Okay, so I’d been thinking about switching things up for a while. My hair was just… there. Doing nothing special. Then I kept seeing Randy Orton, you know, the wrestler? And I thought, that haircut he’s got, it looks sharp. Clean. Low maintenance, which is a big plus for me. Decided, yeah, let’s give that a shot.
Getting Ready
First thing I did was grab my phone. Needed some decent pictures, right? Couldn’t just walk in and say “Gimme the Orton” and expect the barber to know exactly what I meant. Found a few good ones showing the sides, the top, how it blends (or doesn’t really blend, it’s pretty stark). Saved ’em so I could show the barber.
I specifically looked for shots that showed how short the sides really are. Like, down to the skin, almost a foil shave or a zero guard. The top needed just enough length to show some texture, but still short. Didn’t want a faux hawk thing, just that tight, clean look.
Heading to the Barber
Went down to my usual spot. Walked in. Place was pretty busy, but I waited my turn. Finally got called up. Sat down in the chair, and my regular barber asked “The usual?”.
I shook my head. Pulled out my phone. “Nah, thinking of trying something different today. Want to go for this.” I showed him the pictures of Orton.
He looked at them for a second, swiped through the pics I saved. Nodded. “Ah, the Viper cut. Okay. Real short on the sides, skin fade? Bit left on top?”
“Exactly,” I said. “Use the clippers, zero guard, maybe even shorter if you can, right up high. Just leave a little texture on top.” Felt kinda weird actually asking for something specific instead of just “short back and sides”.
The Process
He grabbed the clippers. Started buzzing away on the sides. That feeling of the bare clippers right against the scalp, going way higher than usual, was definitely different. He took his time, making sure the fade was clean, even though it was going basically down to nothing. Used a smaller clipper for detailing around the ears and the neckline. Very precise.
Then he moved to the top. Used scissors mostly, just trimming it down. Not taking off loads, just enough to keep it short and neat, maybe an inch or so, perhaps a little longer right at the front. He asked if I wanted any product, I said no, wanted to see how it sat naturally first.
The Result
He spun the chair around. Handed me the mirror. Wow. Yeah, that was definitely the look. The sides were super tight, practically bald, fading up really quickly into that short top. Looked clean. Sharp. Felt really strange running my hand over the sides, almost smooth.
It felt good. Like a proper change. No messing about, easy to handle in the morning. Just get up and go. Took a few minutes to get used to seeing myself in the mirror, but yeah, I liked it. Paid the man, thanked him, and walked out feeling pretty sharp.
It’s just a haircut, I know. But sometimes making a clean break like that, even with something simple like your hair, kinda resets things a bit. Happy I went through with it.
