[EXCLUSIVE] Ex-BMF Wife, Lisa B, Talks Life as a Celebrity Barber, ‘LA Hair’, and What’s Next

Lisa Buford aka Lisa B is a celebrity barber from Los Angeles, California. For anyone that is not familiar with her, she’s also a former wife and affiliate of the Black Mafia Family (BMF) and one of the newest cast members on WE tv’s “LA Hair.”

STACKS Magazine recently got an opportunity to sit down and find out more about Lisa B. She’s been cutting hair for 20 years. Her clientele has included comedian/actor Martin Lawrence, Akon, Ray J, and many others. Lisa B is a high school dropout who pretty much taught herself how to cut hair. At one point, she lost it all after suffering from abuse by her children’s father. She was homeless, no GED. She had nothing. However, through God’s grace, Lisa B landed a job at a local barbershop. This is where she would watch barbers and eventually teach herself how to cut hair.

Years later, Lisa B is now on television. Her time on “LA Hair” is drama-filled and show’s the tougher side of Lisa B. She admits that viewers will see her get into a scuffle or two on the new season. “I got in a couple altercations and it ended on an altercation,” she stated.  Without revealing who the fights were with, Lisa B did note that there were a few phonies on the show. And that is a character trait she doesn’t do very well. When asked about the star of the show Kim Kimble and whether or not they got along, Lisa B had this to say:

She’s Kim. She’s great at what she does. But, she’s Kim. What you see is what you get with everybody on the show. If you didn’t like me before, you’re not going to like me in real life.

Bels: So no one on the show was being fake and phony. 

They are like they are in real life. The ones that were fake, are fake in real life.

 

Lisa B’s primary goal was to not to make friends, but use the show’s platform to gain exposure for her brand. As a female barber, her position is unique. So to have an opportunity to reach millions of people, she’s definitely positioning herself to become the face of female barbers.

I felt like it was a good dynamic for me as a barber. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten to see…you know. Barber’s are always the low man on the totem pole in the hair industry. Especially as a female, it’s like “Ugh. She don’t really know how to cut hair.” So, I think that I needed everybody to see the dynamics that barbers live good. I live good. I eat good off of barbering. That’s been my sole source of income for a long time. I own my own home, my own car. I work on movie sets. I’m in the hair and makeup union. It can take you a long way and I think sometimes barbers get the short end of the stick because…it’s kind of like, they feel like “oh, she’s just a barber.” So, I think it’s a good platform for me to show the world that barbering is profitable.

At the age of 16, Lisa B dropped out of high school. She immediately got caught up in the street life and ran with hustlers. Back in the day, the “it” thing was to open up a salon. So she went to cosmetology school and opened up a beauty salon.

I opened up a beauty salon, went to cosmetology school to do that. And I ended up being abused…lost everything, homeless, ended up with a job in a shop where they were cutting hair.

She watched the barbers cut hair and eventually taught herself how to barber. On Crenshaw and 54th, this is where Lisa B honed in on her craft and noticed that she had a natural gift for barbering. But, it was her first celebrity client, Martin Lawrence, who helped her land a gig on Bad Boys 2. From there, Lisa B joined the hair and makeup union and has barbered on numerous Hollywood movie and television sets.

It is through her experience, that she understands how difficult it is to get jobs in the movie and television industry. Therefore, Lisa B plans to host classes that will give people insiders tips on set etiquette and how to get into the industry.

From living the fast life and being a BMF wife, Lisa B has learned many lessons as a young woman. But, telling other young girls to steer clear of the streets is not Lisa’s preference. In fact, she embraces her past and appreciates what it has taught her. Therefore, when giving others advice, Lisa B tells them to keep living.

I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today had I not gone the path that I wanted. I came up with hustlers my whole life, from the time I was 16. I wouldn’t be the woman – or have the passion that I have now – had I not gone through all of this. So, I never tell anybody don’t do what I did. All I tell people is…don’t give up. There’s a lot of situations where people do what they got to do for their kids, for their life to survive, or for whatever reason. I just say don’t ever give up. Don’t ever look at that as your end of you. Life is a progress, a progression. It’s a process. You got to trust the process though. Your process is what takes you to your destiny. Destiny is not here…here…or here. It’s over here.

“LA Hair” is not the end of Lisa B’s reality TV career. She currently has her very own television project in the works. The show will revolve around an all-female barbershop. Lisa B tells us that the show is currently in pre-production and we will see it on a popular network.

For more information on Lisa B, visit her official website at www.thereallisab.com  or follow her on social media @1thereallisab !