Homeless Man Gets Complimentary Makeover From Salon — Turns His Life Around Afterwards

Feb 22, 2021 by apost team

Being homeless is one of the most difficult circumstances a person goes through in their life. Many homeless people can vouch that homelessness can also be a vicious cycle: the stigma attached to being homeless can affect how other people perceive you, which in turn affects whether someone wants to hire you. The lack of an income keeps a person homeless for long periods of time, and this cycle repeats until a breakthrough happens— someone may see the potential and hire someone even if they are homeless, or a homeless person gets some external help to clean up their act and become a new person. 

When a salon in Majorca, Spain, named La Salvajeria heard about the plight of a homeless man named José Antonio, they decided to offer him a free makeover to celebrate their three-year anniversary. When Antonio, who was once an electrician but lost his job due to suffering from depression, saw his new reflection, the man was stunned. Most people who were used to his old face were unable to recognize him after his transformation! The story is beautiful in many ways, but one of the best outcomes of this was that Antonio was able to use the makeover as a means to turn around his life. An opportunity like this doesn't come around very often for people who are homeless, but the kindness extended by the staff at La Salvajeria, who deserve to be lauded for their helping hand, is phenomenal. This beautiful transformation story from 2015 is truly heartwarming. 

At 55 years old, Antonio hadn't had a permanent place to live for over 25 years, according to the Daily Mail. He was working odd jobs to pay for food and accommodation without being able to save any funds in the process. At the time of the transformation, Antonio had been working as an unlicensed parking attendant around the city to be able to earn enough money for food. After suffering from depression, he had been unable to continue working at his former job as an electrician, which ultimately led to unemployment. This along with the state of his mental health had kept him in survival mode for more than 25 years. This is a long time to be homeless, and we can only imagine how difficult it may have been for Antonio during this time. 

When La Salvajeria had the idea to help him make a change, Antonio could not have known how profound the change was going to be for him in the long run. The owner of the salon knew him from his day job as a parking assistant and decided to do something special for the solon's third birthday. He hired the company Dr. Filmgood to shoot the whole transformation so that they could use the video on their website. While the video was filmed in 2015, it became a viral sensation in 2017 according to Daily Mail. When the viewers see the beautiful videography skills, it is no wonder that Antonio's story and his dramatic transformation were able to capture so many hearts. 

apost.com

In the video, we see the "before" version of Antonio that all the locals are used to seeing around the Majorcan capital, Palma. He had a long, straggly beard and disheveled hair due to years of not being able to take care of it. Moreover, his clothes had been shabby and dirty from living on the streets. The makeover completely changed his face and gave him a new wardrobe. Before beginning his makeover, Antonio said to the cameraman, "Leave the doors over the mirror open for the moment so I can see myself for the last time like this. Then close them to see if when they open again, it's as if something else really opened up in my life, like a symbol." This is a beautiful way to approach the life-changing makeover he was about to get. 

We see a slow but steady change in his face as his hair is cut away and the beard is trimmed. His white hair is dyed into darker brown, which is an incredible change. Viewers can see that the man who stepped into the salon is no longer comparable to the man who is sitting on the seat. As the finishing touches are added to his face, which has taken on a novel, youthful look, we couldn't help but be mesmerized by how amazing Antonio was turning out to be under all the extra beard and hair. Once the makeover for his face was completed, Antonio also received a snazzy pair of red drainpipe trousers and a crisp white shirt. 

When José's transformation was finally revealed, he couldn't believe what he saw. After shedding a few tears and using some colorful language, José finally accepted his new appearance with pride.

“This is incredible, is this me? I’m so different, no-one’s going to recognize me unless I tell them who I am.”

After he leaves the solon, the cameras follow him around to see how locals react to his makeover. Very soon after he steps outside, a couple of women compliment him for looking so good. However, like other locals, they were unable to recognize Antonio, known by the nickname "Josete" in the neighborhood, and were astonished once they knew who the handsome man really was. He entered the bar outside of which he works as a parking assistant and laughed as the waiter served him without recognizing him. Another local couldn't help but ask him, "Where's your Ferrari, mate?" Through all of this, Antonio can be seen enjoying himself. 

There is no doubt that this makeover helped Antonio build enough self-confidence to change his life for the better. The Daily Mail reported that in 2017, Antonio spoke to a Spanish News Outlet where he revealed that he received some financial assistance from a company after his makeover. "It wasn't just a change of look. It changed my life. What I want now is a proper job," said Antonio. Though there have not been updates about Antonio since then, we hope that he continued to do well! His transformation is a reminder that some people need a little help in order to make a big difference.

We are always amazed every time we see José Antonio's transformation video! Do you have any stories of how makeovers and transformations helped you get your confidence back? Tell us your stories, and make sure to let your friends know about Antonio's magical makeover as well!