Aram stands at the door of Turan Erkek Kuaförü, where he has worked for 20 years, waiting for his next customer. In the shop behind him, down a few steps, square black chairs sit in front of a spotlessly clean white counter fitted with individual sinks for each customer. The decor is minimalist, just a few photographs on the wall, and the lighting is bright. Across the way, 90s music drifts from the speakers of a café, and further down the street groups of men perched on low stools sip ruby-red tea from small tulip-shaped glasses. This narrow street in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, is packed with men's barbershops. That is no surprise, because men's grooming, and shaving in particular, occupies a special place all its own in Turkey. The rest of the world could learn a great deal from the standard of personal grooming that men keep here, and there are a few techniques, described below, well worth recreating at home. ## Becoming a Master Many men in Turkey visit their barber every week. The shops range from small neighborhood places like this one to extremely expensive, high-end salons, and everything in between. Although shaving dates all the way back to the Egyptians, little is known about the specific history of barbers in Turkey before the 16th century. Before then, shaving was haram, forbidden, and men grew long beards in keeping with Islamic beliefs. When Suleiman the Magnificent became Sultan in 1520, Turkish society changed. The first coffeehouses opened, offering public spaces for debate. Barbers were quick to see the potential and arranged with the owners to set up a corner inside. Some opened shops next door. ![](/storage/image/prev/june-article-image-105-1-2025.jpg) Aspiring barbers most likely learned through observation and endless hours of practice, much like Nihat Aram. "I didn't go to a professional school. There was no professional school at that time," he said. Instead, he began an apprenticeship at 14 in Tunceli, in eastern Turkey, under the guidance of an usta, a master. Aram's first usta was Huseyin Okay, a highly disciplined and demanding man who placed great importance on neat, well-kept dress. Aram had planned to finish one more year of high school during his apprenticeship, but his father fell ill and he had to return to his hometown of Elazığ. Aram needed to work full time, and he started out with a new usta, Kazim Alca. Aram learned honesty and morals from Alca, but another barber who worked in the salon had the greatest influence on the 15-year-old. "His name was Mehmet... I saw that he cut beards and hair the best... customers came to him from far away. I was amazed, because he was the best barber in that region." Mehmet encouraged Aram, giving him private lessons. Aram remembers how his usta would inflate a balloon and shave it. "It's called shaving the balloon. He had a whetstone for the knives, and he used a straight razor. His level of skill was that high." ![](/storage/image/prev/june-article-image-105-2-2025.jpg) Over the course of two years Aram watched, learned, and practiced his razor skills at home, on his friends and sometimes even on his mother, before becoming a master himself. Master Turkish barbers do more than pass on their experience, they teach their apprentices an ethic built on customer-focused service and an attention to detail that has no equal. Through migration, their precise skills have been introduced to the world. Visit a Turkish barbershop in Istanbul, London, or Berlin, and the experience will be the same. ## Finding a Good Barber When the trade began to modernize in the 19th century, barbers were considered part of the artisan class and had duties that reached well beyond hair and mustaches. According to research by a medical historian, barbers were often tasked with pulling teeth. From 1840 onward, those who practiced tooth extraction had to sit an exam to assess their level of knowledge and skill. If they passed, they were allowed to advertise their services. Some of the more creative ones put up signs using the teeth they had pulled to spell out their names. Thankfully, customers don't need to worry about having a tooth pulled when they go for a shave these days. They should, however, consider the qualities of the barber they choose. In Ottoman times, candidates were tested to see how they reacted under pressure. Anyone prone to quick anger who made mistakes was ruled out. A good guiding principle, even now. Aram believes dedication is one of the most important qualities of a good barber. "If you don't love what you do, the results will be very poor... self-sacrifice is important, dedication, caring for customers and their satisfaction, these are important qualities." ![](/storage/image/prev/june-article-image-105-3-2025.jpg) After more than 30 years as a barber, Aram has learned to watch his customers closely so he knows how they're feeling and can respond accordingly. They might be stressed by problems at work or in a relationship. When he gives them a face or shoulder massage, another part of the barbershop experience, he also lends a sympathetic ear. And trust