Ladies and Gentlemen, the Pageboy!

Prince Valiant wore a pageboy. Not cool enough for you? Well...

Quick, what’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “Pageboy“? If you think of a young wedding attendant from long ago, you are either English, know your English history, or both. The hairstyle sported by these polished young lads started long before they were around, but their ability to pass it on to key members of future cultures (even unknowingly) has made waves all of the way into today and probably into the future.

Originally worn by the Egyptians and named for its roots with English Pageboys, the Pageboy haircut for men is categorized by very straight hair with the hair rolled underneath the ear instead of flaring out. The bangs are usually a single length across the front, but has also been known to be worn with the bangs grown out and swept to the sides. This hairstyle became very popular with American kids after the Beatles sported them in the 1950s. An interesting side-note: Since it typically requires the hair to be longer, the Pageboy coincidentally became one of the least popular hairstyles for parents in the 1950s.

...so did He-Man!

The style is very universal, and over the years the look has expanded and been worn by women also. One of the overall appeals of the Pageboy is its adaptation to any facial shape and nearly any thickness of hair. For women, the low-maintence provided by this hairstyle is a breath of fresh air compared to many other styles. For men, working a

curling iron took some getting used to, but with the stars of the time sporting them, what choice did they have when the Beatles were weraing it?

Do you still sport the famous Pageboy or know someone who does? Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Great Love Deserves Great Hair this Valentine’s Day

Flowers? Check. Candy? Check. Reservations at the place she’s been wanting to go for months? Check. For those men venturing out with their credit card in hand this Valentine’s Day, we would like to salute the men who had the foresight to put everything together for the perfect night with their special woman. You are someone to be admired.

But for those of us normal men who may be cutting it a bit more down to the wire with our Valentine’s  shopping (I am guilty as charged), we feel your pain. In fact, we’d like to give you some help! We know that in all of your Valentine’s shopping in the awful winter weather which refuses to subside, you don’t have time to get to your barber or stylist.

So why not avoid the hassle but still look great for Valentine’s Day? I’ve had several customers tell me that they haven’t given up their barber or stylist, they just use the AirCut for a trim between haircuts to clean up their look until their next appointment. Quick, easy, and best of all, you still have time for a Valentine’s Day gift she’ll really love.

$750 for a Haircut? Not on My Watch, Friends

Seems like a hairstyle that could be done for far less than $750, no?

I was amazed to read a recent article about Justin Bieber spending $750 for a haircut twice per month. Is it really possible that someone so young can already be spending so much money on getting a haircut? Worse still, there is nothing remarkable about his hairstyle. Maybe his stylist needs to pay off the huge fan that blows all of his hair forward. Maybe they have an extensive collection system for the hair so it is not nabbed up by throngs of fans in true Cabbage-Patch-Kids-at-Christmas fashion.

I could go on and on with speculation, but the truth of the matter is that many stylists charge celebrities excessive amounts for two reasons. One, they are available any time, anywhere. Two, celebrities have learned to trust the stylist to give them the same great haircut every time. See where I’m going with this?

The AirCut does both of these things and is a fraction of the cost! Now, I’m not naive enough to think that Justin Bieber reads my blog or is going to endorse our product (but nothing is impossible!), however I do belive that owning an AirCut gives you the same freedom that these celebrities enjoy for much less cost. No more making appointments, no more using a lunch hour to run to the barber, no more haircut disasters. Just a good haircut from a stylist you trust any time of the day or night. Isn’t that worth it?

Get an Ivy League Hairstyle Without the Harvard Price Tag

Similar to a Crew Cut, the “Ivy League” hairstyle is usually left a little longer and spikier on the top so it can be styled or tousled with hair gel, but still kept quite short or buzzed on the sides. It’s a more diverse hairstyle than a traditional Crew Cut because the longer hair on top could be layered, all one length, parted, or left short and spiked up. Currently, this style is worn by celebrities like Ryan Seacrest, Colin Farrell, and Tom Arnold.

The Ivy League haircut originated from the traditional Crew Cut and became popular in the U.S. after World War II. It is believed that the Yale rowing crew first sported the cut to portray a clean, no-nonsense look. Obviously, this look was then copied at universities across the country, beginning with Ivy League schools who were Yale’s rivals. Making it their own by leaving the hair a little longer than a Crew Cut and styling it made it different from Yale’s, but also widened the scope of it, thus creating the “Ivy League” moniker.

