Seng began giving haircuts at the nursing home in August 2022. Photos: William Seng
On a quiet morning at a senior care home, 25-year-old William Seng carefully snips away at an elderly gentleman’s hair, ensuring he looks neat and presentable. There is no rush, no hurry – just a genuine moment of care and connection.
For the past three years, Seng has been volunteering his time and skills to provide free haircuts to the elderly, offering not just a trim but also companionship and dignity to those who need it most.
Seng is not a professional barber by trade. In fact, he is quite something else altogether: An influencer/content creator/photographer/videographer and “internet boyfriend” – a term used to describe a personality whom everyone seems to love because of their appearance and lifestyle portrayed online.
Seng’s 1.3million followers on Instagram and 639.9K followers on TikTok are testament to the collective crush the Internet has on @williamsengg at the moment, and make his volunteer work with the elderly even more altruistic!
Instead of basking in his popularity, this young man faithfully and consistently makes time for a small group of senior citizens at the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Orang Tua Shan Xing in Puchong, Selangor every month.
“My goal has always been just to give haircuts because I believe that everyone deserves to look good. I want them to know that I will always be here to make sure they look their best,” Seng said.
“While studying overseas, I taught myself how to cut hair because haircuts were expensive. Realising I could use this skill to give back, I saw an opportunity to make a difference.
“Growing up, community service was a big part of my life. But as a working adult with little free time, I often felt something was missing. That emptiness was one of the things that led me to start offering free haircuts – turning a simple skill into a way to help others.”
Seng wanted to give the seniors in the old folks home memorable keepsakes, noting that many of them didn’t have recent photos of themselves. — Photos: WILLIAM SENG
An extraordinary childhood
Seng’s journey into volunteering stems from a deep-rooted sense of compassion and responsibility, values instilled in him from childhood. Growing up in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, he was taught the values of kindness and generosity at home and at school.
Seng’s dad, Dylan, was instrumental in this upbringing.
“Ever since I can remember, I have always looked to my dad as a teacher. He spoke to me in a mature way, and always gave me advice on how to control my emotions, and how to build a better mindset. He also taught me about being charitable, living a balanced life and being grateful for blessings.”
When Seng was 12, his father sent him to study at the “Instilling Goodness Elementary and Developing Virtue Secondary School” in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a unique and peaceful place in Ukiah, California in the United States.
“I’m grateful my dad sent me there – not because it was in the US, but because he wanted me to become a better person,” Seng reflected. “It’s a very special place. There are peacocks and deer walking alongside you. Not many people know about it.
“The people working there don’t get paid; they’re all volunteers. And we, as students, also helped out with the cleaning, chopping wood in winter, and things like that.”
This experience shaped his perspective on service and giving back. Spending time among monks and elders also deepened his understanding of ageing.
“In Buddhism, you’re taught from young about the cycle of life – old age, sickness and death – these are all things you cannot avoid,” he said. “There, people accepted and went through life in the best possible way. But then when I came home to city life, I saw that people were unaware of these things, living in their own world without any consciousness of karma.”
Seng says his visits to the home have had a tremendous impact on himself.
Don’t wait
It was in August 2022 that Seng began giving haircuts at the Old Folks Home. A month before this, his grandmother, Maria Chong, fell ill and underwent surgery. At that time, he rediscovered a café she used to take him to as a child – one he hadn’t visited in nearly a decade.
Excited, he told her he would take her there once she recovered. However, just a week later, she passed away. The realisation that he could have bought some of her favourite breads and pastries for her to savour, instead of waiting for the “perfect” moment to take her there weighed heavily on him.
A profound regret made him vow to stop postponing meaningful actions. And from then on, he decided that if there was something he wanted to do – especially if it could bring joy to others – he would do it without excuses.
His visits to the nursing home have been an eye-opening experience.
“It’s definitely not a fun place. It’s a sad place. No one wants to be there,” he shared. “What I can do while I am there is to spend time with them, appreciate them and listen to them. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to.”
