Hair Aid Inc.

What Hair Aid Inc. does

Hair Aid Inc. is an Australian non-profit organization and registered charity (ABN 72 170 732 477) headquartered in Brisbane, with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. The organization operates two core programs: international projects, where volunteer hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, and supporters travel to developing countries to teach hair-cutting skills to people living in poverty; and Hair Aid Community Cuts (HACCs), a domestic Australian program where volunteers deliver free haircuts every six weeks to people experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, domestic violence, or social isolation. Since 2014, more than 6,300 people have been trained in hair-cutting skills across Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Guatemala, with graduates receiving certification and complete scissor kits to start micro-businesses.

The organization runs seven international projects annually, each involving 20 or more volunteer hairdressers and following a structured five-day curriculum teaching five basic haircuts. Projects are delivered through local NGO partners including FUNCOLI in Guatemala and Asia's Hope in Thailand. Revenue is generated from three streams: tax-deductible donations (the primary stream), volunteer project participation fees (AUD $2,117 for Indonesia; AUD $2,345 for Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam), and merchandise sales including T-shirts (AUD $18) and scissor kit sponsorships (AUD $36). A AUD $500 non-refundable deposit is required for project participation, with Laybuy installment payments available. The organization has a small operational footprint of approximately 7 employees.

Hair Aid was founded by Selina Tomasich after encountering the work of two nuns in Manila in 2010 and was formally registered as a not-for-profit in 2013. The founding team includes Mark Tomasich (Secretary and Board Member) and Steve Cottingham (Board Member). Distribution relies on direct volunteer recruitment through the website (hairaid.org.au), content marketing via blog, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, email newsletters, and earned media in publications such as Modern Salon.

Name

Hair Aid Inc.

Legal name

Hair Aid Inc.

Website

https://hairaid.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hair Aid Inc. is an Australian non-profit that teaches hairdressing skills to people in poverty across five developing countries and provides free haircuts to vulnerable Australians in 40 communities, delivered through volunteer professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Skills Training

NAICS

Cosmetology and Barber Schools (611511), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Hair Styling & Cutting (EDAOALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Haircutting & Styling Services (HSALAAAD)

Keywords

• Vocational skills training
• Nonprofit charity programs
• Community volunteer programs
• Hairdressing skills training
• Micro-business empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Hair Aid is a registered Australian charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, enabling tax-deductible donations. The organization accepts donations through its website to support operational costs and program delivery.
2. Project Participation Fees: Volunteers pay project fees to participate in international projects. Fees cover accommodation, ground transport, project insurance, team t-shirts, resources, and logistics. Indonesia projects cost AUD $2,117; Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam projects cost AUD $2,345 per person. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required at sign-up.
3. Merchandise Sales: Hair Aid sells merchandise including T-shirts ($18) and 'Sponsor a Scissor Kit' ($36) through its e-commerce store. Proceeds support the organization's training programs and resource distribution.
4. Laybuy Installment Payments: Hair Aid offers Laybuy payment option allowing volunteers to pay project fees in four installments, making participation more accessible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hair Aid Inc. is an Australian non-profit organization that delivers a five-day hairdressing training curriculum to people living in poverty in developing countries, equipping graduates with skills, certification, and scissor kits to start their own micro-businesses. It also runs the Hair Aid Community Cuts (HACCs) program, where volunteer hairdressers provide free professional haircuts every six weeks to people experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, domestic violence, disability, and social isolation across 40 Australian communities.

Product overview

Hair Aid Inc. is a non-profit organization operating two core volunteer programs: International Projects (teaching hair cutting skills in developing countries) and Hair Aid Community Cuts (free haircuts in Australian communities). Their product portfolio includes volunteer trip registrations to Philippines, Cambodia, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Thailand (priced from $357 per person), merchandise (t-shirts at $18), and donation products (scissor kit sponsorship at $36). The international projects follow a structured 5-day training curriculum where locals learn five basic haircuts and receive certification and tools to start micro-businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hair Aid Community Cuts (HACCs): A domestic offshoot program where volunteer hairdressers provide free haircuts to people experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, domestic violence, disability, mental health challenges and social isolation in Australian communities every six weeks.