between barber and customer is essential. After all, one of them is wielding an open razor. But the grooming process isn't limited to shaving alone. Turkish barbers remove unwanted facial hair using ağ (wax) or the more old-fashioned method of threading. This involves twisting a strand of thread, held between the teeth and hands, into a loop that opens and closes over the hair in a scissoring motion, plucking it out. Nose hairs are quickly removed with wax or, less painfully, with a nose hair trimmer. Traditionally, ear hair is singed off. A cotton swab soaked in alcohol was lit and passed quickly over the surface of the ears, leaving them hairless but bright red for a while afterward. It looks rather dramatic and, as Aram points out, a little dangerous, and it is now officially banned because the flame can't be controlled. Depending on the customer's preference, he uses wax or a lighter, because it can be switched on and off as needed. ## What You Need to Know About Grooming at Home Most Turkish barbers worked outdoors right up until the end of the 20th century. Mehmet Tekin, better known as Seyyat Berber (the Nomadic Barber), also works outdoors and has traveled across Turkey on his motorcycle since 2018, "making friends with his scissors, cutting people's hair" along the way. Seven years after starting out in the trade, Tekin completed two years of formal training and has worked as a freelance stylist since 2011 for fashion magazines, television, and film. As everywhere in the world, during the lockdowns men in Turkey couldn't visit their barbers, and barbers were forbidden from going to customers' homes. Even Tekin had to stay put for a while. As a result, both Aram and Tekin received countless calls from men wanting guidance on how to groom themselves at home. ![](/storage/image/prev/june-article-image-105-4-2025.jpg) Tekin in particular recommends that men ask their own barber for advice rather than looking for a one-size-fits-all solution, because everyone has a different skin type and beard structure (shape). Knowing the individual characteristics of your skin matters. Although Tekin and Aram prefer to see their customers for a proper shave, there are a few essentials to any good shave, whether in the shop or at home. The type of razor? A sharp one. The make and model of razor a man uses matter less than how skilled he is at handling it. When it comes to avoiding nicks and scratches, practice makes perfect, especially with a straight razor. The best way to learn, Aram says, is "to practice first and try many times without putting the blade into the razor. When training barbers, we teach them to hold the skin with their fingers and stretch it slightly, so we can shave the trickier parts of the face more easily. It's especially important to do this." Aram uses a disposable razor with a handle and changes the blade after every customer. Beyond the hygiene aspect, it guarantees a clean shave. When he was an apprentice, he would douse the razor in cologne and light it, but nowadays all the equipment is thoroughly sterilized in a professional UV cabinet. Even so, after shaving a customer he still pours alcohol on the razor, sets it alight, and lets it burn off. Only once it's clean does he fit a new blade. Men who shave at home would do well to do the same. ![](/storage/image/prev/june-article-image-105-5-2025.jpg) The water temperature? Hot. "They shouldn't shave with cold water. For a better shave they should do it after a shower, if possible," Tekin said. Aram agreed on the subject of hot water. "Using hot water is very important in case there are any microbes on the blade, and it makes the shave more comfortable and gentle," he said. He also had plenty to say about the type of soap to use. Using ordinary soap to work up a shaving lather "can cause an allergy, can harm your skin, a rash... fungal infections." To get as close as possible to a Turkish shave, he recommends using a foaming soap in a packet, such as Arko, a Turkish brand. "Put the soap on the brush and into hot water, boiling water... That's the most hygienic way." The bristles of a shaving brush should be a little soft, not stiff. Men need to dip the brush in very hot water first, apply the soap to the brush, and only then lather the face. If they apply the soap directly to the face first, then dip the brush in hot water and use it to work the soap into a lather on the face, they risk burning the skin. Done in the right order, after about five seconds the heat from the bristles makes the soap foam up and, in the process, cools the brush slightly, ensuring a safe, smooth lather. ## One Final Tip Both men know their customers are perfectly capable of shaving themselves at home, but, as Aram points out, only a barber can "lift their spirits" by lending a sympathetic ear. "I say 'get well soon' when they're ill... it gets better, this is life, it goes on. When they get up, they're happy, beloved. When I'm energetic and motivated myself, I pass that on to them." It seems nothing can replace a trip to the barber, at least in Turkey, where their skills reach far beyond a simple shave.