Fun fact: Many of the same tools used for photography are great for other jobs. And vice versa! If you are looking for the best lights for barber shop usage, several good choices are available in lighting originally specifically planned for other uses.
If you are a hair or make up artist looking for good lighting, office lights, vanity lights, and hanging lights are also good options to choose from, depending on your space and your particular needs.
What type of lighting is good for a barber shop?
In order to choose the best lights for barber shops, we should think a bit about what the necessary qualities are of lighting for cutting and styling hair. This could also apply to applying make up or doing tattoos.
- Bright light – In order to do the job, a stylist or barber needs to be able to see. Some fancy lighting solutions look fantastic, but really don’t throw off enough light to see details well. No one wants to cut hair in dim light, so we may have to consider not relying on that gorgeous Tiffany lamp as a primary light source.
- Shadowless light – Next to not having bright enough light, having a light that casts deep shadows on our work area may also be problematic. Shadows may obscure what is being worked on. Some shadowing is normal, but dramatic light might need to be reserved for the waiting area.
- Side light – Overhead lights work for a lot of situations, including barber shops. Relying solely on overhead lighting can cause shadow issues. Supplementing with window light is a good choice, but at nighttime or on overcast days, some form of artificial light for side light is helpful.
- Out of the way – Some floor lamps and table lamps could work for barber shops and salons, but we often want to be able to maximize floor space and also minimize trip hazards. If a light needs to be on floor, perhaps being easy to move or reposition would be nice.
- Comfortable light – While a halogen spotlight looks great, it can get hot. Additionally, a super bright point light source may be uncomfortable visually for either the client or the barber.
- Cost effective – In some business situations, utility costs may be high. While not sacrificing on the other necessary qualities, being energy efficient is nice. Same thoughts for bulb replacements, too.
How I found the best lights for barber shops
Using the criteria for what type or quality of light is desirable, we can look for some specific features or qualities of the lights themselves.
- Brightness – We want the lights to be bright enough to enable high-quality work to be performed, but not so bright that it may make someone uncomfortable to have the light on them.
- Good quality light – The quality of light is a little more difficult to quantify. Basically, we should look for things to avoid, which should make this easier. Avoid anything that is prone to flickering, or that introduces an odd color cast or makes a disconcerting noise. Basically, we’ve ruled out everything that those older fluorescent light fixtures did.
- Soft light – One of the light qualities that is easy to recognize is whether the light emitted is soft or harsh. Soft light is much easier to view for extended periods of time.
- Economical – A light being economical involves more then merely the purchase price. How efficient it is and how much replacement bulbs cost are additional factors to consider.
- Long life – Specifically referring to bulb choice. Some lights require specialty bulbs. Typically, the brighter types of bulbs, such as halogens, burn out quicker than incandescent bulbs. CFLs last even longer, LEDs last the longest.
- Lightweight – If it’s meant to be moved in and out of the work area, it should be easy enough to move.
- Stable – Again referring to portable lamps, if it can be moved, we want it to stay where we put it. It can actually slow work down to be constantly making sure you don’t knock over the lights.
- Reasonably priced – While we appreciate high quality, a good balance of quality and affordability is often preferred.
Top 5 Best Lights For Barber Shop
1. Neewer Ring Light Kit:18″/48cm Outer 55W 5500K Review
Ring lights are interesting lights. For those who aren’t photographically inclined, let’s look at what ring lights are and what they’re generally used for.
Ring lights provide virtually shadow free lighting when used to illuminate close up objects. A wide ring of light is positioned near the object being worked on or photographed and the camera or the worker’s eyes view though the ring of light.
Since the light is coming from all directions at once, the light casts no shadow. At least not when used close up. Removed a distance back, the ring light becomes just another light source.
Besides taking pictures, ring lights are also popular with make up artists, model builders, and jewelry makers. Anything that requires a close up view. Adding a regular lamp close enough to matter will introduce rather severe shadows, which could obscure things that need to be clearly seen.
If you were previously unfamiliar with ring lights, then you probably also weren’t familiar with one of the premier brands of reasonably priced photographic lighting equipment, Neewer. I’m not a brand lover, but I am consistently impressed with the lighting products Neewer brings to market. The items are not perfect, but for the price points involved, these tools are fantastic.
This ring light from Neewer is 18” in diameter which is a good size for viewing through with both eyes. Smaller ring lights are fine for taking pictures, but for naked viewing, larger is better.
What this will allow you, the barber, to do is to clearly see details of what you’re working on. As an example, cutting shapes into hair is popular among fans of sports teams or musical performers. Perhaps your client wants the team logo shaved and colored on their scalp.
A ring light is an excellent choice for this job because it will let you see exactly what’s going on without any shadows at all obscuring details. Other uses may be for special styles of facial hair, or someone dressing up for a cosplay event. Tattoo and make up artists have been using ring lights for quite some time now because of these very reasons.
The bulbs used in this lamp are LEDs, balanced for daylight color temperature. Daylight is a very natural choice for viewing ease. Even when working at night under standard overhead lights, using a daylight color temperature lamp is a comfortable light for naked eye use.
