“Pay-as-you-Feel” Barber Wins Top UK Hairdressing Award
Donal O’Leary, a barber who offers “pay-as-you-feel” haircuts, has been named the UK’s Best Barber at the 2024 UK Hair and Beauty Awards. O’Leary, who works at the Apothecary 87 salon in Balby, Doncaster, provides haircuts where customers pay what they can afford, a service especially valuable during the current cost-of-living crisis.
Expressing his surprise at winning the title, O’Leary said, “I never expected to win. It’s something I’ve been striving for a while.”
With eight years of experience, O’Leary was encouraged to enter the competition by his girlfriend and family. “I’ve always wanted to enter a competition like this,” he said. “But I’ve never had the courage to do it.”
The “pay-as-you-feel” haircuts are available once a week to both men and women. O’Leary explained, “With how hard times are at the moment with the cost of living, we thought it would be great to give everyone the chance to have a haircut, make them look and feel good.”
His clients include individuals struggling to pay utility bills, often showering at gyms and sports centres, and women who typically face higher costs for styling at female-centric salons. “For some, it’s really been a massive thing,” O’Leary said. “Being able to get a haircut for free or as much as they can afford is really beneficial.”
O’Leary learned to cut hair while a student at Trinity Western University in Canada, where he played for the football team. He believes his unique pricing model is “good for Doncaster.”
