Getting a Haircut Abroad: How to Ask for Your Usual Cut
To get your usual haircut abroad, bring evidence rather than descriptions. Before you leave, ask your barber for the clipper guard numbers and the length left on top, and take photos of a fresh cut from the front, both sides and the back. In the chair, show the photos, say the numbers, and ask for less to come off than you want, because a barber can always take more. Clipper numbers, photos and pointing work in almost any country. Words like “a bit shorter” or “tidy it up” mean different things everywhere, including at home.
Why it goes wrong
A haircut abroad rarely fails because the barber is poor. It fails because of translation, and not only between languages. Barbers in different countries have different defaults. “Short at the sides” in one place means a skin fade; in another, a scissor-over-comb trim that leaves a centimetre. The barber fills any gap in your instructions with whatever is normal locally, and local normal may not be your normal.
Add a language barrier, a time limit and the reluctance most men feel about correcting a stranger holding scissors, and you get the holiday haircut everyone recognises in photos.
What to collect before you travel
Five minutes at your last appointment before you go saves a lot of trouble. Ask your barber to write down or tell you:
- The clipper guard on the sides and back, for example “number 2” or “skin to number 2 fade”.
- Where the fade or taper starts: low, mid or high. Our explainer on what a fade is covers the differences.
- Length left on top, in centimetres. “About 4cm on top, scissor cut” is understood almost anywhere.
- The neckline: squared, rounded or tapered.
- Anything unusual: a cowlick they work around, a side they leave longer, thinning they use on the crown.
Then take photos a day or two after a fresh cut, once it has settled: front, left, right, back and top. Good light, no product if possible. Our guide to haircut reference photos explains why photos of your own hair beat pictures of celebrities.
Ask at your next visit to Highgate Cuts and the team will happily give you the details. Every visit starts with an assessment of your hair and what you need, so that information is already part of the conversation.
The words that travel
Numbers are the most universal language in a barber’s shop. Clipper guards are numbered on the same broad system in many countries, though not all brands match exactly, so treat them as a guide. Centimetres are understood everywhere outside a handful of countries. Beyond that, a few gestures and short phrases do most of the work.
| What you want | How to communicate it |
|---|---|
| Clipper length on the sides | Say the number and point at the guard, or hold up fingers |
| Length on top | Pinch the hair, then show the gap between finger and thumb for what to remove |
| Scissors, not clippers, on top | Mime scissors over the top; shake your head at the clippers |
| Less rather than more | Show a very small gap with your fingers and say “little” |
| Stop | An open hand. Universal and polite |
Translation apps are good for a short written note. Write it before you go in, check it reads back sensibly, and show the screen alongside your photos. Keep it short: three or four plain sentences beat a paragraph.
In the chair: a step-by-step approach
- Show the photos first. Before anyone picks up a tool. Front, sides, back.
- Give the numbers. Guard size for the sides, centimetres for the top.
- Ask for less. Say you want to start conservatively. A barber anywhere can take more off; nobody can put it back.
- Watch the first pass. If the first clipper run up the side looks too short or too high, say so then. That is the moment, not ten minutes later.
- Check the back with the mirror. Most barbers offer it. If not, ask.
- Skip the extras you did not ask for. Hot wax on the ears, heavy product, a razor line through the parting. Fine if you want them; easy to decline with a smile if you do not.
When to just wait
Sometimes the best haircut abroad is no haircut. A short trip of two or three weeks rarely needs one if you time your last cut sensibly. Our guide on when to get a haircut before a holiday explains the timing. As a rough rule, cuts with very short sides look untidy sooner, and longer scissor cuts grow out gracefully for longer.
For longer stays, a tidy-up rather than a full restyle is the safer request: neckline, around the ears, sides brought back to the same guard. That keeps the shape until you are home.
What to do if it goes wrong
- Too short on the sides: nothing to do but wait. Clipper lengths grow back fastest to look normal, usually within two or three weeks.
- Uneven top: a light, matte product and a messier style hide a lot until you can get it corrected.
- Fade too high: let it grow for a few weeks, then have it blended down rather than chasing it the same day.
- Neckline wrong: squared necklines can be softened later; a rounded one cut too high needs time.
When you are back, book in and explain what happened. The fix is usually to let one area catch up while keeping the rest neat. You can see the cuts we offer on our Highgate barber page.
A note on beards
Beard trims abroad carry the same risks. Give a guard number for the cheeks and say where you want the cheek line and neckline. If you would rather not risk it, a small trimmer in hand luggage handles a neckline tidy-up. A small pair of nail scissors and a comb cover the rest.
Questions we get asked
Are clipper guard numbers the same everywhere?
Broadly, in many countries, but brands vary slightly. Give the number and the length in millimetres if you know it, and ask the barber to start one size longer.
Should I tip a barber abroad?
It depends entirely on local custom. Check before you go rather than guessing in the shop.
Can you write down my cut before I travel?
Yes. Ask at your appointment and the barber will note the guards, top length and anything particular to your hair. See our barbers in Highgate page for services.
How soon after a trip can a bad cut be fixed?
Often straight away if there is length to work with. If the sides are too short, give it two or three weeks. More about us on The Highgate House homepage.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready for a proper cut? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · The barbers
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
