When times are tough, and money is tight, a $20 haircut and the benefits it brings may just be one of the first things that gets squeezed off the shopping list.
But it’s somewhat of a no-win budgeting decision: a good haircut can make a massive difference to self-esteem and confidence, as personal grooming on the outside lifts the spirits on the inside too.
The homeless and those struggling financially are getting support from the Salvation Army, in Nambour, which gives free haircuts to those in need, the homeless, the elderly who struggle to get by, those who need to look good for a job interview.
“You go and look at them and say, ‘Wow, don’t you look different’ and the beautiful grin that’s on their face,” Salvation Army Nambour community worker Rosemary Campbell said of the haircuts.
“To go away feeling that you’ve had a nice haircut, and you feel so much different, especially if you’ve got a lot of problems going on - stress, or you’re going through difficult times - once you get a haircut you feel so much better in yourself.”
The haircuts are done each Tuesday by local hairdresser Chris Schloss.
“It’s so important for people’s well-being,” she said.
However, the haircuts are now being accompanied by free hair brushes, thanks to Wayne Knetter of 4CP printing, who has donated several boxes of foldable brushes, complete with a special printed message.
“I brought one in and spoke to Chris and asked, ‘What would you printed on it?’ and she came up with a message, ‘The Gift of Love’ because, to us, it’s not just getting a haircut, it’s something ongoing, it’s personal thing for people, and it’s a memory of them coming here and it reinforces just what the Salvation Army does for people,” Terry Clark, who represented 4CP, said of the brushes donation.
“For Wayne, of course, of 4CP, it’s just another cog in the wheel of what we try to do for the community , to make things a little bit better for people that haven’t got it as good as we have.”
The hairbrush is a small offering to hopefully help those in need feel a little better about themselves and perhaps help them take a step forward in life.
“I’m guessing it’ll be a gift where people will be speechless, because when you cut their hair they’re speechless when you say, ‘No, there’s no cost’,” Ms Schloss said.
The support highlights how deep the need is in the community and how a simple haircut can actually trigger a much-needed boost in self-confidence and put a smile on the recipients’ faces.
“When you’ve got kids and it costs so much for food nowadays, and getting them through school, to get them a haircut sometimes can be very difficult… or they just do a botch-up job at home because they can’t afford it, but when we had people coming in here and they saw Chris, they said, ‘Oh, will she do kids’ hair?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, she’ll do anybody’s hair’ so I think this week we’re going to see quite a few kids coming in to get their hair cut, so the kids will go back to school with new hair styles or shorter hair, and the parents feeling so much better,” Ms Campbell explained.
“These brushes I think are a fantastic idea, because to get the gift of a haircut and then, on top of it, getting something else, it’s just like Christmas, to be given a brush to maintain your hair and with a sign on it to say it’s a gift of love… it’s something that they can remember.”

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