Brighton barber branches out by taking on canine clients too!

Cameron Simpson is a skilled barber, and has counted celebrities Joe Wicks and Martin Freeman among his regular clients, but the dog lover was keen to add extra skills to his armoury so he could work to make furry canines look and feel fabulous too.

So the Brighton local, who was born in Hong Kong and raised in South London, trained to be a dog groomer, and now works six days a week splitting his time between barbering, and working at the popular Slobber & Chops grooming parlour in Kemptown.

He said: "Working in the same place five days a week can become stagnant so I wanted to apply the skills that I already know to another forte. I’ve had dogs growing up, but at this stage of my life, I do not have one. So this gives me the canine fix I was missing too, getting to see the clients' gorgeous dogs."

While one might think that dog grooming would not be that much different from barbering, Cameron has learned through his training and work that there are lots of differences which he has had to work hard to master.

"I really did think there would be more of a similarity between dog grooming and barbering but I was kind of shocked how different it really was. I really had to start from scratch again.

"There is only three real different hair types for humans and each head looks the same same, with dogs that are hundreds of breed standard haircuts to remember and then there is the difficulty of getting the dogs to stay still whilst grooming them. Dog grooming has made me appreciate how lucky it is to be able to cut someone who sits still when barbering.

"However, there is no better feeling when grooming a dog and they look at you like you’re the best thing in the world and that’s the thing that keeps me going back for more."

Slobber & Chops is a real hub for all things dog, and being surrounded by skilled and award-winning dog groomers has helped Cameron shine as his career progresses.

Sally Keegan, owner of the parlour and shop, which even has it own line of dog food, said: "Cameron really is an all-rounder, and we have loved being part of his journey into the wonderful world of canine grooming. Cameron also has a fantastic perspective as he works with humans too, so the business and our clients benefit from those skills too."

Cameron now works six days a week, splitting his time between dog grooming at Slobber & Chops and barbering.

He added: "Sometimes I feel like I can accidentally stroke hair off my clients face like I would caress a cute dog.

"Working at Slobber & Chops has allowed me the time to grow in a comfortable environment whilst also being allowed to get stuck in the deep end.

"It’s also nice to work in Kemptown and see a different, more canine side to Brighton."

To find out more about Slobber & Chops go to www.slobberandchops.com