NORFOLK, Va. — It’s a worldwide trend that is transforming the hairlines of men and changing their lives.
It most commonly is known as “man weave," although Damian Garedo likes to refer to it by a different name.
“Semi-hair replacement, man unit,” said Garedo. “Man weave isn’t necessarily the most appropriate name, but it’s the most recognizable one.”
Garedo considered the hair loss treatment after struggling with alopecia in the Air Force. He was just 22 years old.
“The point where it was at its worse was when it had to have been an infection of the scalp where I had bleeding and scarring, and I’m waking up with dots of blood on my pillow,” said Garedo.
He considered every type of option to get his hair back, from shampoos to expensive hair replacement surgery. The treatments he did use didn’t work.
“At that point, I was pretty distraught, so I was looking for answers,” said Garedo.
He then met Tre Davis, an expert who installs the hair units at his shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davis, who goes by “tre_trimz” on Instagram, learned the trade from a stylist in Los Angeles.
He recently came to Chosen Styles and Cuts Salon in Norfolk to teach a class to barbers who want to cash in. The hair treatment costs customers a miniumum of $350.
“They want something they can feel CONFIDENT about,” said Davis. “They don’t want to wear the do-rags anymore. They don’t want to wear the ball caps anymore.”
Davis has gotten requests from men across the country and around the world who are interested in the treatment. He teaches other barbers the trade so they can continue to change the lives of others.
“One guy was 20 years old. He was very very apprehensive about his hairline,” Davis explained. “He would always want hair fibers. I came up with this new service, so I tried it on him, put a nice design on the side, and he about cried when I finished the service.”
Davis will hold another class in April at the Chosen Salon at 3854 East Little Creek Road in Norfolk.
Garedo said meeting Davis and investing in the service has changed his life. Garedo started the veteran-owned business, "Aesthetics Hair Solutions," to help provide local barbers and cosmetologists with professional hair care products and education.
“I was at my peak when I had my locs, but then I had my lows being diagnosed with alopecia. Eventually, it balanced out…right now I’m just living off the thrills,” Garedo said.
You can follow Garedo on Instagram at aestheticshairsolutions.