Photos: ClipDart provides free hair care as health care to Phoenicians in need

Social Spin Laundromat in Mesa was a buzz of activity on July 19 as David Rodriguez sauntered in with his barber tools. The laundromat was his second location of the day after spending the morning at the Foundation for Senior Living giving free haircuts to residents.

Over the next few hours, Rodriguez completed nearly a dozen cuts on behalf of ClipDart, which is a nonprofit dreamt up by Chicago-born Kyle Parker.

As a young Black man in Chicago, Parker never had difficulty finding barbers who specialized in caring for his hair type. "I went to a mostly Black barbershop, but if that wasn't available, I could go to one of the Puerto Rican neighborhoods, Mexican neighborhoods or Korean neighborhoods. There were always skilled barbers who knew my hair," Parker told Phoenix New Times.

But that all changed when he moved to Iowa at 18 to pursue basketball at Grinnell College.

"Being [in Iowa] for three years, I lost complete access to any type of hair care. I couldn't even find a brush. The closest city for me was like two and a half, three hours away, and I didn't have a car or access to public transportation," Parker said.

Without proper hair care, Parker said that his mental health began to suffer. "When you look your best, you perform your best. And I didn't look my best for basketball games or dates or job interviews — or even when looking for housing. That weighs on you."

Barbershops are "cultural institutions," Parker explained. "[Barbershops are] places where they hire people struggling with homelessness or food insecurity to come sweep the floors so they can be a part of the community. They are safe havens," he said.

Feeling adrift in 2015, Parker began working on an app called ClipDart that would pair clients with mobile barbers in areas that lacked access to hair care for Black and brown people. For five years, Parker and his team developed the app, but COVID shutdowns in 2020 prevented him from launching his business — at least the way he initially conceived it.

"2020 ended up being a blessing in disguise," Parker said. "Our mission hadn't been to create this cool app but to improve mental wellness."

So, Parker pivoted and reimagined ClipDart as a business-to-business model that would provide hair care to nonprofits, human services organizations and colleges. Since he had family in Phoenix, Parker decided to make the Valley the base of his operations.

"Maricopa County is one of the most innovative counties in America. So we thought that would be perfect for us to be there because this is such an innovative idea, and it's gonna help a lot of people," Parker said.

In June, ClipDart received a Maricopa County Department of Public Health grant, making it the first hair care organization to do so. The $100,000 grant will allow ClipDart to hire eight barbers and four stylists who will provide hair care to 13 senior centers in Maricopa County from June 2023 through May 2024.

ClipDart's recent grant is only one prong of the organization's outreach efforts. It also has partnered with Molina Healthcare to provide free haircuts at Social Spin Laundromat in Mesa on Wednesdays.

"Health care is mind and body, and we know that getting a haircut is so important for your mental well-being. You can see [clients'] demeanor changing when they get the haircut. It just makes people feel better," said Molina Healthcare senior outreach specialist Juan Aristizábal.

One regular client of ClipDart said that getting his hair maintained by Arizona's lead barber, David Rodriguez, is an integral part of his well-being. "A lot of us are going through transitions, and the way that people perceive you, the way that people look at you initially, matters — especially right now," the client said. "I have a job interview soon, and if I can look good, I will feel good going into it."

ClipDart currently offers services in 15 states and has plans to expand to England and Germany this fall.