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Brad Mondo Illustrated by Ashawna Linyard

How YouTuber Brad Mondo Is Combining His Stellar Personality and Love of Hair To Make Truly Bingeable Content

Living your extra life? This YouTuber knows a thing or two about that.
October 13, 2019
8 mins read

Beauty videos seem to be a dime a dozen on YouTube these days. The video platform never fails to provide content, from older tried-and-true beauty gurus to new favorites covering everything from smoky eyes to bold lips and whatever is trending at the moment. However, one area seems to be quite underrepresented: The hairstylist community. Thankfully, hair aficionados can rejoice as YouTube has finally gained a hair savior by the name of Brad Mondo.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Mondo grew up around hairstylists and the salon atmosphere, as his father was a salon owner and would allow him to play around with hair color for fun. Mondo also gained inspiration to pursue something creative by watching shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and flipping through fashion magazines.

Despite his interest in doing hair as a youngster, Mondo actually did not want to be a hairstylist at first, and instead began to pursue a degree in photography, until he realized that hairstyling was his true calling. The YouTuber moved from a small town in Massachusetts to the Big Apple and worked in a salon for five years before deciding that he strongly disliked working for someone else and decided to do hair on his own time and on his own terms.

Mondo joined YouTube in 2015 and began making content that November, starting with tutorial style videos on how to get celeb hair like Justin Bieber and Zayn Malik. It would not be until 2017 when Mondo would begin his famous “Hairdresser Reacts” series; the first video was a reaction to a bad DIY hair color video. After dipping his toes into the world of hair reaction videos of everyday guys and gals, Mondo began to react to the hair of YouTube legends, like Jenna Marbles and Tana Mongeau.

The hairdresser-turned-YouTuber began to show off his skills shortly after gaining success on his channel from his “Hairdresser Reacts” series. He began with putting extensions in for a fellow hairdresser friend and then moved on to giving Barbies and princess dolls extreme hair makeovers that were far from the ones that you gave your American Girl doll. From chopping off Rapunzel’s long mane into a cute and modern ‘do, to turning classic and elegant Cinderella into an emo/goth queen, from using clippers to scissors, Mondo has done it all on his channel.

The YouTuber also loves to keep his viewers informed about all things hair and what products and tools will help them achieve the style that they are looking for at home. The YouTuber has tested luxury products, like the $154 Oribe shampoo and a $200 flat iron, to see if the products are worth the hype and steep price. The stylist has also made a video that answers the question on everyone’s mind, “What color should I dye my hair?”

Mondo breaks down the process that goes into deciding the hair color best for you based on whether you have a warm, cool or neutral skin tone. The hair guru has also made a follow-up video that answers another important question: “What haircut best suits my face shape?” Mondo breaks down each face shape and how to find yours, and gives several suggestions and celebrity examples for each one.

Mondo is not afraid to call out popular products and trends, like hair growth supplements a la Sugar Bear Hair that claim to grow hair faster. The hairdresser has also examined “As Seen on TV” products like the CreaClip and WEN by Chaz Dean, and given his opinion from a hair professional’s point of view. He also tests out a wide variety of certain products, like dry shampoos and drugstore hair products, at a relatively reasonable price point and suggests only the best to his viewers.

Speaking of viewers, Mondo has another big series on his channel in which he gives back to his loyal viewers in the form of a makeover. In the early days of his channel, Mondo received many requests from die-hard fans asking for the YouTuber to do their hair, to which Mondo would reply, “I’d love to someday.” Several viewers had their wish granted beginning in 2018 when Mondo launched a series on his channel called “Mondo Makeovers,” where he does the hair of fans with emotional and touching backstories. Mondo has helped women struggling with trichotillomania, cancer and many other battles, to help give some confidence and a little boost of happiness through a new hairstyle, color and a little bit of makeup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz82qAuAHJk/

He has also given viewers the opportunity to have their potential hair ideas get a second opinion from the hair guru himself by picking a viewer at the end of each video to get a shoutout and a few seconds of “virtual” hair consultation. Mondo has also made a whole video where he provides hair advice to viewers who sent in submissions. The YouTuber kept it honest with each submission and provided constructive criticism where needed, in the nicest way possible.

The hair YouTuber has made a name for himself off of YouTube with the launch of his own line of products that have been a lifelong dream of his to create. XMONDO, Mondo’s hair product line, currently consists of a shampoo, conditioner and Mondo’s favorite, a hair serum called “Glitterati.”

Mondo is always keeping up with the trends and changing things up on his channel. As of lately, he has been featuring his twin brother, Eric, who has no hair knowledge, doing various hair techniques with instructions given to him over an earpiece. The concept makes for hilarious moments throughout and a lesson on what not to do when coloring and cutting hair.

Whatever kind of video you are in the mood for, whether it be a funny, feel-good or informative, you’ll get it, along with a side of extra and sass when watching any piece of content from the marvelous Mr. Mondo.

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