Men clipped and pampered at barber expo on Auckland waterfront

Steel shone and blades clicked as a big bunch of barbers flashed their hardware - and cut off a lot of men's hair.

Scissors short and long, combs and razors and clippers set to work at the BarberCraft Expo in Auckland.

Billed as a celebration of men's grooming and style, the weekend expo at Shed 10 on the inner-city waterfront featured barbering competitions to cut classic hairstyles, trim beards and produce creative patterns in hair.

Chris Mills, who sports a particularly large beard, sits for a haircut at the BarberCraft Expo. Photo / Doug Sherring

Demonstration barber and international guest judge Julius Caesar Arriola, from Los Angeles, sported a tattooed head, hairless on top but with a close-cropped moustache and mid-length goatee beard.

For the Herald, Arriola flourished a fistful of blades in what came close to being an Edward Scissorhands demonstration.

BarberCraft is the largest event of its kind in New Zealand, celebrating the conversion of men's grooming into almost an art form. The event was initiated by the Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation, which sets standards for barbering qualifications and apprenticeships.

Joshua Parata receives a precise haircut at the BarberCraft Expo. Photo / Doug Sherring