Brendon Blake, aka Bundy the barber, is one of ten aiming for a world record of nearly 400 haircuts in 8 hours for Movember
Auckland men have the chance to be part of history, just by signing up for a free haircut.
Brendan Blake, better known as Bundy the Barber, is taking a run at the Guinness World Record for the most haircuts given in eight hours, as part of his fundraising efforts for Movember.
Bundy, who owns the Boar and Blade Barbershops in Auckland and Wellington and has been barbering for 18 years, is assembling a team of his staff to achieve the world record for the most haircuts given by a team of 10 barbers in eight hours.
He has been given the thumbs up from the Guinness World Book of Records to try and beat the previous record of 375 haircuts. Bundy said he and his team are aiming for 400.
Cancer prevention and mental health are issues close to Bundy's heart - he launched his barbershop in Ponsonby in 2012 and was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March 2013.
"I was diagnosed on the Monday and the doctor got me into surgery on Friday," he said.
Having trained as a master barber in London, he had started his barbershop on "no budget", had only one chair, and was desperately trying to keep it afloat during his recovery.
"I was in there mopping floors at 7pm the night before my surgery."
Post-surgery, customers would have to send Bundy home as he was in so much pain, but was trying to fight through it to keep business running.
"I managed to keep the business going and keep surviving," he said.
His barbershop is now thriving.
"If I didn't truck on through and get over it, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Bundy the Barber is aiming to have each haircut take 10 minutes tops. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Bundy is now passionate about raising awareness for men's health, including mental health awareness. Two friends of his have committed suicide in the past year.
His world record attempt will raise funds and awareness for the Movember Foundation, which tackles men's health issues including cancer and mental health issues.
Bundy and his team will hold the haircut day at the Britomart Country Club on November 18. They are currently recruiting men to book in for haircuts.
While Bundy and his team do cut women's hair, they are aiming to keep haircuts to 10 minutes each, which may not be enough time for a woman's haircut.
"On the day it's probably best for this event if we just do men's, you won't get a good haircut in 10 minutes ... you'll probably be crying at the end of it."
They will have special judges at the event to make sure the haircuts are to a certain standard, and the team will be up on a stage where members of the public can watch them perform the challenge.
Aside from two-minute breaks between each haircut, the team will keep going non-stop for eight hours.
Bundy's own record is 48 haircuts in one day of work.
"If we get the record we'll be partying pretty hard."
To donate to Bundy's fundraising cause, head to the Movember website, hit donate, and type in Bundy the Barber.
People wanting to book in for a free haircut on the day can contact Bundy through the Movember website or through his social media pages.
