Lifelong Suffolk resident Renee Cowan, a barber in Great Bridge for more than a decade, has moved her red-white-and-blue barber’s pole to her hometown.

Cowan, 31, opened Hard Heads at 2020 Holland Road in June.

Although female barbers are becoming increasingly popular in her field, she believes she is one of few in Suffolk today.

&uot;I don’t think too many guys around here are used to female barbers,&uot; Cowan said. &uot;Some seem to be kind of reluctant when they first sit down.&uot;

A licensed cosmetologist, she is certified to do all the styling and coloring done in most beauty salons. She also trained as an apprentice under a master barber.

Although she is able to provide services that most hair stylists offer, Cowan said she has focused her career on what she loves most: cutting hair.

&uot;I like to cut and I’m better at it than anything else,&uot; she said.

&uot;Especially the flat tops because they are the most challenging. They are hard to do because nobody’s head is square and you have to work around cowlicks.

Women tend to have a good eye for the more challenging cuts, she said.

&uot;Female barbers usually know the newest styles … and I feel like they are better able to look at men and really see what style looks good on them,&uot; Cowan said. &uot;Men just don’t have the same outlook as a woman.&uot;

Cowan, who grew up and still lives on Bethlehem Court, decided to open her own shop in order to be closer to home.

&uot;I enjoyed Great Bridge and put in some long hours,&uot; she said. &uot;This is my home and it’s important to me to be around while my girls (Tiffany, 11, and Crystal, 7) are growing up.

&uot;It’s a big leap but I wanted to try and give it a go on my own.&uot;