Total Image Salon barber gives quick cuts to students, alumni

2/1/08 - Need a haircut? Ed Ciccone of Total Image Salon's your guy. Though Ciccone never attended the University of Rhode Island, he's certainly no stranger to the school.

"I partied here a lot in the '90s," he said. But aside from that, he's been keeping the campus looking good for the last nine years.

Ciccone, who works in the Memorial Union's hair salon, said he prides himself on his "fast and precise" cuts. He said often students come between classes asking if he can work with their time frame. "You're out quick with a good haircut," he said.

Ciccone, a Cranston, R.I. native, said it was his mother who spurred his interest in cutting hair. When Ciccone was young, she would cut his hair. All it took was one really bad hair cut when he was 9 years old for Ciccone to take matters into his own hands. He started cutting his own hair, and by the time he was 12 years old, he was even cutting his friends' hair. Little did he know his knack for hair care would become his passion and profession.

After high school, Ciccone studied psychology at community college. He also joined a band and grew his hair out. After he cut his hair, he was eventually convinced by a friend to get his license to cut hair. At 26, Ciccone went for it. "I just figured I'd go cut hair," he said. "It took all that time to figure out what I wanted to do and I was doing it all along."

Ciccone said he loves his job. But that's not how it always was. Ciccone worked at another salon before taking a job in the Total Image Salon.

"After building shelves for [my boss] and [her] wanting me to wear leather pants, I was like 'I gotta get out of here,'" he recalled. He's been here ever since.

And the best part of Ciccone's job? "Making people look good," he said.

So far, Ciccone's given just one bad hair cut-and don't worry, it was years ago.

When he was starting out, Ciccone said he was giving a hair cut to an antsy little boy. "He was hyperactive," Ciccone recalled. So much so that the boy's mother had to hold him down. At some point the boy moved his head suddenly and Ciccone snipped off the top tip of his ear. Ciccone confessed he probably scarred the kid for life. "That was the worst of it all," he said.

These days Ciccone averages about 20 to 30 haircuts a day at the Total Image Salon. Though some might think that aspect of his job might be repetitive, "every head's different," he said. Ciccone even likes to wear a white t-shirt when working. He explained that it serves as a backdrop, which allows him to get a better look at what shape head he's working with.

Ciccone is also happy to make suggestions to students who don't know what kind of cut they want. According to him, if a student can remember the last time he or she had a hair cut, Ciccone knows exactly what he or she may need.

"Hair grows half an inch a month," he said. "If they don't know how much, I know how much to take off."

Ciccone said he's made some good friends during his time at URI. "A lot of these guys I've watched grow up," he said. "Every once in a while you see people pop back in." He said sometimes alums come back in for his classic cuts. A few clients even bring their kids in now.

He said many customers come in stressed, and when they're in the chair sometimes people get chatty. "It's a relaxed state of mind when you're in the chair," Ciccone said. "You become a therapist in a way."

Ciccone said he hears all kinds of things. "It's college. The biggest topic is sex," he said with a laugh. Either way, Ciccone said he tries to make his clients feel comfortable.

"I try to tell the guys about life, that everything will fall into place," he said.

He should know. Aside from working at URI, Ciccone owns his own salon in Cranston, where after an eight-hour shift at Total Image, he devotes another three hours back at his own place. His business keeps him busy during the summer and academic breaks.

With a pressing work schedule, Ciccone said he devotes Sunday to spend time with his wife of six years and his two sons, ages three and five, who he calls "precious little things."

In his spare time, Ciccone likes to surf, which he's being doing since he was a young boy. He also enjoys cruising around on his motorcycle "and just, you know, being a dad."

Ciccone said confidently that he has no plans of leaving. "As long as I can stand on my feet, I'll be here," he said. "I hope that everybody when they get out of here finds something that they love.