A barber (from the Latin barba, “beard”) is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves and cut beards. A barber differs from a hairdresser whose business is generally restricted to cutting and styling hair. With the development of safety razors and the increasing popularity of cleanshaven men, most barbers primarily cut hair.

Therefore, although many may still deal with facial hair when requested, the predominant difference in American and Commonwealth culture is that barbers specialize in the simple cutting of men’s hair. They do not generally offer significant styling or ‘fancy’ haircuts when compared to hairdressers working in hair salons. The place where a barber works is generally called a barbershop (or “barber shop”).

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