Styling Tips From The World's Oldest Barber

Hair Styling Tips From The World's Oldest Barber

March 26, 2016

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Most of us still hope to have our full head of hair at 35, our full wits at 60 and our physical functionality at 85. At 105, Anthony Mancinelli has all three and more, as he's still living, working and thriving.

Mancinelli is the world's oldest barber and he's styled men throughout two World Wars, 18 American presidencies and nearly a century of living. He's seen it all, from the slicked back look, to the Elvis, the shaggy mop, the wild and free, mohawks ^[1], fauxhawks, spiky hair, back to the slicked back banker look and now the Man Bun ^[2]. If there was ever a man to talk to about hair styling, he's it .

For his recent 105th birthday, Gillette — a brand that's been helping guys groom for over a century — threw Mancinelli the gentlest of surprise birthday parties ^[3] (have to be careful with surprises at that age). We caught up with Mancinelli to pick his brain on styles, trends, the key to living a long life and everything else he's seen throughout his incredible life.

What is the key to being timelessly stylish?

To me, the key to being timelessly stylish is the well-dressed and well-groomed look of past generations. The generations where people always had a well-groomed haircut ^[4] and facial hair ^[5], and got dressed up for every occasion in the life — even if just to go on an airplane! It's great to see some younger gentlemen bringing these styles back.

Which decade had the most stylish men?

To me, I think men were the most stylish in the 40's and the 50's, and today you can see some guys starting to bring those styles back.

What's the worst haircut trend he has ever seen?

Well, style is in the eye of the beholder, so it always differs person to person, but my least favorite haircut trend is when guys have long hair. That is probably influenced from the era in which I grew up though.

Although technology has come a long way, what was better back in the day?

Technology has come a very long way since I started cutting hair in 1923 at the age of 12, and I think the technology advances have helped barbers give better haircuts and shaves than was possible back then. So, I actually believe that there are very few tools that were better back when I started as a barber.

What are some of your favorite new developments in grooming?

At 105, I've seen a century of innovation and change in the grooming industry. From scissors to electric clippers ^[6] and multi-bladed razors, the technological advances in tools for cutting hair and shaving have made a significant improvement in my ability to give my clients the best service possible. When I used to shave my clients, for some guys it would take two straight razors to get a smooth shave, now Gillette has a razor with five blades in one!

Why is it important to you to continue being a barber instead of retiring from work, enjoying a life away from work?It's important to me that I continue to be an active working barber and go to work because it keeps me active, alert and allows me to connect with my colleagues and clients every day.

Have a grooming question ^[7] ? Get it answered by AskMen's guyQ ^[8].