The Bald & Beautiful: Celeb Barber Shares Tips On Being Carefree and Hair Free
Interview originally appeared on
Shakeya “Shakey” Mervin, known as "Shakey-da-Celebrity-Barber" on instagram knows about a bomb cut. The self-taught, Harlem-based barber began professionally cutting hair after she struggled finding a new job as a teacher just six years ago. During that time, she leaped head first into the male-dominated field after reading a Craigslist ad--and soon found a calling that allowed her to totally be herself. Since then, she’s snagged clients like BET's 106 & Park, Mike Epps, Sidra Smith, Cicely Tyson and more.
While short cuts by women transitioning from relaxed hair to natural are still the most popular, according to Shakey, there are women going through a "transformation" who want to see how they look bald. Read on as Shakey gives tips on maintaining this fearless, hairfree, carefree look!
Know You Are Beautiful
Be comfortable with the skin that you’re in. If you feel comfortable enough cutting it, (know) it grows back. Some women are concerned with looking too masculine but there are so many ways you can cut it.
Keep It Simple
Dealing with short hair, you don’t want to do too much--argan oil spray just to keep the sheen and keep the moisture inside the head. On a low cut that is not bald, you can use the same products but just keep it natural--alcohol-free products that don’t cause flakes on the scalp. I suggest a T-Gel (Shampoo). Tea tree is also very good for the skin.
There Are Levels to It
A person like Ms. Sidra (Smith), she goes triple zero, which is the level right before bald. It looks like it’s bald but it’s not. At a triple zero baldie, you want to come in every week because your hair is going to grow fast. The more you cut your hair the faster it grows. At a light Caesar (the next level above the triple zero), you want to come in every two weeks.
You Are What You Eat
Some women don’t know that diet can cause dandruff and dry scalp. Our diet shows up on our skin and scalp. Healthy living and eating is the best thing for everything.
Beware of Razor Bump
A lot of barbers get accustomed to cutting one person after another without cleaning clippers each time so the blades get dirty and dull. To help alleviate the problem, when you get in the chair, ask the barber to clean the clippers in front of you. Also, women’s hairline is further down than men’s, so make sure the barber doesn’t raise the hairline at the back of the neck too high. Doing so can definitely cause razor bumps.
Get the Perfect Brush
In between cuts, you now have length so you want to get a brush to get it the texture you want and get it to lay down. I recommend the Diane brush...It depends on your texture--there are Diane brushes with two sides on each side and you can determine which is best for your hair.
Learn to Let Go
“You have to be comfortable with the shape of your head once the hair comes off. It’s very scary at first, but the ease of maintenance is what excites women at the end. They come back to me two weeks later and say they love it!"
Would you rock a bald fade?