When Kyle Parker left Chicago for college in Iowa, he didn’t expect a haircut would be essential in shaping his mental wellness. “I couldn’t even find a brush, let alone someone who knew how to cut my hair,” Parker said. “It wasn’t just about appearance, it was about not feeling like myself.”
As a result of this disconnect, Parker eventually founded ClipDart, a national initiative created on the belief that culturally competent haircare is a form of wellness rather than just a service. Before the pandemic, ClipDart was meant to be a convenience app, like an “Uber for haircuts.” However, when COVID-19 hit just as Parker was set to launch, he was forced to rethink its purpose and meaning.
That realization changed the direction of his work. Instead of a consumer app, Parker built ClipDart around institutional partnerships rather than a business to consumer model. “Let’s not focus on a business-to-consumer model, let’s focus on a business-to-business model where we can go to colleges, we can go to hospitals, we can … bring teams there,” he said. Today, ClipDart partners with more than 200 organizations across 30 states, including more than 70 colleges, hospitals, homeless shelters, detention centers, senior homes and community centers.
Born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Parker spent much of his childhood in a barbershop owned by a man he saw as a father figure. “Growing up in those types of communities, barbershops and salons are just cultural institutions … safe spaces,” Parker said. He then discovered a lack of culturally competent hairstylists when he moved to rural Iowa for college.
At USF, the program is called Clip, Cut, Connect. Led by the Health Promotion Services (HPS) in collaboration with the Cultural Centers, the program is designed to reduce stigma, expand access and reimagine what mental health support for students can look like. Launched in the fall of 2024, Clip Cut provides students free services through the Jesuit Foundation Grant, a university fund that supports campus initiatives promoting holistic well-being, equity and social justice. “We wanted to reimagine what access to mental health could look like, so it’s not just about services but also about creating spaces where students feel like they belong,” Jenny Lee, associate director of HPS said. In order to achieve this, USF hosts monthly haircut events with two barbers and one stylist on campus in familiar spaces like the Intercultural Center, where students can also get identity-based support, wellness resources and counseling.
For students, this program is more than just a free haircut, it creates a sense of belonging. First year economics student IfeOluwa Olafisoye said he learned about Clip, Cut, Connect from a poster on his way to the cafeteria, but what stood out the most was the effort to create a space that is intentional and welcoming. “The barbershop has always been a place of calmness,” Olafisoye said. “You might not know everybody in there, but you know who your barber is. It’s a certain culture that you immerse yourself into, especially as a Black person. So having that culture and experience blended with the place that I live and go to school shows that some people here are making the effort to say, ‘Hey, you belong here.’”
What sets ClipDart apart is its approach to accessibility, cultural competency and equity. Unlike traditional salons, the organization delivers hair care directly to those who need it most. “Everything that we do, we meet the people on site…We’re never at a barbershop,” Parker said. By eliminating the need to travel for appointments in unfamiliar spaces, ClipDart removes a major barrier that often keeps underserved communities from receiving care.
Access is just one aspect of the equation; every service is designed to be culturally competent. All barbers and stylists are trained to work with a variety of hair textures and identities which is considered an essential part of the company’s mission. “If you come to one of our events and get your hair messed up, your mental wellness isn’t improved,” Parker said.
ClipDart has always presented itself as a mission-driven business rather than a profit-driven one. “For the first two years, everything that we did … was strictly volunteerism,” Parker said. Over time the model evolved to contract licensed barbers and stylists who are not only technically skilled but also share ClipDart’s values.
ClipDart’s mission now shows its impact through students who say these services has changed how they approach school, work and community. “These haircuts are helping students improve their lives, not just how they look,” Parker said. Nationally, mental health equity has become a significant problem in higher education. Institutions are always looking to integrate trauma-informed care, culturally responsive support and equity based access.“I’m not the only person who’s dealing with hair care inequity and it’s affecting their mental wellness,” he said. “This is like a worldwide issue. This is like a pandemic in terms of people’s hair care inequity. It’s a crisis going on.” Even though Clip, Cut, Connect might seem like a small thing, for many students it serves as a space for belonging.
Email Jenny Lee at jlee112@usfca.edu to find out how to donate to ClipDart.
