Firsthand: The Rise of Home Barbers

You can be a barber, he can be a barber, anyone can be a barber!

Akif saw his grandfather cutting hair in a barbershop, then his father and uncle followed suit. So at the tender age of 15, he decided to do the same, right at home in Ang Mo Kio.

Now 18, Akif is among a growing community of young home barbers who ply their trade from their very own doorstep. Usually seen on social media platforms like Tik Tok or Instagram as well as messaging apps like Telegram or Whatsapp to advertise their services. This new breed of barbers are usually self taught and it always starts with a friend or a family member.

On the right, Akif, wearing the mask in his home barber studio. He accepts 1 customer per time slot, each time slot spanning 1 hour. Similar to other home barbers.

Photo credits: Akif

Taking a hold of the clippers for the first time, Akif experimented on his first ever customer, his younger brother. Giving him one of the worst haircuts he has ever done.

“Wah it went so badly,”said Akif.

His friends and family were all asking him to quit and he was flamed on social media by everyone he knew when they saw his younger brother's haircut. Everyone except for his biggest supporter, Hafiz.

“Hafiz has been with me since I started in secondary school and he was the only one that had faith in me,” said Akif. He was his second client after Akif’s younger brother and it did not go as smoothly as he wanted it to be.

The haircut became the laughing stock in school, as their secondary school friends back then were joking around with the haircut. “People made fun of him and at that time I felt that they were making fun of me too because I am the barber, I created the hairstyle.” said Akif who wanted to do better for him and Hafiz was all for it.

Hafiz pushed him on to continue learning and pushed aside his looks and even self esteem for Akif to practice on him .

After learning from YouTube videos and much trial and error, they were able to see improvements after 6 months or so where Akif had the basics covered. However, this was only just the beginning of Akif’s journey.

The Barbershop Experience

To sustain his passion of continuing his family's legacy, he went on to work in multiple Barbershops. Practicing his craft, learning more about the industry and receiving valuable lessons that were unforgettable for him.

His worst experience was when he was working in a barbershop. “I like to try new things, so I learnt a new technique of cutting hair but when I tried it on this customer I literally cut a bald spot on top of his head,” Said Akif.

He got severely scolded by the uncle as he lashed out on his family and did not even bother to pay for the haircut.

“At that time I really wanted to cry. I really wanted to get out of the shop ah. Just go home and give up everything. But I did not give up at all.” said Akif: “ I tried not to let it get to me because ya la people make mistakes ah”.

“I just laid back and strived to do better.”

At the second barbershop he worked at, he was able to see the haircutting world in a different light.

His boss ran a successful barber shop where he had earnings up to 10 thousand a month and would not be afraid to flaunt his wealth.

“Sometimes he would show off but I take it as motivation ah. In life, you cannot be jealous ah everybody got their own pace. It is not a race but a marathon” said Akif. With a new realization that barbering can bring him success, he moves in his own tempo.

“Back then when I started (Barbershops), I was secondary 4. The uncles at the barbershop would usually play with me and even my salary.”

At the third and final barbershop he worked at, there were monthly disputes regarding his salary, resulting in him receiving paychecks that were always short of what he earned. Soon he had enough.

“I just quit ah” Said Akif who was at a difficult spot to argue back with the uncles.

All these sparked a fire in him, he said: “ I decided, why not I be my own boss and treat myself better than how they treated me. I also wanted to treat my clients better than how they treated them.”

Home Barber

So, with the ambition to be his own boss and wanting to treat his future clients right, Akif decided to start his own business. With the alias, BBtheBarberBoy, he started his barber business at home..

But before he could start earning, he would need his first crop of clients.

To do this, he turned to social media.

When he first started off, he knew he needed a larger social media presence to really grow his passion into a business. To grow his following, Akif started off posting stupid videos on Tik Tok to go viral.

Now he sets himself a strict goal to post at least 3-5 videos a week, and even if he has no content he reedits his old videos to repost.

From there, his client list started to grow. His telegram channel that he uses for appointments used to only have a measly 20 members.

In a span of a year starting from 17 October 2022, his telegram channel has grown into a huge following of 900 + members.

When asking for reviews, Akif mostly received positive feedback from his clients. He would also regularly chat with his clients from time to time, getting to know them better.

Screenshotted from their social media.

Looking ahead, he now has eyes set on opening his own barbershop in the future, bringing whatever he has learnt thus far in this industry into his own barbershop.

The Community

Another barber located at Choa Chu Kang named Naqib, 23 years old, goes under the alias Barber TakO. He has a similar story to tell; with him wanting to continue his late friend's legacy, he started cutting his younger brother's hair and made steady progress by watching YouTube and Instagram reels.

“As time goes by, this is something that I enjoy," said Barber TakO. Calling his home barber gig as a hobby rather than a job.

