Staff members at a hair salon in Kulai, Johor, shaved their heads in remorse after giving a child a poorly executed haircut. In a video posted last week, four male employees of Solasta Professional Hair Salon were seen shaving their heads, while a female co-founder tearfully cut her hair short. The team then bowed together in a show of apology.
One of the co-founders, who also participated in the gesture, expressed deep regret over the incident. He announced that the Kulai outlet would waive charges for any customers dissatisfied with their haircut until the end of November. Additionally, the salon plans to visit orphanages and care homes to offer free haircuts.
On 24 November, the salon shared another video showing employees providing haircuts to children at an orphanage.
Their response followed a Facebook post from a mother who shared photos of her son’s haircut, cautioning others to avoid the salon “like a minefield”. Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, co-founder Zhang (transliteration) denied allegations that the head-shaving gesture was a publicity stunt. He highlighted that one of the team members had recently adopted a new hairstyle for his wedding ceremony later this month, emphasising that the act required genuine courage.
“No one would shave their head for no reason; it takes courage,” he said.
However, the dramatic apology has drawn criticism from members of the industry. James, a salon owner who spoke to SAYS, questioned whether the response was sincere crisis management or a form of “emotional manipulation”. He argued that the salon’s elaborate reaction overshadowed the customer’s original complaint and risked setting unrealistic expectations.
James cautioned that such actions could pressure hairstylists, especially newcomers, to take extreme measures for mistakes. When SAYS sought comment from Solasta Professional on the criticism, the salon declined to respond, stating it reserves all legal rights against any inaccurate claims made about the establishment.