Nowadays, you don’t need to go to an Ivy League school to wear this hairstyle, and you don’t even need an Ivy League barber to cut it for you. the AirCut can cut the sides of your hair down to 3/8″ on the back and sides while leaving the top longer (up to 4″) for styling, creating a look any Harvard man would envy.

Now it’s your turn: Do you or someone you know sport this style? What are the advantages/disadvantages over a traditional Crew Cut? Let us know in the comments!

AirCut Design: The Blueprint Behind the Dream

Recently Chris, the Lead Engineer for the AirCut, collected his thoughts on the Research and Development period for the AirCut and the sweat that went into designing the first working model. You can see the entire post on Chris’ blog, but an excerpt is provided below with Chris’ permission. Thank you for sharing this with us, Chris!

“In August of 2008 the design process began.  Step one of the design process was to layout the scope of the project.  I knew the design needed to function similar to the current product.  I knew this new design needed to have an integrated vacuum system with similar suction to a standard upright vacuum cleaner; it also needed to be lightweight so that the operator doesn’t get fatigued while using the product.

Knowing what was required of this new product, how it was to operate, what form factor, what options are necessary, how the product will be used, safety concerns, patent protection, these where all things that were needed to be considered and carefully implemented during the early phases of the design process.

My first step in verifying my design was determining if I would have enough suction to actually lift the hair and be able to trim it evenly.  Being a resourceful person I simply cut an oval shape in the bottom of a plastic cup to act as an inlet for the hair, and used the large opening at the top of the cup to insert and seal off my vacuum assembly.  This allowed me to determine if my current vacuum design had what it takes to pull a person’s hair up off their head and into the oval opening in the bottom of the cup.  After some playing around and trying it on multiple people I determined I needed to modify my fan design to increase the suction.  I went back into SolidWorks where I originally designed my fan and ran it through flow simulation and made some changes to the fin design to allow for more airflow using the size and shape.  Using that local prototype shop again they made me another fan.  Remaking parts is all part of the ‘trial and error’ or ‘prototyping’ phase, you don’t know until you try it.  After I received my new fan, which was literally a couple of days later including shipping, I reassembled my suction assembly and went though all my tests again.  This time the suction was enough to make this new future product work.

After I knew the suction was powerful enough and mimicked that of a standard upright vacuum cleaner I was on to working on the clipper assembly.  Would my clipper design cut hair?  Would it cut evenly?  Would the blades jam if too much hair tried going through?  Can anyone get injured if they tried sticking their finger in the blades?  These were all valid concerns that needed to be tested and confirmed during this phase of prototyping.”

Ready for the whole story? See Chris’ entire post here.

Snow, Safety, and Your Suggestions for Our New Video

As I write this post from the snowy labyrinth that is today’s home office, I’m thankful for the modern-day conveniences like indoor plumbing, snow plows, and drive-thru Starbucks. These things have become our way of life and we have come to rely on them without even having to think about it. But has it made us spoiled? Once upon a time, Wisconsin called 3 inches of snow a “dusting”.We didn’t even have a televised warning until you had to tunnel your way to work and you could easily lose your friend in a snow drift. I actually think “Missing in Snow Drift” was the name of the warning.

Now we have safer cars, safer kids, and safer lives. We also have 19 different snow warnings to remind us of how close to the apocalypse we are. I expect that soon we will have a color-coded snow warning that resembles the terror alert warning. But does this make us safer or just ratchet up the fear inside of us until we are scared to leave the house?

Safety has been on my mind this week because it’s a question I get asked a lot with our product, as well. Moms are scared to take a sharp object to their child’s hair that is new to them. We understand that, and we are currently working on a video of the AirCut being used by a person (not an expert, mind you) completely blindfolded. Not safe like a snow warning, but we have that much confidence in the ability of this product, and we are determined to prove it.

What do you think? Would a blindfolded test change your mind about a home haircut? if not, what would? We are listening to all suggestions! If your idea is chosen, we will shoot your video and give you a sneak peek, in addition to shout out on our social channels. Let your imaginations run wild!

Parents, Step Away from the Bowl!

Once upon a time, there lived a cash-strapped parent with great intentions. This parent looked at their child‘s hair and thought “it’s mostly one length, I could just cut it myself with a scissors. If only I had some kind of guide to help me…” No one knows exactly why this parent grabbed a bowl, but after that day, many children’s haircuts (and mental states) were permanently affected by this “new way” of cutting hair. I picture a “Good Housekeeping” magazine in the 1950’s suggesting this as a great idea.