“Because I really enjoy it. Everytime I hold the clipper, everytime I make contact with my client, it is like a learning step for me. “ said Barber Tako who dreams of starting his own Barbershop chain or service in the future.

“Just try, you will progress” is a personal quote he lives by. A homage to how he started his journey and is progressing to be the barber he aspires to be.

Handsome young writer after his haircut with Barber Tak0. Even though they are self-taught, home barbers hold themselves highly to give the right cuts.

Photo credit: Adi

However, not all stories are borne of chasing legacies or chasing dreams. Take for example Joseph Por, 15 years old. A home barber that wants to get his haircut right.

“I started cutting hair because whenever I go to a barber/hair stylist or a salon to get a haircut, they would most of the time give me something I did not want or just looks bad,” said Joseph.

Again, just like the others, he needed a guinea pig to practice on. This time however, it was with his closest friend. Joseph was able to practice different styles and techniques he saw on YouTube where gradually his inspiration took to a higher note as he saw improvements come his way.

Furthermore, he was not alone in seeing the improvements as soon, his classmates came to know of his mini home barbering business. Choosing to cut with him instead knowing that he could be trusted with the end result.

Ultimately, what stemmed from him caring about his own haircut, grew to a newfound interest in cutting hair because he cares about other people's image. All of this he enjoys, while earning some money on the side as a 15 year old student.

Moneywise, Adi, 19 years of age who is located near Jurong East started cutting hair seriously when the pandemic hit. With money being the main driving force for him. He knew he had a knack for cutting hair so he used it to his advantage and took the opportunity to make money off his skills. Again, starting out with his closest friend as his guinea pig.

“It was just the freedom of doing it from my own home with the money upfront that really got me into it.”

The prospect of making money, same as many others, appealed to him and so he turned his hobby into a money making opportunity.

What makes them different?

It’s the service.

That is what most home barbers would say, and they aren't wrong. The whole appeal of going to a home barber comes from the therapy and the service you get from sitting in the chair.

“The most beautiful thing to see is to make them smile and give them an affordable haircut,” said Akif “Cutting hair with me is like boyfriend and girlfriend, I focus on building relationships”

It just becomes more personal when you are in someone’s home in a one on one consultation. Adil said: “I enjoyed talking to my clients and gossiping so to speak”.

In the previous barbershops Akif worked at, he observed what he would call the In - Out barbershop clientele service.

“All we do is in - out. Come in, cut, pay, get out. Come in, cut, pay, get out.” said Akif.

Instead of the normal in - out procedure barber shops tend to adopt, home barbers do it a little bit more differently. It usually starts with a more in-depth consultation and maybe even a little bit of counselling.

“Just be anything the client wants ah.” Said Akif who was telling us stories of how his customers would rant to him and sometimes even spend more time counselling as compared to cutting.

Seeing their haircut transformations and always ensuring they are well taken care of no matter what is a common denominator we have seen after interviewing all 4 of our home barbers.

“They came in as strangers, we came out as brothers and that is what I want.” Said Akif.

The struggles they all face

Home barbers are generally new to Singapore and have limited space as compared to a barbershop. So there is no proper way of setting one up.

“No one gave me a blueprint, I just had to do it and go from there,” said Adil.

In some cases, complaints from neighbours can happen which is what happened to Akif. He was told by the Town Council regarding his haircuts outside which is why he does his haircuts inside his home now.

“They wanted to issue a penalty fee of 5000 dollars. Till this day I still do not know who the complainer was. That was a really big challenge for me because I really did not know where to go.” said Akif

“If not here then where?”

Preparing their houses and setting up all the tools for their barber business was another costly challenge. Their costs usually start at $1000 and can go up to as much as $2000. Tools like the different types of scissors, clippers and sharp razors.

Hence the charge for a basic haircut starts from $15 and can go up to $25.

Other important tools to expect when it comes to setting up the store are the blow dryers, mirror and barber chair. Photo taken from Barber TakO’s house, with his hard earned barber equipment.

Photo credit: Adi

Competition with other home barbers is another factor that comes into play for the community. Most of the home barbers have shared clients especially those that have their businesses in the same area as one another. With more and more home barbers on the rise, you will never know who stays.

This has never been a problem for them however, with them outwardly spoken about how they enjoy the struggles and have emerged from them.

“I always like challenges” said Naqib who always tries different techniques and many new things to learn.

“My salary is fluctuating, it is not stable. That's what I like, the struggle. I love it, I love the challenges.” said Akif.

Clearly the road has never been linear for them but this next generation of barbers are headstrong. Even after all their hardships, and obstacles, they still continue to provide quality haircuts for their customers day after day. It all started with the simplest of dreams, and the ambition to go for it.

“If you have the vision, you can get it,” said Akif.

“Never rush the process.”