If cutting hair was easy, attempts to do it ourselves wouldn’t look like someone took a weed whacker to our hair.

Pullman may be small, but it still has all the necessities for permanent residents and college students alike. Blades and Fades has become a popular stop for hair styling needs.

Started by Logan Trott in 2010, Blades and Fades works differently from other hair salons. Rather than getting a quick cut, Trott and his employees work to introduce new concepts to their customers.

“When we started we wanted to be able to do something the Palouse didn’t have: an establishment that could cut hair for all,” said co-owner Kristen Rinehart-Trott, Trott’s wife.

Trott originally worked in another hair salon franchise but said he didn’t like the confinements of getting customers in and out of the chair in a short amount of time. He wanted to have a barber shop where he could take his time, introduce new styles, and interact better with customers.

One of the things Trott said he focuses on is different styles of hair based on ethnicities. He also likes to take the time to get to know customers and make sure the quality of the cut is satisfactory.

“We wanted a more family-based type of business,” Trott said.

A lot goes into styling and cutting hair, from the color and texture to skin complexion and the shape of the face. Two of the Blades and Fades employees, including Rinehart-Trott, are apprentices in the shop and trained to know everything they can about cutting hair. The entire training process takes 3,000 hours, Rinehart-Trott said.

One of the apprentice cosmetologists is Dan Arbini, currently going to school to get his license as Trott teaches him. He got into the profession after a surgery forced him to reeducate himself to find a new job.

“Logan and Kristen are great people,” Arbini said. “I am blessed to be able to work here.”

Arbini said he grew up thinking that cutting hair wasn’t so hard, but learned otherwise as he began studying the techniques.

Arbini officially began working for Blades and Fades in July, and said he still has a lot to learn. Understanding Trott’s work and how to do it is one thing, but actually trying it is a completely different story, Arbini said.

“I enjoy the challenge,” he said. “There’s nothing easy about cutting hair.”

Rinehart-Trott said her apprenticeship with her husband challenged her, and she’s surprised by how much she picked up. She loves getting to know the people coming into the shop, especially the mothers, and being part of the community.

“My favorite thing about the job is seeing people’s faces when you give them a cut that’s beyond what they expected,” Trott said.