LEDs emit a clear, non flickering light and typically are bright. This particular ring light allows dimming the LEDs for adjusting to ambient lighting conditions. Typically, LED lights don’t work well with external dimming switches, so having the dimming circuitry built in is important.
You will need to mount this light somewhere, holding it is generally not an option. The Neewer lights fit on standard photographic light stands. The light stand provided in this kit is a mix of being lightweight yet stable. A carrying case is also included.
The light is powered by A/C, in other words, you must plug it into a wall socket. The cord is a good long cord, probably adequate for most smaller areas. A good extension cord or a power strip might be a nice idea to pair with this lamp.
For the most part, LED bulbs in these types of lights are not user replaceable. However, LED bulbs are extremely long life. Also, the cost of this light kit is already very reasonable.
2. Neewer 18″ Outer 14″ Inner Un-dimmable Fluorescent Ring Light Review
Our second ring light is also from Neewer, but is slightly different and about half the price.
The biggest difference is the bulb. This ring light uses a fluorescent bulb. It’s a special type of fluorescent, one that has a daylight correct color temperature and doesn’t flicker or vary color output.
It’s a big bulb, and also has a special shape, circular. So, it is user replaceable, but the replacement bulbs are almost as much money as the light kit itself. Being a single bulb, it is also somewhat fragile compared to LEDs.
It is nice and bright, emitting a soft light with virtually no shadows. There is no variable power option.
The same close-up, detailed styling we listed above is a great reason for using this ring light. Since it is slightly cheaper, you could just try it out to see how much of a difference it could make in your own styling work.
Size and weight of the lamp and stand are similar to the LED ring light. Cord length is just right for a smaller work area, a quality extension cord or a power strip would be useful accessories for this lamp.
3. T8 LED Light Tube – 2FT, 14W, 1680lm, 4000K (Daylight Glow) Review
At first glance, you might think this light was a standard small fluorescent fixture. It’s actually LEDs.
LEDs are extremely power efficient for their light output. This is a huge reason why LED fixtures are gaining such high popularity recently.
These two foot long fixtures run on alternating current, you can plug them into a wall socket or wire them into the house or shop electricity, you simply change what type of wire to use. The lights can also be daisy-chained together for a larger light source.
This light listed is a cool white color temp, 6500K for anyone keeping track. A warm white (4000K) option is available. Cool white might be better for barber shop use as it won’t introduce as much false color as warm white could.
The light output is very bright and the combination of LED bulbs and the fixture reflector throws off a wide pattern of illumination. About 270 degrees.
What this means for you is that the general light pattern and quality are very easy on the eyes. Since a lot of your hair or other styling work requires good vision and concentration, having even lighting is important.
Another benefit is that the light does not flicker and is a very natural color balance. Eye strain can really tire you out. Since your job is basically a form of visual art, keeping distractions and annoyances at bay will result in more job enjoyment and fewer problems.
Bulbs are not user replaceable, but again, LED has a very long use life. These lamps have a lower power draw than the equivalent incandescent bulbs. Heat output is also much lower compared to other bulb types.
The price is very reasonable for a two lamp kit. Pricing actually gets a little better per lamp when purchasing the higher quality sets. They are available singly or in groups up to 12. Twelve is also the limit recommended for daisy-chaining fixtures together.
4. Vanity Mirror Lights Kit,Pretmess 3 Dimmable Color Review
Vanity lights are similar in operation to a ring light. The major differences are that vanity lights are usually mounted around a mirror (hence the use of vanity) and that the light area is fairly large.
It used to be that any vanity light set up was really hot. Because when you mount 10, 12, or 20 lightbulbs in a relatively confined area, the build up of all those incandescent bulbs created an almost uncomfortable heat. This could also be a fire hazard if the sockets weren’t mounted properly.
LEDs to the rescue again. This light kit produces a lot of visible while heat build up is kept to very low levels. This isn’t to say that LED bulb don’t give any heat, mind you. We aren’t living in Star Trek yet. But the heat level of CFLs and LEDs is surprisingly low to anyone who grew up with incandescent and halogen bulbs.
Primarily designed to be mounted around a mirror, these small lights could be mounted almost anywhere. Just give yourself enough room for the cord to plug into the wall.
Make up artists in the performance industry have relied on vanity lights for years. They are a good choice whether you are working on someone else or concentrating on your own hair and make up. Much like a light a ring light, vanity lights provide virtually shadow free illumination, but on a much larger scale.
The low price of this kit is very attractive. You could mount a couple of these kits for about the price of a tank of gas for a SUV.
5. Globe Electric 65155 Barnyard 1-Light Pendant, Matte Black
Here is a light fixture that combines an attractive look with great usefulness. Able to mount a wide variety of bulbs, these accept incandescent bulbs, CFLs, or LEDs with standard bases.
This lamp really is good looking, adding character to whatever room it’s mounted in. Full compatible with dimming circuitry, it is a good choice for overhead lighting. When mounting, the length is adjustable to very short to the full length of the 16-inch cord.
Depending on your bulb choice, the reflector bowl of this light provides an even, natural looking light quality. There will be some shadows, but using several of these together will provide a good visual environment for your work area.
For even better results, mix and match several of these lighting ideas. Use these ideas to create an outstanding, customized light arrangement for your own barber shop or salon.