On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the inside of Houston City College’s (formerly Houston Community College) Barbering Department is a bevy of activity. This is one of the program’s unique aspects.
On these two days, the hum of clippers and the low murmur of conversation fill the air inside a classroom, as students give free haircuts to community members. In turn, these future stylists receive their training for a career in barbering in the process.
A long line of people snaked down the hallway as students, workers, and residents from across the city waited for haircuts. Inside, rows of young barbers-in-training bent over their clients with care and concentration.
“This program is for people not necessarily looking for a degree, but maybe a trade,” said Renee Nelson, an HCC barber instructor who has taught in the department for three years. “You learn all things here, from straight hair, curly hair, long hair, short hair; we teach it all. Everything’s hands-on; it’s a fast-paced learning program. You come in, and in the first two weeks, we’re cutting hair already.”
Nelson, who also runs her own business, Royal Dreads, balances teaching with running her shop.
“I find joy in getting up to go to my shop and do hair. I find joy in coming up to HCC and doing hair,” Nelson said. “I just found passion.”
Building skills and community
HCC’s barbering program offers a one-year, two-semester pathway for students seeking a professional license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The first semester introduces students to tools, techniques, and safety practices, while the second semester delves into advanced styling, facials, manicures, and chemical treatments, such as perms and dyes.
The program’s highlight, however, is its Free Haircut Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when students gain hands-on experience by serving the public.
Instructor Hanna Dewberry said the sessions also bring life lessons into the classroom.
“Your barber is usually your therapist,” Dewberry said. “We hear a lot of life stories and testimonies. They make my heart melt. These guys find community in here with each other. They see the same faces every other week. We are working wonders in the community, it being free.”
Dewberry, who graduated from the same program she now teaches, said HCC’s structure sets it apart. Classes start at eight, reviewing assignments and terminology taught in previous lessons.
“We go over book work and get them [students] familiar with terminology and different systems and sanitation,” she said. “Once we go over that and do team or individual assignments, we switch over to the other half of our day, which would entail us actually taking clients and doing hands-on training.”
A trade rooted in culture
Barbering, especially in Black communities, has always been more than just a service; it has been a cultural expression. Students and instructors said the trade is seated in storytelling and identity.
“If you go back in history, we spoke through hair, through the different patterns and designs that we wore our hair,” Nelson said. “African hair has been around from us wearing nappy fros to us getting into the relaxers and straightening it out. Back in the day, you had locks. You wouldn’t see a person like me in this type of position. So we’ve come a long way when it comes down to our hair.”
Dewberry added that the program delves into the book Milady Standard Barbering, which explores the history of barbering.
The economics of self-determination
While some see barbering as a fallback, both instructors describe it as a foundation for entrepreneurship.
“You need to have something that belongs to you as well as something that seems more like a career,” Dewberry said. “With degrees, like HVAC [Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning]. Barbering, cosmetology, electrician…it’s your trade, and no one can take that from you. The barbering program teaches you to be independent, be your own boss, and set your own schedule.”
The program also emphasizes business literacy. Students learn marketing, pricing, and customer service skills that have become critical in the age of Instagram and TikTok.
“I see people posting their haircuts, their finished product. It’s all about your creativity and ingenuity to promote yourself,” Nelson said. “That’s where that confidence comes in.”
Mathis Hollis, a student in the program, joined it straight out of high school after growing up watching his father, a barber in the Fifth Ward, at work.
“After graduation, I’m expected to be fluent in not only cutting hair, but styling hair, doing manicures, facials, and being skilled at my whole craft,” Hollis said. “I might work somewhere first to build a clientele and then start my own business. My dad had his own shop, and I would like to carry it and follow in those footsteps.”
Another student, Anaiyah Harris, said the program gave her a renewed sense of purpose. She recalled being at home one day and feeling determined to pursue a career she loved.
“I was cutting my homeboy’s hair just to get a practice of it,” Harris said. “I came here and it really helped me out. The hardest part is the dying, the chemical stuff. You gotta learn how to work, not to burn anybody.”
For clients like one longtime participant, the experience is just as rewarding.
“This helps people who may be light on funds or want to make a good impression for a job,” said Ken Lane, a former student at HCC who was getting a haircut. “I’ve been coming here for the last three years. The students are professional, and the cuts are always solid.”
AI-proof jobs
As artificial intelligence threatens to automate countless industries, both instructors said barbering remains one of the few truly human-proof trades.
“I don’t think AI is gonna come for us, because everybody’s head shape is different, hair texture is different,” Nelson said. “I’m not worried about AI at all. Hair is gonna always be around.”
DeBerry echoed that sentiment.
“You have to be ahead of the curve and learn how to maneuver and pivot,” Dewberry said. “AI is taking a lot of positions, but human talents and human trades it just can’t replace.”