Years later, we know better. We know that traumatizing our boys (and girls! ) with a bowl haircut makes childhood even tougher for kids already in a tough world. Also, believing that using a bowl as a guide to cut hair all the same length is a misnomer: A bowl slides and moves. A child slides and moves. A bowl cut is simply way too much potential for disaster.

So what’s the solution? Guards. Guards and stylers on your hair cutter to ensure only the correct amount of hair is removed at a time no matter what the environment around you is doing. But not all guards are created equal, in fact the word we’ve heard about our competitors is that the guards tend to fall off and mess up a perfectly good haircut. Fortunately, AirCut took this into account in our design and tested our styler design in a room full of 2-year-olds who were given espresso and chasing a greased pig. Ok, not really, but our stylers ARE designed only come out when you want them out….and there’s no bowl required.

Are you a former or current “bowl-cut” child? Lend us your thoughts in the comments below!

New Year, New Hairstyle, New You!

2011 is almost upon us, and many people are already lining up their New Years resolutions. Whether your plan is to spend more time at the gym, quit smoking, or get a certain project done around the house, we all know that by the time April rolls around, we are hard-pressed to even remember what we resolved to do. By next Thanksgiving, we’re ready to make this year’s resolution NEXT year’s resolution.

One thing that men and women alike can resolve to change that’s quite easy is their hairstyles. Especially now in the winter, what better way to overcome winter’s icy grip than to try a new look, a new color, or a complete hair makeover? A new hairstyle can improve your mood, make a splash at holiday parties, and may even give you enough newfound confidence to work on those other resolutions. If it looks great and you love it, you’ve discovered this great new treasure you can use in the summer months as well. If you end up not liking it…well, wearing a hat in public is perfectly acceptable this time of the year. It’s win-win!

Anybody thinking of some great new hairstyles to ring in 2011? Any hot new celebrity trends in hair you’re dying to copy and finally getting up the nerve to unleash? Let us know in the comments!

The Warmest Holiday Wishes You Can Get from a Blog

We started selling AirCuts in August of 2009, and it has been a great ride up to this point. All of us here at AirCut wanted to first say thank you to all of our loyal customers who have taken a chance on buying a new product in the last year and a half and we hope you are enjoying your AirCuts. Thank you to those of you who have shared your positive stories and have offered your suggestions as well. Every day at AirCut feels like an evolution of sorts as we continue to grow our social media and customer service efforts to virtually sit down with every current and potential customer of our product.

When you think about it, that is really what sets us apart from the cheap vacuum cleaner haircut attachment folks and the big box clipper salespeople. When you buy an AirCut, you are buying more than a hair clipper and a great haircut; you are buying an experience, a freedom, and the gratitude of a company that still believes that every customer’s voice is important.

Happy holidays to you and all of your family, and I look forward to talking to all of you after the holiday so I can wish you a happy new year. If you are a current AirCut customer, thanks for joining us on this great ride. If you aren’t a customer yet and you’re just doing some research, that is a great thing! Check everyone else out before you make up your mind, but remember that we are always here to answer questions. Thank you.

Is “Bed Head” Dead?

Recently, I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald (yes, I love hair news from all over the world. I’m a geek like that) talking about how many celebrities like Zac Efron and Adam Lambert were trading in their just-woke-up haircuts for a smoother ‘do. I feel that the “bed head” look was birthed from the grunge movement, a kind of playful look that served as a kind of societal protest for the younger generation. I myself have pasted my hair in a tousled temperament for the sake of sporting a bed head and rock it quite well, thank you. But I also do recognize the irony of spending 20 minutes trying to make sure your hair looks like a proper mess.

It does seem that more guys these days are opting for a more combed look, but I disagree with SMH article that it has anything to do with Mad Men‘s Don Draper. I think it has more to do with a simple shift in style—celebrities want a style that’s different from the average joe’s hairstyle, so they get it. Soon, all of the average Joes have adopted the style and it comes time to change it again and the process starts over.  

So, to answer the question on the death of the bed head, I think less guys will wear it to the point where it will not be considered the “popular” hairstyle it once was, but never die completely. I also think that its only a matter of time before its spiky star shines again.

What do you think? Is “bed head” dead?