The Shear Genius of These American Barbers

Just like another famous Caesar—impossible to not draw the parallels, considering the Roman dictator’s famous crop—this guy sure understands branding. His feed—nearly all monochromatic, downtown off-duty ninja vibes—is one of the chillest places to hang out. He’s also got his hands in product line Layrite which has a surprisingly rad Snapchat, and he sells his own personally branded gear, like pins and hats. His LA salon Grey Matter doesn’t even bill itself as a shop: it’s a brand. But at the core, of course, is talent, and his geometric-inspired cuts are why he’s able to leverage his aesthetics.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Followers: 61.8k

From his perch at celeb coiffeur Chris McMillan’s salon in Beverly Hills, surfer-haired Jason Schneidman is the king of cool cut upgrades for celebrities like Rob Lowe, Bruno Mars, James Corden and Mark Ronson. And for some very lucky kids.

Location: Beverly Hills, CA

Followers: 23.1k

Andrew Kozak is a hair philosopher, not just a stylist. A whole section of his site is dedicated to the importance of teaching his clients the nuances of their particular hair and arm them with true, tailored advice. He’s famous for his dry versus wet cutting methods, and his most recent blog post is all about how stylists use Instagram for different end goals. His feed? Part education, part beautifully composed shots that make his cuts look like minimalist art.

Location: Corona, CA

Followers: 117k

Mark-Jason Solofa’s style is rooted in history but entirely modern, and his feed gives you both. It could pass as a historical account of stylish men, with a healthy dose of new-age good vibes (and some endearing positvity-focused captions to spread the love). Come for the throwbacks, stay for the photos of his adorable daughter doing homework in his stylist’s chair.

Location: Berkeley, CA

Followers: 13.9k

Proof that it can be more about the stylist than the shop? Lawrence Funk has 15x more followers than Funk’s, the olde-nouveau shop he owns in downtown Chicago. He’s decorated it with all the trappings of barber culture—old school photos, booze-a-plenty, vintage poles—and repeat customers go for the egalitarian, “all types of hair are welcome” approach as much as the timeless cuts.

Location: 15.9k

Followers: Chicago, IL