Gallery: Qeebcuts
By Daanish Bhatti
April 3, 2019 2:20 p.m.
Raqeeb Chang, a first-year linguistics and computer science student, is the founder of Qeebcuts, a barbershop right out of his own dorm room in Hedrick Hall 463. In his junior year of high school, Chang would give his friends free haircuts to hone his skills. Upon arriving at UCLA, his goal was to continue cutting hair as a side job, allowing him the ability to set his own hours while making some money on the side.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
Chang tried cutting hair in the shared hall bathroom, the lounge and the stairwell before resorting to using his classic triple dorm room due to conflicts with UCLA Housing. “It’s definitely a small space, which is why I try my best to stay clean and organized,” Chang said.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
John Fulgado is a first-year music student visiting from San Jose State University. While he and Chang have been friends for years, this is his first time getting the Qeebcuts experience. Fulgado's only instructions were to shave the sides and leave some length on top.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
For Chang every haircut starts out the same way regardless of the type of hair he’s cutting. Spraying water on and going over the hair with a comb allows for it to get detangled, making it easier to cut
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
As his clientele has expanded from 13 to about 75 regulars in six months, Chang has cut a variety of men’s styles from short and thin, long and thick, to curly. “Everyone has a different way their hair naturally falls once it’s dried up, especially in the back. I make sure to spend quality time combing evenly and making cuts periodically,” he said.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
After cutting the hair with scissors, Chang manipulates the hair into place using a blow dryer and styling comb. For Fulgado, he blow dries all the hair on top to the left side. “This gives me a cleaner space to work with before I start working on the right side fade,” Chang said.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
Using an adjustable clipper, Chang works on fading the right side, starting with smooth, even strokes across the right side of the client's head. The same cordless clipper is placed over the comb as the haircut starts to fade into the length on top. “I learned these added techniques by taking pictures of my before and after haircuts, and practicing new ways to make them better,” Chang said.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
On the left side, a clipper is placed on the lengthy portions of Fulgado's hair. A flashlight extends from Chang’s phone as he works to make the fade more precise. “It makes up for the lack of light on this side of the room,” he said.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
These final stages of the haircut are all about refinement. “One thing I was able to notice about (Fulgado's) hair as I was cutting it was its relatively poor shape. I’m taking the extra steps now to maintain this clean look even when his hair grows out”. Chang uses the Andis Slimline Pro cordless trimmers to refine the haircut
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
The final step in every men’s haircut is to powder the neck and brush off the small hairs with a neck duster.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
“The final cut I gave (Fulgado) was a shadow fade combover,” Chang said. This was a haircut that gave Fulgado what he requested but left room for Chang to add his own personal styles throughout. “It was definitely the best haircut I’ve ever had. Believe me, if it was bad, (Chang) never would have heard the end of it,” Fulgado said as he walked out of Hederick Hall 463.
(Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
