5 Minutes with... CELEBRITY BARBER CONOR TAAFFE

Conor, who is originally from Ireland visited Dubai for the opening of the newest branch of barbers Chaps & Co. Between training the locally based barbers, we got to talk to Conor on the latest hair and beard trends for men:

Which hair trends are popular with men in 2017?

Gradient styles are the big ones. Short hair has always been in fashion but we’ve just perfected the technique by working with more precision. These fades actually came from America during the nineties and are back in fashion now.

How difficult is it to create the gradient style?

The trick is working with really close precision from no hair around the neck to a lot of hair on top. The trick is finding that perfect blend so that the cut looks seamless.

Do hairstyles vary from country to country?

Yes definitely. A big one in the UK and Europe right now is a crop, which is nineties inspired with a really blunt fringe and short sides. In the UAE, guys seem to wear their hair longer so there’s a lot of man buns and loose long hair, It’s cool to see the differences across the world.

What’s your favourite hair product?

A texturizing dust by Schwarzkopf and the RCH Hair Mist, which is a salt spray for texture.

What about beard trends?

In Europe we’re working with a lot of sharp lines and fades on the beards, similar to hair. It grows out really nice and natural. I think in the Middle East men tend to keep their beards a bit more natural.