Barbers and stylists provide 420 Hamilton youth with free textured hair services at March Break event | CBC News
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They came for cuts and in some cases, left with “a different energy.”
Some 420 young people, in fact, benefited from a marathon session of free haircuts and styling for young people with textured hair on Saturday, at the second annual Excel in Style event at Bernie Custis Secondary School.
“I don’t just do haircuts — I create swag,” barber D Neptune told CBC Hamilton, adding people often seem changed when they leave his chair “because they feel so good about themselves.”
The barber of 40 years was at the school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but for him, it didn’t feel like a long day. He danced with kids at his station and taught a young girl how to do part of her brother’s haircut.
There was “such a positive energy,” making it “more of a fun day than work,” said Neptune, who runs Kairos Cuts in Stoney Creek.
Organized by the non-profit Excel in Style, the event was for Black people and others ages 4 to 21.
In addition to 71 stations for textured stylists and barbers to serve participants, Excel in Style brought together multiple organizations and community groups to hold workshops on topics including leadership, health and wellness, employment and education. There was also a DJ, activities for kids, and tables for businesses and community groups.
Last week, organizer Lohifa Pogoson Acker told CBC Hamilton her first event in 2025 served 287 people and she hoped to serve over 300 this time. She said Tuesday that her team is still counting, but knows at 420 people accessed the hair services.
Not every barber shop or salon caters to textured hair, Neptune said, so it can be hard for people wanting cuts and styling.
“For them to be able to come into a space where there’s others that look like them and to see everybody be able to get the desired services that they want for their hair was just absolutely fantastic,” he said.
“When you look your best, you feel your best and you do your best.”
(Submitted by D Neptune)
Christian Lokofe, whose Trims Barbershop operates in Hamilton’s east Mountain area, said he was excited to serve people who might not have been able to afford the cuts and styles they wanted before.
“Some of the kids had never really gotten a haircut from a professional barber,” he said, adding they were excited for the experience.
“Especially when you show them their haircut in the mirror … you can see that it brought a little bit of joy into their day, which was the most rewarding part of it,” said Lokofe, who worked with his co-worker to give about 20 haircuts.
He said he met a lot of new people and passed out some free-haircut cards to participants he hopes to see again at his shop, where he’s currently training about six young barbers.
Hamilton Mountain stylist Wozina Taguina, who runs Hair by Moi, participated in the Excel in Style event Saturday for the second consecutive year.
“Events like this can have a much bigger impact than just the haircut itself.”
In the Black community, styles are “deeply tied to culture,” but can become expensive, she said.
“I just found it very important to participate in something to boost [youths’] self-esteem.”
Taguina spent the morning working in a separate space for hijabi or neurodivergent youth who needed privacy or somewhere quiet to get their hair cut and styled. She said the room was nice to work in and decorated with plants.
The stylist said she felt tired on Sunday, but the day of the event, she just felt a positive energy.
“The kids kept us motivated, they kept us going.”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
