When you live in poverty something like a haircut is a luxury. A luxury that could change your entire outlook on yourself and give you a new found sense of self.
That’s why hairdresser Joshua Coombes travels the world giving free haircuts to homeless people he meets.
“A haircut can be maintenance for someone, it can just be a tidy up but actually it’s about identity and dignity,” Coombes told ATTN: Life.
Coombes is the founder of the #DoSomethingForNothing campaign where he not only offers free haircuts to the indigent but also goes out of his way to connect with them and shares their stories on social media.
Being homeless and on the streets alone all day can be terribly isolating, which is why Coombes goes out of his way to talk and chat with the people he provides haircuts to.
“DoSomethingForNothing is all about connecting with people,” he said. “I don’t really look at this as a charity. It might not change their world but it might change their thought process and that might lead them on a new path.”
One of the people he gave a haircut to told him that his new look gave him the confidence to get on a bus later that day and go visit his mother and sister who he hasn’t seen in a long time.
“Those little things can do a lot to cheer someone up,” Coombes says.
Hairdressers are known for being chatty and Coombes says this skill perfectly translates to what he does with DoSomethingForNothing.
“When you cut someone’s hair, it is about trust,” he told The Washington Post. “For some mad reason, clients tell us everything. And that role translates to the street really well.”
Though he’s offering people a kindness, Coombes says what he gets in return from them is just as great.
“Fulfillment is different for everyone, but for me, connecting with others is whats makes me tick,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what’s led you to this moment. I want to listen and learn.”
Some people are shocked in more ways than one after he gives them a haircut.
“The new me,” said one man looking into a mirror after his fresh cut. “Santa Monica’s finest baby.”
Another man asked, “why did you do that for me?” Coombes told him the truth.
“I loved hearing his story,” he said on Instagram. “I never want to stop learning, every time I go out and do this I get so much also.”
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