Rap music plays softly from a speaker nearby in Hanu Thakur’s backyard as he picks up a pair of scissors and a comb. As he cuts, he talks and jokes freely with the client, the conversation flowing from European soccer to college applications, as he meticulously works through his client’s hair, trimming little by little.
Thakur, a senior at Palo Alto Middle College, has been gaining popularity in the Palo Alto community as a student barber, giving $10 haircuts and posting them on his Instagram account, @10_fades.
Thakur said that he started cutting hair after he became tired of getting bad haircuts from his mom’s barber.
“I used to have to go to my mom’s barber,” Thakur said. “They kept on messing me up, and eventually I was like, ‘Alright, surely I could do better than what they’re doing.’”
Thakur learned to cut hair by watching YouTube videos and practicing on himself and his friends.
“I tried practicing on myself a couple times,” Thakur said. “Then I asked my friends. … So then they were like ‘yo, if you want, you can just practice on me.’”
Like Thakur, Jordan Fakatou, a 2022 graduate of Palo Alto High School, started cutting hair by watching YouTube videos in middle school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was inspired by his uncle, a barber, who worked on shows like “All American” and “13 Reasons Why” and cut hair for famous athletes and actors.
“I saw him doing that, and I thought it was cool,” Fakatou said. “My dad bought a pair of clippers because he always saw me watching YouTube videos, and he asked if I wanted to cut his hair. … I had two younger brothers, and I also started cutting their hair.”
Fakatou pursued his passion in cutting hair alongside his new career in real estate.
“I want real estate to be my main thing, but I’m planning to keep cutting hair on the side,” Fakatou said. “I’ve got some time in my schedule for it.”
Thakur and Fakatou both said that they enjoy bonding with their clients. Thakur said that he enjoys cutting hair because it allows him to relax and talk with people in a comfortable environment.
“It’s a way for me to connect with people,” Thakur said. “When I’m cutting their hair and they’re sitting there we’re getting something done. So we’re not really focused on whether our conversation is awkward … We both talk super freely, and I get great conversations out of my friends and other clients.”
Fakatou echoes Thakur’s emphasis on maintaining good relationships with his clients.
“I really value everyone I cut for,” Fakatou said. “It can be tough if your barber just disappears.”
Alaap Nair, Thakur’s cousin, a 2024 Paly graduate and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, still gets haircuts from Thakur despite the long drive. Nair said he appreciates Thakur’s relentless attention to detail, in addition to his low prices.
“I can always rely on him to spend an hour and a half cutting my hair, making it perfect,” Nair said. “He’s the type of guy that focuses on the details, and I appreciate that about him.”
Both Thakur and Fakatou have used social media to grow their businesses and build and maintain relationships with their clients. Fakatou uses his Instagram account, @fadezbyjoreli, to advertise to potential customers.
“Social media is a huge tool, and it’s free,” Fakatou said. “I should’ve kept posting regularly because there are people out there who will come to you, even if you’re just starting out.”
When reflecting on his journey, Fakatou shared a piece of advice for aspiring barbers.
“If I could go back, I’d say that when one of my videos went viral, I should’ve kept that momentum going,” Fakatou said. “That was a missed opportunity.”
Thakur said that despite the fact he is able to profit from cutting hair, he isn’t interested in expanding his business to compete with other barbers in the area.
“I do this as a hobby,” Thakur said. “I find it relaxing — it’s like art to me. And I really like cutting hair … I don’t see myself raising prices anytime soon, because I don’t do this for the money, I’m just doing it because I like to do it … It’s really satisfying, it’s relaxing, but it’s also about getting connected with my clients.”
