Eric Unwin
The spectrum of of hair texture ranges from kinky curly to bone straight along with different thicknesses and densities. There are also many different head shapes. When I was in cosmetology school there were many skills to learn. Since being average at a lot of different things doesn’t create a demand for your services, I realized I had to specialize. With there being so many hair textures, knowing how to perfectly fade each hair texture became my goal. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to have a client base that gave me a chance to grow in my understanding of hair and the benefits of treating people with dignity.
I was the county jail barber for over seventeen years. The jail allowed me to work on many great heads of hair and to practice on a reoccurring basis. For many years I worked in black hair salons, and I was the only guy cutting. I was on my own trying to figure out how to replicate certain styles. This allowed me to explore different ideas that were outside the box about managing hair. Also, I’ve created my own tools to make certain aspects of cutting easier. For a season at the jail, I was averaging around 40 heads every Tuesday. Many times I dropped clippers and broke blades, and threw the settings off on my best liners. You ever lose your “go-to liners” with no backup, and still have thirty heads to go, and some of those guys have had barbers who have given them almost perfect haircuts with razor lines. I had to create a setup to manage enough clippers, that allowed me to not have to work while holding hot clippers.
This inspired me to create a bracket that mounted to the back of my chair. A number of people showed interest and asked me to make them one. This began my seven year journey of how an idea is brought to market. I thought that I could create it in my garage, it took me some months to realize I needed the help of professionals. I’ve learned a whole lot about the process of product development. I can see the finish line. After I bring the QC clipper rack to market, I have other prototypes that I made and used that will better the industry.