What's it really like to be a female barber?

There's never been a better time to be in the barbering business, with the men's grooming market booming and an explosion of old-school barbershops across the country. But what's it like to be a female barber in a predominately male industry? We caught up with Brooke Schoenborn, co-owner of The Parlour in Capitol Hill, Denver and senior artistic director for GO24.7, to find out more. Where did you train? I went to school here in Denver, Colorado then continued on to apprentice at The Parlour. I was honoured to train under a group of talented stylists that have varying years of experience behind the chair and with some of the biggest product companies around. When did you decide you wanted to specialise in men's hair? Men's hair was never really taught to us in school so I worked really hard through my apprenticeship to gain confidence in the area. It was my most challenging subject, so I attended as much outside education as I could. After a few years of focus, men's grooming became my passion. I've always been drawn to men's fashion and I found guys easy to communicate with. Building a strong male clientele became second nature. Do you, or did you ever, do women's hair? I do women''s hair as well. I love being able to do it all, but try to retain a male-heavy clientele. What is it about barbering that you love? I love the precision. The instant satisfaction of knowing that if the hair is cut a certain way, you can determine the direction it will lay. I love the detail and finish of men's hair. It's so exciting to see men spend time on styling their hair again too. Have you faced any discrimination either from employers or clients in the past due to your sex? Luckily, no. But I do see it out in the industry. It's much harder to make a name for yourself as a female barber. Is it ever challenging to deal with the often very masculine atmosphere of the barbershop? Our salon is very neutral and masculine-friendly. We make everyone comfortable in our space. Some of my favorite times are when I look around and see more men than women in our chairs. I know we are doing something right. How did you get involved with educating for GO 24.7? It was an easy fit. I find my ideals are in line with theirs. We were carrying the products for a few years and I was always impressed with their educators. So I had multiple interviews and auditioned for them. Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself still educating for UNITE and GO 24.7. I hope to help GO 24.7 become the leader in men's grooming products. We have such a strong line with fantastic performance, I'm excited for the future. What advice would you give to young women who want to be barbers? Do your research. Find salons or barbershops you can spend time in. Get a feel for what it's like. With passion and lots of hard work you can be successful.