He’s a Cut Above

Find barber Cam Do at KingCuts X KBeauty on Sand Island Access Road. Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo

Cam Do is creating quite the “buzz” on social media as he transforms the hairstyling industry one viral video at a time.

Take a seat in Cam Do’s salon chair and you can expect to have not just your appearance transformed, but your life as well.

Despite starting his career as a barber just three years ago, Do has already taken the internet by storm with his trending videos, which have garnered millions of views from more than 800,000 followers on his Instagram account (@_cambarber).

Chances are you’ve seen those videos; they’re hard to miss with eye-catching titles like “Please Save My Marriage,” “My Girlfriend Leaving Me,” and “From John Wick to Who.” Amazingly, people fly in from all over the world to have Do perform his hairstyling magic on them out of the chair he rents at KingCuts X KBeauty in Honolulu.

“I always treat my client like my friend,” Do says. “If you treat them like a friend, they’ll treat you like a friend. If you treat them like a customer, they’ll treat you like a barber. I’m just having fun with them. I’m like, ‘Hey! You want to shoot a video together? Let’s make some good memories.’”

His videos feature him asking clients questions, including why they came to see him and what works and doesn’t work for their hairstyle — with hilarious clips of viral videos mixed into the recordings. The videos end with a reveal that often leads viewers to conclude it’s a whole different person from the one they saw at the start of the video.

“Instead of the haircut, I’m focused on making my client look good,” Do explains. “To boost their confidence, I try my best to make them look handsome. And the hair transformation is from that.

“I think I’m the first guy doing (videos like that), and now, so many people in the industry … know about me and are starting to learn from me, and I think after that, after one year, the whole (hairstyling/barber) industry is changing.”

For many, Do’s laid-back, fun-loving demeanor is also what makes their hair-cutting experience so enjoyable. It’s why he’s able to have his patrons be so vulnerable with him on camera.

“Some of the clients have cried. They cry after seeing how they look so different. Some of them are really surprised,” the hairstylist reflects. “I’m not saying I’m the best barber or anything like that, but to see that, it really makes me feel like I’m spending my time and my hard work to make somebody feel good, to make them feel different, make them change.

“I don’t know how to say (it) but that means a lot to me,” he adds. “I feel like I’m doing the right thing and I just need to keep going. That’s my motivation.”

While Do is skilled at transforming hairstyles for the better, perhaps the biggest transformation has been his own.

When he was 15, Do emigrated from Vietnam to Hawai‘i. That was in 2012. He had been raised by his grandparents in Vietnam after his mother left to work here in the islands.

“(I’ve) seen my mom maybe only one time in my life in Vietnam,” recalls Do. “She came back, maybe when I’m super young but I don’t remember her. All I know about her was a picture of her.”

While he was eager for a new life in Hawai‘i, the move brought its share of challenges.

“I came here by myself. No English — no anything,” he says. “The first two years was super tough because you have to start everything over again. All my childhood is gone from Vietnam.

“For the first two years, I get really strong depression because it’s so different from what I thought. Because I came here, I don’t know the language, I don’t see my grandparents, I don’t have friends or anything.

Do admits he was bullied at school, and was often teased about his accent. The mocking even led him to consider ending his life.

“I think one time (I was) thinking about almost (committing) suicide, but my grandparents popped up in my mind,” shares Do. “From that, I started changing my whole life … I put in my mind, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m just gonna do everything by myself.’

“When I’m changing myself, everything around me is changing,” he adds. “Now, I’m here. I’m still living. I’m happy.”

Do’s interest in hairstyling developed about five years ago after he serendipitously stumbled upon a YouTube video of a barber giving a homeless man a haircut. “That’s so cool,” Do recalls thinking, and soon after he enrolled at Hawai‘i Institute of Hair Design.

The journey hasn’t been easy. Do had to fight self-doubt and work extra hard — offering to cut his friends’ hair anytime, anyplace, and working for free at nearby salons just to see how they cut hair. He’d attend school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays before rushing to his uncle’s restaurant to work. He also worked as a driver for Uber and Lyft, and delivered food on weekends so he could send money back to his grandparents.

Eventually, his perseverance paid off. He landed his first hairstyling job at Jenny’s Barber Hairstyling in ‘Aiea. After two years there, he decided to go solo at KingCuts X KBeauty.
“I still have so many things to learn; I’m not there yet,” Do says. “It’s only the beginning. I’m gonna keep going, I’m not gonna stop.”

The hairstylist recently released his own e-book, Discover Your Perfect Hairstyle in 10 Minutes: A Guide to Face Shapes and Hairstyles. In it, Do covers the many face shapes, how to measure them and his recommendations for each face type.

“Everybody is so unique,” he says. “Everybody has different hair shapes, face shapes, different colors, skin colors. You cannot apply just one style for everybody.”

While Do’s career continues to soar, his grandparents’ advice has stayed with him: “Never forget where you come from.”

Earlier this year, Do returned to Vietnam for its Lunar New Year celebration. He passed out food and red envelopes filled with money to the less fortunate.

“I always want to support because I come from a poor family,” he says. “I always want to help people. I want to show people that I do more than just cut hair.”

Do offers his own advice to those chasing their dreams.

“Just do it consistently. Don’t give up. Believe in yourself. You have to look at yourself, and say ‘Hey you’re more than that … you can do more than that,’ and just do it, and the results will come.

“And, God will never fail you and always has plans for you.”