In a room dominated by male barbers, 29-year-old Irene Wambui, a diploma holder in travel and tourism, works on her client’s head to perfection. She has been a barber for four years.
Irene’s mother was her first client after she saved Sh3,500 for a machine.
“I would later freelance doing house and office calls charging from Sh50 then with the demand my charges escalated to Sh500 per client. I learn on YouTube about waxing and massages and I incorporated these charging Sh6000 for full body waxing.”
She said that a friend employed her in a spa in Nairobi where she was earning Sh35,000 per month but they later fell off due to personal issues that saw her relocating to Nakuru where her mother lives.
“When I first started, I think the first couple years were probably my hardest, because I had to being a female, I had to convince my clients to trust me with their heads or beards. They just could not believe that women are for the barber shop,”says Wambui.
It was her stay in Nakuru that a friend of hers insisted she should meet on of the best barbers in town Jimmy Jey. She was skeptical about it as she felt she was not god enough to work with a professional barber but she gave it a shot.
“I met Jimmy we talked but he promised to get back to me which he did not until eight months later. I actually thought he did not believe in me and that was why he delayed in contacting me. He did not know my work, nor knew me as a person so he took a risk with his business and employed me.”
Irene says that at first she was not that good since her employer is a professional with endless clients streaming in his hair studio and she disappointed a few clients but her employer did not get tired of her. He remained her biggest mentor and supporter.
“Jimmy has taught me a lot, he would leave his client and call me aside and show me how to hold the machine properly. With time, he encouraged me to start styling natural hair. He positively criticises me and I must admit I have grown and got a lot of clienteles . On a good day I take home Sh4000 a day,”
“I am still learning a lot. Barbering is both supportive and competitive. Not only are you competing against each other on a daily basis for clients, it also takes a special kind of woman to be confident standing toe to toe with some of the most talented men in the business.”
