Events · Smokey Barbers, London
Curls
in the
chair.
Curl Jar × The Formula took curl care into one of London's most famous barbershops. To our knowledge, a first.
CUTZ & CURLS
Quick answer
On Sunday 2 August 2026, Curl Jar and The Formula (@kye.formula) brought three curl specialists from across the UK into Smokey Barbers in Surbiton, south west London, for a community afternoon of curls, kids and families. The message for guys: curl care doesn't need a shelf of products. One jar of the Style + Treat™ Curl Activator, on properly wet hair, does the job.
Curl care has a home in salons. The barbershop, where most guys and a lot of kids actually get their hair done, has barely been part of the conversation.
So we took it there. A DJ on the decks, three curl specialists on the floor, a photoshoot running all afternoon, and a room full of curls getting looked after rather than cut off or hidden.
The specialists
The venue
Why Smokey's
Smokey Barbers was built by Dominic Othol, known to everyone as Smokey, who started with two chairs in Surbiton. Word of mouth did the rest. It became the go-to for ballers like Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, and the gold gas mask and #JustGotSmoked travelled a long way past south west London, all the way to in-store barbershops at Primark in Birmingham and Manchester.
But it's always come back to community. In Smokey's words, "We want people to feel like they belong to somewhere." That made it the right room.
Kye · The Formula · @kye.formula
Day one vision.
Kye manages Smokey Barbers and runs The Formula. He supported Curl Jar from the very beginning and has used it on his clients ever since.
His verdict is simple: one of the best products he's used in his barbershop. From someone who works through a long line of heads every week, that beats any marketing line.
A barber has no time for a ten-step ritual. It has to work fast, on every kind of hair, chair after chair.
The day
Fades, curls, families
The community came through. Specialists showed how simple curl care works on every kind of curl, live in the chair, while the cameras rolled.
Fade + curls
The next generation
Confidence starts in the chair
Kids came, and parents came with them. Watching children sit in a barber's chair and have their curls looked after, not flattened or hidden, was the heart of the day. A barbershop is often where hair confidence is made or lost.
The Cali Family (@thecalifamilyy) dropped by too, and brought even more life to the room.
For the guys
Why guys cop the jar
A lot of men with curls have been told, one way or another, that curl care is complicated or "not for them". The guys in the chair on the day said otherwise. Not "it's fine". Properly liked it. Here's why.
01
One step. No shelf.
Wet hair, work it through, leave it. The Style + Treat™ Curl Activator hydrates, defines, detangles and tames frizz in one go.
02
Smells clean. That's it.
A neutral scent. Nothing floral, nothing sweet, nothing you think twice about.
03
A jar with no agenda.
Matt, minimal, black and white. Looks right on a barber's station, a shelf or in a gym bag.
04
Barber approved.
Kye at Smokey Barbers has used it on his clients from day one. Behind the chair, nothing gets a second chance.
05
No crunch.
A crème-gel with a soft, weightless finish. Defined curls that still move.
06
Refresh, don't reload.
Day two? Mist with water to bring it back. Light enough for up to four refreshes between wash days.
The barber's method
Three moves. That's it.
01
Soak
Start with properly wet hair. Not damp. Wet.
02
Rake
Work the Curl Activator through, root to tip. Scrunch a little.
03
Leave it
Hands off while it sets. Air dry or diffuse. Done.
Simple curl care, welcomed to the barbershop.
Respect
Thank you to Smokey and the whole team at Smokey Barbers for opening the doors, to Kye for the collab, to our three specialists for travelling in, and to every family, kid and guest who came down. We want simple curl care to be as loved in barbershops as it is in salons. This was step one.
Good to know
Smokey Barbers FAQs
What was the Curl Jar x The Formula event at Smokey Barbers?
A community afternoon on Sunday 2 August 2026 at Smokey Barbers in Surbiton, south west London. Curl Jar and The Formula (@kye.formula) brought three curl specialists from across the UK into the barbershop to show how simple curl care can be, for guys, kids and families.
Who is Smokey Barbers?
A London barbershop brand founded by Dominic Othol, known as Smokey, who started with two chairs in Surbiton. Known for its gold gas mask, the #JustGotSmoked hashtag and cuts for footballers including Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
Is Curl Jar for guys?
Yes. The Style + Treat™ Curl Activator works on waves, curls and coils, from 2A to 4C. It has a clean, neutral scent and a minimal black and white jar, and it works as well in a barbershop as in a salon.
Do barbers actually use Curl Jar?
Yes. Kye, who manages Smokey Barbers and runs The Formula, has used the Curl Activator on his clients from the very beginning and rates it as one of the best products he has used in his barbershop.
How should guys use the Curl Activator?
Apply it to properly wet hair, work it through and scrunch a little, then leave it alone to set. On day two, mist with water to re-activate your curls instead of adding more product.
Barber approved
The jar the barbers use.
One step, clean scent, no fuss. The Style + Treat™ Curl Activator.
Shop Curl Activator Gym bag size (100ml)
