Barbers and haircuts

Barbers were where men and boys had their hair cut in the fifties; it was only later that men might go to hairdressers and sometimes have their hair cut by a woman. Hair washing was not offered and you had to be quick to avoid the mandatory dollop of Bryllcreem - how I hated that smell. There were no different styles available and everyone came out with a pudding basin cut (which looked as if a pudding basin had been put on your head and trimmed around). Tools used were scissors, thinning scissors (which looked like two sharp combs), combs, manual trimmers and a cutthroat razor to put neat edges on the job. As one paid, the barber would always ask “anything for the weekend sir?” – I had no idea what he was talking about and it was only towards the end of the 50s that I understood.