[EXCLUSIVE] Celebrity Barber Lisa Buford On: Joining ‘LA Hair’, Not Regretting Physical Altercations During Filming + Life After BMF Wives

Women in the traditionally male dominated barbering industry are unheard of. Enter Lisa Buford,  who has made her name for herself (sans her estranged incarcerated BMF member Paul Buford). The Cali native began humbly cutting hair and now boasts celebrity clientele for folks like Martin Lawrence, Cedric the Entertainer, Ray J, Akon, and The Rock, to name a few. In an exclusive interview with theJasmineBRAND.com, Lisa talks about joining season three of We TV’s ‘LA Hair‘ and  explains why she decided to try reality TV. Buford also dishes why she feels finally free to live her truth and reveals that she got into TWO physical altercations while filming. Peep the full interview and excerpts below. 

Part 1

Part 2

I got caught up in the street life real young, I dropped out of school around 16 and I got caught up with dope boys and I loved the street life. I got caught up in that with my kids father. I eventually went to beauty school to open up a beauty salon because back then it was kinda the thing dope boys and hairstylists, I don’t know why but I opened a salon just because of that. I ended up being physically abused by him, being homeless and broke, a lot of issues that I went through..the clippers saved my life. I ended up teaching myself how to barber and I was able to really build a life off of those clippers. I started on Crenshaw and 54th in the hood and it was a great training ground for me, because as a female and a girly girl I went though a lot. Back then you have to realize it wasn’t now, where its kinda “cute” to be a barber. Back then I think I really paved the way in the hood for female barbers because I went through “bitch” and “hoe” and “f-ck you” I went through so much..you can’t be a cry baby, you can’t be in your feelings. You have to be careful how you snap back because you will get slapped. I learned a lot.

Word got around and Martin was like, ‘I wanna take you to Miami, do you wanna go?’ I was like okay. I wasn’t even really trying to get on the sets in the union but I ended up just getting in it like that. From there, once you cut one its a small circle..it kinda just really spun out for me. I say from the hood to Hollywood.

It’s something about female barbers we’re a little bit more about our business. For some reason, guy barbers its their hustle. They’re a barber and an actor. They have all these other things. Where female barbers this is our careers and we put so much in to it. I was really dedicated, I really love what I do..

I actually say its not because who I f-cked, it’s because I didn’t f-ck. I did everything on my feet and I think whats built a great reputation for me and that why the guys really come out and support me because they really look at me and be like, ‘yes Lisa you deserve that, you solid’. So its done me well.

Two. Well you know you’re gonna have to watch the show and tune in. This season is gonna be a different kinda season. They’re a different breed on that show. I’m not that girl, I don’t come from that world. I come from something different, so you’re gonna see those layers to me. Yes, I did get into a physical altercation with two people. Like I said I’m not a bully, I pretty much tell you don’t f-ck with me, don’t disrespect me and don’t touch my sh-t and we good. I think that’s normal and everybody I know is like, ‘yeah’. Everybody on that show is like, ‘oh my god’ don’t put your hands on anybody’ but yeah sh*t ain’t sweet either.

You’re gonna love me or hate there is no in between with how people deal with me and I was true to my truth. I walked away with my character and integrity in all of this, I don’t feel any regrets to anything that happened or the way it went down I feel like it was my truth. When you watch you’ll see me, you’ll see a little about the BMF wives, you’ll see a little about how Im living at home. You’ll see all aspects of me as a person and I know I’m gonna get some thats like,’oh I f-ck with her’ and some that [are like] ‘oh my god, this b-tch she is so ghetto and so f-cking ratchet’ okay well yeah, hey.

It’s a lot of back biting, a lot of fake, they’re all fake to me.. so I sat back like, ‘oh okay, this is what we doing alright.’ I don’t know if it was who they character [or] who they thought they were or whatever, I kept telling them, I don’t care about those cameras, I don’t care. I’m not that girl. I’m not gonna access it based on it’s a camera..this is who you saw, how I’m talking to you this is what you see.

I went in there [LA Hair] with the aspect of really, getting my chance for the world to see who I was and that I have been behind the scene for so long and I felt like it was my turn, I felt like everything that I’ve been through in my life, I feel like a butterfly, I feel like I’m finally free to be me and not have to hide behind what my ex husband was doing or like ‘oh no don’t take my picture.’ There;s not even a lot of pictures of me out there, I was always that girl like you come from that life, they doing that kind lifestyle. You can’t be flashing pictures, it was always to the side. It didn’t hinder me, everything happens for a reason, now I feel like its my turn and this is my truth.

BMF Wives Show show might happen with the other ladies (not sure what their plans are I wish them the best) but not with me….BMF wives was a chapter in my life but not my whole story, I have so much to share with the world!

-@missjohnsonp_