There are some things that are always discussed when you go to the barbers. Usually, this includes trying to describe what you actually want to be done with your hair, or just asking for a ‘trim’ with no direction, much to the chagrin of the barber.

But once you’re sat in that chair, looking in the mirror at the person coming at your head with a pair of scissors, that’s when the conversation begins. We’ve looked into the most popular topics right now that people are discussing with their barber.

Can’t ignore a pandemic

67% of people are talking about COVID-19 with their hairdresser. Obviously. It’s the hottest topic in the world right now and has replaced asking about the weather. While we have stats about the hot conversations, we don’t have any on the number of bad hairstyles that grew (literally) during lockdowns. But it’s pretty high. So as soon as people were able to visit their barbers, they went in their droves and the discussions about coronavirus flowed – everyone has a story for their barber. And they did.

Family matters

Another hot topic with 67% of people is talking about family. It kind of goes hand in hand with coronavirus, with many people not seeing family members for almost a year, sometimes longer. So, you can imagine how often this would come up in conversation as it’s a common theme for everyone

Work, work, work

Third on the list at 65% is work, and it’s surprising it’s not the joint top. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing many businesses to close down or workers put on furlough schemes, employment has been important to everyone. Whether it’s not working, working from home or being on furlough with the worry of unemployment looming, it’d be difficult not to talk about it. You can understand why this would come up in conversation – if you worked in healthcare then you’d have been (and still are) facing the wrath of the coronavirus so have plenty to share about the topic. Practically every industry is affected – retail, hospitality, the list goes on – there are new ways of working, from remotely to behind screens. All of which makes for very insightful conversation. Especially with your trusty barber.

The place to dish the dirt

Sometimes you want to talk about your significant other, but you can’t report everything back to your parent, or even your best friend. That’s where the hairdresser becomes your new bestie and lends an ear as 48% of people like to talk about personal relationships. It can be a cathartic experience as if you are friendly with your barber then they’ll already be quite chummy and willing to listen to what you have to say. They’ll also show no judgement, at least not in front of you, and you can say what you want, knowing that they’re not going to report back to anyone else.

Healthy conversation

Interestingly, another topic at 48% is physical health. It just goes to show that lots of health nuts are eager to talk about the physical activity they’ve been up to during global lockdowns. And on the flip side, for all the people that fell out of shape, the barber is a good person to talk to, to let them know how the new exercise regime is going. Going to the gym or participating in sports is a common conversation topic and one that’s easy to instigate so it’s not surprising that it makes the list.

Mind does matter

The mind is an important tool and with it, you can control a lot of positivity and negativity. That’s why it’s so good to try and keep your mind as healthy as it can be. You can book beauty and wellness professionals to help revitalise your body and mind, and you can talk to your barber, like 35% of the population. The benefit of this is again you’ve got someone who will hear you out, listen to your grievances. Sometimes it’s good just to talk about things and as well as giving you a trim, that’s what barbers are here for.

Let’s talk about sex

It’s not the taboo subject it once was. We’ve got game shows where people are flashing their bits so it’s not surprising that 29% of people at the barbers are talking about sex. Whether it’s those youngsters boasting about their nights out (and probably hamming up the stories a lot) or regular goers who want to share a naughty story, sex just happens to be something you can’t shy away from.