Clients Rejected Me Because I’m A Female Barber

Charity Clement is a young lady who learnt barbing to have fun but now a professional barber

Before being the founder of H-Razor Cutz, Gwarimpa Abuja, she was intrigued when she saw a man making ladies’ hair.

That inspired her to become a barber but she soon found out that she had to break barriers erected for women by the society .

A female barber was an aberration in this society at the time so when she started her career as a barber , she faced plenty rejections.

Clement who graduated from Ambrose Ali university Ekpoma , Bendel State in 2010, revealed in this interview her journey into the world of barbing.

Growing Up

When I was in my final year first semester, i just saw the need to learn something outside the school environment. I felt the need for it, so I thought to myself, why don’t I just start something I could just do. I didn’t learn barbing because I wanted to work with it, I just learned for the fun of it but it came handy, I mean very handy.

Convincing My Parent

My parents never really had anything to do with what I wanted to learn or what I didn’t want to learn. I was in my final-year and trust me, final year in Nigeria you are not a baby anymore. You can actually make decision. My mum was like well, if that’s what you want to learn you are on your own. As for my dad he has this Western world kind of Ideas so whatever you bring to his table as long as it’s legal it’s good.

Managing Societal Discrimination

Everyone around that heard I wanted learning barbing talked me down.
I got questions like “Are you serious?…. many of them said why don’t you learn something else.
But I’m a very determined person and once I make up my mind to do something, I do it with less care of what others think. This is because most times people talk you down when they know that this thing is going to be very good later.

Being A Barber, How It Started

While I was still in school during first semester, I went into a salon and it was all boys making a female hair so I told my friend this is not going to be a bad idea if a woman decides to learn barbing, knowing that opposite sex attracts.

After some months i told her I want to learn barbing, she was like are you serious? she was like why don’t you learn female hairdressing? I said I already have idea, I just want to learn something different. When I thought of going to look for one of these classy barbers shop to learn barbing. Mary said to me if you go to the big barbers shop they won’t allow you touch their hair because as no dignitary will want their hair to be messed up. So I registered in a road side barbing salon.

“I just saw the need to learn somethingoutside the school environment I didn’t learn barbing because I wanted to work with with it. I just learned for the fun of it but it came handy I mean very handy.”

How Has It Been?

Honestly at first it wasn’t easy, I had a lot of rejections, clients looking down on me.

It was a very big challenge because in Benin, they’re highly cultural and traditional. Most times it was as bad as they don’t let me touch their hair, or even their children’s hair but that didn’t slow me down. After a short while I left that place and I reregistered in Wuse2 in 2016.

Now it’s so fascinating seeing me cut their hair for the first time and when I’m done they get stuck with the value I offer and refer me to their friends network.

At the moment, one of my best marketer is my son, as he always tells everyone “my mama cut my hair”

Future Ambition

I want to empower and support young girls like who are interested in learning barbing skills. So I envisage to build a barbing brand that’s more female dominated then men.