Francesco Cirignotta is an artisan barber by trade and Tricoesteta, by profession. An acute observer of men’s well being, he runs FC, his barber shop in Milan, Italy.
His home in old Milan near the dock is a rarity with essences of dark wood, a bespoke chandelier, comfortable armchairs. Francis Cirignotta, artisan barber, feels that men should take care of themselves and relax and indulge in pleasure. Precisely for this reason, he not only uses scissors, razors, brushes and warm cloths, but also masks ocular decongestants, essential oils and scrubsin his salon. 
One must visit Salon Francis to share, with the companion or partner, the experience of shaving. Francis reveals the sensuality of a ritual to be repeated daily in the privacy of your own home.
Is it possible today to stimulate young people who are so unmotivated?
The human drive toward improvement or simply innovated toward a ‘way’ or ‘different’ system, is the basis of the cultural survival of humans. In the path of the ‘improvement’, only innovators guarantee the traditions and only with the concrete knowledge, one can try to change some rules that have over time become obsolete. If I have available to me technology and tradition and to know, if I available the ‘needs’ of the people, it is good.
What are the changes in progress?
The world has changed compared to what we thought immutable, from a small place to globalisation, from global to local small space. But on hindsight, everything is as it was and yet everything is always moving. The reality belongs to the private moment of every human being. Happiness and beauty does not come from what is external to us, 
but from what we can see from the inside and appreciate. Luxury for me is that emotion and happiness is the ability to see and observe with renewed measurement values, with new enthusiasm.
What does it mean to ‘take care of yourself’?
Commitment, responsibility, respect, dedication, consistency, attention, listening and more, are examples of small joys. It is the philosophy of existential gratification, small gestures for large intense happiness to enjoy the beauty of life.
Hair is as natural as we dress…
We are certainly in a period of uncertainty where the watchwords are marketing, of living, of having to constantly look at the others. Duties that make us take a step back, that frustrate us to the point that the insecurities afflict the individual, a time when it 
seems that no one can be trusted. Yet think of the paradox: we do not know, yet we go into a salon and we search for a stranger and allow him to touch the most valuable part of a human being: his head.
Another paradox is that the identity and image are revealed precisely in that society in which we can no longer feel safe, then we declare that with people are okay, but it is all wrong. Just think of the many patients who are prescribed psychotheraphy to learn to put on make-up or change a haircut. It’s better to change the colour of the hair, is it not? Tools are very strong and motivating and we cannot wait for the judgment of others, though is too important in a society where we are selfish and paradoxically we can do without another’s thoughts. I wonder if within the society not everyone is experiencing a kind of psychotherapy for understanding their limits, to know their characteristics and to be able to understand that we have to trust a little bit more.
What is the winning formula?
My recipe is banal and I suggest visit hairdressers more often, play more with your image and remind yourself that the hair we can model and wear it as you see fit, a dress that reassures us, that makes us feel good about ourselves, is not a necessity, but
pleasure. Mine is a socially useful craft.
What do we need for the best shave?
There are, at least, three basics.
The importance of the smile: A market survey shows women look upto smile with the eye. And that’s why a poorly treated beard that is wrong for their physiognomy threatens to devalue even the most beautiful of smiles.
The importance of a brush: The choice of size, form and substance is at the discretion, but you have to move your hand in a natural way (the best move would be circular, from chin to ears for better supplying and oxygenating the tissues) and choose the razor that’s best suited to assess the weight, because even this will affect the quality of shaving, and therefore, the amount of beard that needs leveling.
The importance of post care: Use the right products after a shave to restore hydrolipids in the skin. Go for creams, lotions and other products that are used as aftershave products that have the main function to protect the face from external aggression. If the skin is particularly irritated and reddened, better to rub an ice cube on the affected area, followed by a bit of baby powder.