Products and services

• International Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,300+ people trained since 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georgian College (Hairstyling Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Partnership with Georgian College's Hairstyling program in Canada. Three students joined Hair Aid's Guatemala project, funded by the Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) program. Students taught local residents hairstyling skills and immersed themselves in Guatemalan culture. The collaboration provided entrepreneurial training and created a meaningful exchange of knowledge between Canadian students and Guatemalan community members.
• FUNCOLI - Free Hearts Foundation (Guatemala)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Local partner in Vuelta Grande, Guatemala. FUNCOLI supports health, education, and local development for low-income people since 2007. Hosted Hair Aid training for local women, especially mothers, who gained hairstyling skills to support families or start small businesses. Partnership creates sustainable opportunities and fosters hope in the community.
• Asia's Hope (Thailand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Organization providing children's homes for hill tribe orphans in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai. Hair Aid connected five beauticians with eighteen adults who oversee children's homes. Training enabled savings for the organization (cutting children's hair in-house) and provided income opportunities for house parents and rescued individuals.
• Akito ScissorsminorOthersPartnership for scissor donations and supplies for training programs. Volunteers are encouraged to collect second-hand scissors from hairdressing contacts.
• Women's Business SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounder Selina Tomasich graduated from Women's Business School accelerator program. Organization provides networking and business development support for women entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: One of the world's largest development NGOs, running vocational training and micro-enterprise programs in developing countries. Comparable in mission (skills training for poverty alleviation) but operates at massive scale across many sectors beyond hairdressing.
• Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO): UK-headquartered international development charity that places skilled volunteers in developing countries. Comparable volunteer-deployment-to-developing-countries model, though VSO operates across many professional sectors at significantly larger scale than Hair Aid.
• TechnoServe: Large international nonprofit that builds market-based solutions including vocational and micro-enterprise training in developing countries. Comparable in the income-generation-via-skills-training dimension but operates at much larger scale and broader sectoral scope than Hair Aid.
• Habitat for Humanity: Large international NGO engaging volunteers to build capacity in low-income communities. Comparable in mobilizing fee-paying skilled volunteers to deliver development outcomes, though focused on housing rather than vocational skills training.

Direct peers

• Haircuts 4 the Homeless: US nonprofit mobilizing volunteer barbers to provide free haircuts to people experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable to Hair Aid Community Cuts — same volunteer-hairdresser, free-service-for-vulnerable model — but operates as a US network rather than country-based training mission.
• Beauty Bus Foundation: US-based nonprofit delivering free in-home beauty services (including haircuts) to individuals facing serious illness. Operates a comparable volunteer-led beauty-services-for-vulnerable-populations model that mirrors Hair Aid's Community Cuts program in Australia.
• Hairdressers Without Borders: German nonprofit sending volunteer hairdressers to teach cutting skills in developing countries. Closest direct comparable: same vocational training mission, same volunteer-paid model, overlapping beneficiary populations, with Hair Aid focused on Asia/Central America and Hairdressers Without Borders focused on Africa and South America.

Regional players

• Australian Volunteers International: Australian non-profit deploying skilled Australian volunteers to development projects across the Asia-Pacific. Comparable volunteer-deployment mission and Australian donor base, but covers all professional sectors rather than hairdressing specialization.
• Haircuts for Homeless (UK): UK-based charity offering free haircuts to homeless and vulnerable people through volunteer stylists. Directly comparable community-cuts mission but geographically UK-only rather than international.
• Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA): New Zealand government-funded volunteer-sending agency placing skilled professionals in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Overlaps with Hair Aid's volunteer-mission model and Asia-Pacific geographic focus but operates at national-program scale rather than hair-sector specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-4ImzeaDsk_rO5_aAymCRA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HairAidAustralia
• Instagraminstagram.com/hairaidinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hair-aid-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hair Aid Inc.