Homeless Man Receives Makeover That Unexpectedly Changes His Life

You might sometimes feel that there’s nothing but bad news out there, but there’s always something good happening in the world, and this story proves just that.

João Coelho Guimarães is a 45-year-old man who, for three years, has been roaming the streets of Goiânia, Brazil. His outward appearance tells you that he has had a tough life, with his unruly hair, beard, and soiled clothes.

João’s sudden decision to walk into the barbershop that fateful day in December 2020 could have been met with animosity if it were any other place. But João’s personality precedes him, so he was a familiar face that the staff at Padoo had seen around the area.

Padoo isn’t just the usual barbershop. Aside from giving their customers great haircuts, they also sell trendy clothing. So it’s the kind of place you would go if you wanted a complete makeover–something people would automatically think João needed.

When João stepped into Padoo, it was apparent how much grooming he needed. His hair had grown out of control, covering most of his head and growing past his shoulders. Both his hair and his beard looked unruly and dirty, and it was evident that he badly needed fresh clothes.

As fate would have it, João couldn’t have stepped into a better shop. Padoo seemed so trendy that others might imagine that the staff had better things to do with their time. The truth is, Padoo’s staff and owners were friendly people who had active roles in many community projects and charity work.

Because helping others as much as possible came naturally to the entire team at Padoo, they knew lending João a razor wasn’t enough. So they decided to give it their all and told him they were giving him a total makeover.

To an outsider, taming João’s hair in its current state might seem like an impossible task. Years of neglect meant that Padoo’s barbers had to deal with dirt, knots, and poor scalp and root health. But they also knew that they were the best people for the job.

First, they needed to get rid of a considerable amount of João’s hair. So they started shaving hair off from the back of his head, moving up but still leaving a bit of length at the top. It did seem strange at first why they didn’t just chop the whole thing off, but again, we’re working with pros here.

Once the barbers had cut off the hair they needed to, they went right in and started styling. The clean cut all around mixed with the extra length on top made João’s hair extra trendy, making him look a decade younger (maybe even more) than how he first arrived!

Now comes the primary reason João stepped into Padoo in the first place–his beard! Just like his hair, it was not only long and unruly but greasy and dirty as well. But again, the pros at Padoo showed how much they wanted to give João the care he hadn’t received in a long while.

This was not just an opportunity for João to look better–it was his chance to relax too. So he happily obliged when they asked him to lay back on the chair to get ready for his beard trimming.

If João was known as the smiling homeless man before, his new smile was even more priceless. It was the smile of a man who finally looked good and felt good after enduring the harshest conditions outdoors.

It’s not a total makeover without a change of clothes! By now, Padoo’s styling team had already put together a few looks that they knew would fit João. So they asked him to try one suit after another and encouraged him to walk around confidently as if on a catwalk.

Without a doubt, the happiness on João’s face showed what a huge impact the Padoo staff made on his life. What’s even more inspiring is that every single person who participated in the transformation voluntarily gave their time and effort into the project. It was two incredible and life-changing hours that João would never forget.

Anyone who sees João after the makeover wouldn’t even realize that he’s the same homeless man they passed on the street day after day. But more than what other people see and think, the most noticeable change was within João himself.

João was a man of very few words. This much wasn’t surprising, knowing that his life on the streets left him with very little to say and very little confidence to speak up. But he didn’t need to speak to show how grateful he was for the whole experience.

Padoo’s staff didn’t just leave João with memories; they also left him a bag full of goodies! João got to take home some shirts, a snazzy jacket, a fresh pair of pants, and a cool pair of shoes.

Padoo’s staff members’ hearts were full, and they weren’t going to keep that happiness to themselves. So they decided to share their sense of fulfillment with the world by posting João’s transformation video, as well as his before and after photos, on Instagram.

Padoo had over 9,000 people following their social media accounts at the time. But their social media team was not fully prepared for what happened next after they posted João’s transformation.

The team at Padoo received many commendations from people online, all of them telling the team what a great job they all did. There were comments on how great João looked after the makeover and even more on how generous the staff was with their time and talent.

It was no surprise that João’s story went beyond Instagram’s reach to be featured across different online publications like Daily Mail, The Sun, and Bored Panda. This made João’s story even more viral, as these websites had a far wider reach.

No one knew who João was before he became a homeless man. But with his picture circulating all over the globe, the viral story catches the attention of two people–family members who thought João was deceased.

Filled with excitement, João’s family reached out to Padoo’s owner to find out how they could get ahold of João. His sister, Maria Coelho, said she had been desperate for news about her brother for ten years and never thought she’d have the chance to see him again.

With the makeover done and his ties to his family renewed, it’s easy to assume João would want to return to his old life surrounded by family. João’s sister invited him to live with her, especially since the reunion happened before Christmas.