Two Derry barbers are celebrating after being shortlisted in a competition to be crowned the best wet shaving barbers around.
David Craig and Niall O’Neill, of The Derry Barber Company on Great James Street, beat off fierce competition from a number of other talented barbers, and will now go head to head with 14 other wet shaving professionals in a bid to claim the coveted regional Northern Ireland title of Best Wet Shaving Barber.
If David, 39 or Niall, 26, triumph in the regional heat, the winner will then go on to compete in the final against seven top barbers from Britain.
The event is set to be held at the first ever Barber UK at the Birmingham NEC in May.
The Northern Ireland regional final will take place in April at a selected Salon Services store, where both Niall and David will attempt to impress judges on a number of criteria, including shave preparation, razor technique, post-shave routine, health and safety and overall efficiency.
The competition, organised by premium men’s grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge and the industry-respected British Barbers’ Association, is now in its second year, and following the unprecedented success of its 2014 debut, is set to be bigger and better for 2015.
Niall said that he was pleased to be competing alongside his colleague, despite the fact that only one of them can progress on to the national final.
“David and I will be there to support each other, and I’d be pleased to see him go on to represent Northern Ireland and The Derry Barber Company even if I don’t make it through to the next round myself.”
Niall added that the two were equally passionate about their profession.
“Barbering is all I ever really wanted to do. I started at a young age and have now been working in the trade for over 24 years. I know that David feels the same as I do, as barbering is in his blood.”
The winner of the competition will land the coveted title of Britain’s Best Wet Shaving Barber, walking away with £500 worth of The Bluebeards Revenge grooming products and merchandise .
Nick Gibbens, marketing manager at The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “The level of talent in last year’s competition was extremely high, and this time around, the bar has been raised even higher, with some fresh new faces proving a real force to be reckoned with for last year’s top contenders.
“The aim of Britain’s Best Shave is to raise barbering standards across the industry as a whole, inspiring young barbers to reach the top of their game, but also enabling experienced barbers to put their skills to the test and see how far they have really come.
“Figures showed that the number of barbers performing cut-throat shaves had jumped by a whopping 50% in 2014, and the number continues to rise steadily as we see wet shaving making its way firmly back into favour.”
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