Haircuts for the homeless: British barber travels world offering makeovers

A barber cuts a customer's hair in this Feb. 27, 2015 photo in Marion, S.C. (AP Photo/The Morning News, Veasey Conway)

A British hairdresser is travelling the world and offering free haircuts to men and women living on the street in hopes of sparking similar acts of kindness.

Joshua Coombes, a London-based hair stylist, has visited cities in India, France, the United Kingdom and the U.S. giving makeovers to the homeless. He shares their stories on Instagram, where he aims to offer a new perspective about those who live on the street.

He tags his posts with hashtag #DoSomethingForNothing in hopes of encouraging others to perform similarly selfless acts. The hashtag has since been used more than 25,000 times.

Coombes clientele include people like David, a man who lives in London near a subway station. He’s cut David’s hair three times in the past few years.

“His smile is infectious. He considers it the most valuable thing he has,” Coombes wrote in a post.

During his trip to Mumbai, Coombes visited an orphanage and a shelter for children, where he provided haircuts for kids. He also visited Dharavi, a densely-populated slum with a population of approximately 700,000 people.

On a recent visit to Paris, Coombes cut the hair of a homeless man named Florin, who ended up on the street after suffering a stroke.

“Florin told us what makes him happy in life. It was so good to meet that day. His warmth really shone through as we spent more time together,” Coombes wrote.

Coombes recently partnered with shoe company TOMS to put on an art show profiling some of his work.