Despite living in Canberra for two years, Andrew Akinlabi said it was rare to find a barber who could cut his hair well.
Now when he needs a haircut, he sometimes waits two weeks for a slot at a Braddon barbershop that specialises in cutting Afro and curly hair.
"Especially for an African guy like me, for our hairline, it takes some special skills to do it correctly, how to do the fading, because it's not the regular Caucasian type of hair," Mr Akinlabi said.
The sole barber there, Uata Fangupo, has been Mr Akinlabi's go-to for a good trim and to feel "confident" when he leaves the chair.
"He's the only one who's been able to do it well," Mr Akinlabi said.
"You're happy [when] you pay for something and you're getting value."
Mr Fangupo opened Falekosi ("barbershop" in Tongan), with his wife Salote and two children, in December 2021. He got started more than eight years ago when his friends, nephews, and other family members came to him for haircuts.
A majority of his clients have Afro and curly hair, some trekking from Goulburn and Sydney to get haircuts at his shop.
"My customers tell me they can't find anyone to cut curly hair. They say they've gone to places and they don't get what they want," he said.
"I'm pretty much self-taught. [Cutting Afro hair] is something you need a lot of time to train and master."
There are a few local barbers who have similar experiences, but Mr Fangupo believes all hairdressers must learn how to serve clients with any hair type.
He hopes formal training is introduced for barbers everywhere to learn about Afro and curly hair.
"It should be on the list of courses," he said.
"If you call yourself a barber, you should be ready for any hair that comes through the door."
Afro hair specialist Rumbie Mutsiwa is a member of the Australian Hairdressing Council and says she didn't know of any formal courses available to barbers.
She said there may be individual hairdressers who train people, but a lot of curly hair education was "anecdotal".
Ms Mutsiwa began by cutting the hair of friends and family who struggled to find salons to serve them.
She then filled the need by studying hair and establishing her own curly hair brand and Sydney salon catering to 10,000 clients including Canberrans.
The founder of Rumbie & Co. said there was a movement where people are accepting their natural curls and Afros. She believes hairdressers must step up their relevance or risk becoming redundant.
"If I want to be able to wear my hair naturally and my hairdresser can't show me how, in a very simple way, then what value are they to me?" she said.
Ms Mutsiwa said people could easily go on Instagram or YouTube for information about styling and cutting curly and Afro hair, and probably have a better experience because it's free.
"If we, as a community of hairdressers, don't seek to provide then they're going to [go] elsewhere and ... find hairdressers absolutely redundant," she said.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
