NYC Barber's Virtual 'Quarancuts' School Guides At-Home Haircuts

NEW YORK, NY — Even Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Billy Porter gets nervous for a role that has suddenly become universal during the coronavirus crisis — at-home hairstylist.

The singer, actor and style icon — like many people stuck at home during the pandemic — recently added the role of amateur barber to his resume to give husband Adam Porter-Smith a much-needed trim.

But, thanks to New York City barber Xavier Cruz, he didn't have to go at it alone.

"Billy, have you ever done this before?" Cruz asked over video chat.

"No, not on white people," Porter joked.

Porter was the first, but not the last, graduate of Cruz's "Quarancuts Virtual Hair School," a video chat training course that the Barba Men's Grooming Boutique owner is offering for cutting a loved ones hair during coronavirus quarantine.

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Grammy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter. (© Barba)

The at-home hair school has since featured tips for Mother's Day trims, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest giving cuts live on air ,and even a 6-year-old buzzing her uncle's hair.

The online training aims not only to prevent "catastrophic" at-home results — "I’ve seen those selfies," Cruz says — but also to help bring people closer together, the barber explains.

"We created this program to not only make us feel great over our appearance, but to also have fun," he said. "We will certainly have some good laughs during our sessions."

Cruz, who's also worked as a stylist on Broadway, has been cutting hair since he was 14 and has owned his own salon since 1997. Barba Men's Grooming Boutique specializes in men's haircuts and was the first in the nation to offer scalp micropigmentation, a treatment for baldness, according to the boutique.

Xavier Cruz (© Barba)

Those interested in a "Quarancuts" lesson, set up with the help of Terry & Sandy advertising, can send Barba a direct message on Instagram. The sessions, like Porter's, are all aired on the salon's page so others can get in on the lesson.

Quarancuts clients are each given a personalized "Certificate of Bravery" and their stylists, like Porter, an "Amateur Barber Certification."

“My nerves faded away with Xavier’s guidance," the actor said after his session. "Humbling and Fabulous!”