Are Indian Street Barbers Safe/Hygienic?

I was told by Indians to steer clear of the street barbers/ear cleaners ... & dare I say street dentists.

Do IMer Indians use, in particular, the street shaving service on a regular basis? Apparently some backpackers do. Would be interested to see the results of this poll.

Here's a stat from the Journal of Hepatitis Monthly on Barber habits in India & Pakistan:


http://hepatmon.com/view/?id=444

I think something that has to be remembered is that things that are safe for locals to do, aren't necessarily safe for tourists to do. Local people might know personally which barbers are really changing blades, where a tourist wouldn't know that for sure. I think that tourists take a chance when they trust that the barber is really changing the blade like he says he is....

Definitely would think twice before going to a street dentist...

Does this also include hairdressers?

I use the barbers in India for a shave.
Only once did i have a bad experience and that was in Dharamsala,he nicked me slightly on the chin and after that i developed a sort of impitigo,which was rather unpleasant.
The blade was fresh but dirt got in there any case.
Luckily i had with me an antibiotic creme and it cleared up quickly.
I hasten to add it didn't put me off visiting the barbers shop and i still go when i'm in India,but then i'm a bit crazy like that

People live at whatever level of the economy they can. There are Rs500 doctors, for insatnce, but there are also 100, 50, even Rs.5 doctors too. If you're lucky, the Rs.5 man is a Rs500 man who gives a certain amount of regular time to treating poor people. If not, then he's just a Rs.5 man.

no NO NO NO , that wasn't the tooth that I needed to have pulled!!

Street Dentists used to be very handy as they did a sideline in spectacle repairs. As well as the secondhand dentures of course!

Used Barbers many times with no issues worth talking about.

These people have no degree right?

Then you have to be insane to let some kook on the street mess with your ears or teeth. A shave, that's different.

Get a haircut, every monthly or so and don't allow the guy to use a comb either - even though he might insist they are clean.. you know the ones on the counter that any walk-in off the street picks up and preens their self with. Shaving with a neck massage and head thump, also reasonably regularly when in the market, of course a new blade, and i also insist on a clean mop up towel being used, there is usually a less than filthy one tucked away in a draw somewhere.. but maybe i'm too finickety??

Never thought about the comb issue. I'm pretty sure that the last barber I went to had the scissors, comb & shavette? soaking in a jar of barbicide or the Indian equivalent of. I didn't question the comb at all, but when he went to shave the back of my neck with the disinfected (not new) blade - I stopped him there. He then whipped out the electric razor which was residing under a UV light .......

Not really applicable to me as I have a beard. I do have haircuts(with neckshaves) at street barbers when travelling which is mostly in Asian countries. No problems so far.

I have never got a haircut or shave on the street, although I have been to some hole in the wall places when travelling. A shave, in any case, is something I get done outside twice or thrice a year.

Indian barbers use a blade even when they are giving you a haircut- around the neck and on the sides. Any halfway decent place will automatically take out a new one.

A few regulars to barber shops carry their own gear for every haircut/shave. Or leave it there, but then one cannot be sure if it is being used on others.

Worth mentioning, perhaps, that the only time I have faced a problem- barber's rash- was years ago, at a five star hotel in Chennai that I went to because I was staying there and had forgotten to pack my shaving kit.

I fully agree about the Five star treatment. Wasn't crazy about the shop setup/organization ..... & then he seemed to get a bit miffed when I questioned the blade on the back of the neck issue/thing.

I guess the simple answer would be that these barbers tend to typically be frequented by 99.999% Indians.

(btw, Lest we all get ourselves in a tangle, not every barber in a shop even if it may not look like much to you is of course a street barber. A guy with a hand-held mirror and no obvious supply of fresh water and ditto blades around, yes, I might give them a miss. Though one with a shack to cover that, I've certainly used those.)

(This discussion and the one that spawned it reminds me btw of being picked up by one Steven_Ber in Mumbai, on my first return trip to India after a long time. He at the end of a long trip, me just beginning. So as we walk around he suggests having a shave at some stall outside one of Mumbai's railway stations, even I am like must it really be here? You know, having just landed and all, still trying to find my bearings. But of course he's like no problem, man. We had a fun shave there, indeed, these guys being happy with these funny whiteys for clients, a dusty car standing around got tagged with "IndiaMike.com. We are like this only," or something to that effect -- good chance it's still standing there a few years later --, and sure enough by the end of the day we've been drinking street sugar cane juice, jumping on and hanging off moving buses, goofing around with touts and speaking to them about their lives, and whatnot.)

I couldn't have had a better re-introduction. Lost any potential fears within hours, indeed. Thanks, Steve, I couldn't have done it without you A pic of that shaving session: http://www.indiamike.com/india-image...es/close-shave.

But, let it always be a to-each-their-own thing, no. Just go with what you're comfortable with.

Simple, yes. But the percentage undoubtedly drops off somewhat as the education/IQ/income of the sampling rises.

Much more interested in the popular Indian opinion on this topic ,,,, as opposed to the seasoned backpacker's preference.