He spends time with the older residents, listening to their stories although mindful not to pry.For the advertising grad, cutting hair is just one way to give back, but the impact goes beyond appearances.
“It’s about making them feel valued,” he said. He believes that grooming plays an essential role in a person’s self-esteem. A simple haircut can boost confidence, bring smiles and restore dignity, he said.
Through his volunteer work, he has witnessed the incredible transformations that happen – not just in appearance, but in spirit.
“A fresh haircut and a clean shave makes people feel refreshed and gives them confidence. That’s what matters most. They look forward to having visitors as they feel remembered.”
Seng tries as far as possible to stay detached.
“I try not to share too much about myself, and I never ask them too much about their own personal lives either. I let them share what they want to and I am always there to listen, but I also respect their privacy and feel that if a deeper connection is made, it becomes very hard to ‘leave’ when the time comes. I don’t want to make it any more difficult.”
Nevertheless, Seng said that over the last few years, an organic bond has formed between the seniors and himself.
“It really hurts each time one of them passes on,” he said, sharing that in December he got a phone call from the home’s supervisor to let him know that two elderly gentlemen, the first two to receive his haircuts in 2022, had suddenly passed away.
“They both left within a week of each other. And even though I never wanted to delve too deeply into their lives, I knew so much about them already. This made it really difficult to let go. They were always so loving to a stranger like me. I’ll never forget them.”
Seng said that when this happened, it dawned on him that, to his knowledge, no one had ever taken a proper portrait of them and that saddened him.
“I have many pictures of my grandparents and when I think about the elders at the home, with family or not, having a good picture should be something really important. No one had done that for them.”
Before Chinese New Year this year, a group of Seng’s friends provided makeovers for a special portrait photoshoot with the seniors at the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Orang Tua Shan Xing.
Giving back
This awareness led to the birth of a special project. Before Chinese New Year this year, a group of Seng’s friends provided makeovers, including hair, makeup and wardrobe, for a special portrait photoshoot with the elderly men and women at the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Orang Tua Shan Xing.
The makeover session, as well as the photographs, were documented and uploaded to Instagram at the end of January, and have since raked up over 20,000 likes and a slew of positive comments!
The team responsible included Saffron Keii, Zaara Qi, Yeelix Yee and Kinns Phuah, Jasdesigner, Looi Ming Jie, Teoh Wei Xiang, Seng Chee Yuen, Chan Sin Lam, Mohd Nazmi, Ng Mun Ee and Allen Kong.
On Instagram, Seng said : “Jas and her team put a lot of effort into organising this photoshoot. Not only did they prepare the outfits, they also gave it to the elders after the shoot was over. Kinss’ team made sure everyone was looking their best. As Jas was taking heir pictures, you could see their faces light up.
“Initially some of them were a little worried or felt shy. For some it was the first time in years putting on makeup. We reassured them and showed them samples of what sort of pictures we were going to take. We told them we wanted them to smile, be happy and look good. And while they started out a little bit awkward, in no time they began striking their own cute little poses.”
At the end of the day, Seng was thrilled that the seniors got to see their pictures. He was able to print the photos straight away and gift them with memorable keepsakes.
“We were so happy to be able to be able to do this together and the elders were touched and loved their pictures. I hope this is a reminder that kindness or charity doesn’t have to be something grand ... even simple actions can bring warmth to others.”
Seng said this was another life lesson for him.
“For the past few years, I had been volunteering on my own. Now suddenly I was with a bunch of like-minded people and we had come together for a higher purpose. And this impacted all of us. Everybody present was so happy they were able to do something more with their skills.”
A composite photo of the seniors who had their portraits taken. — jasdesignerstudio/Instagram
Seng hopes to keep this spirit of volunteering going.
“I want to start a new social media page. Right now my motto is ‘I can learn’ – whether it is cooking or trying out something new like being a barista. With the new page, my motto will be ‘We can volunteer’. The goal for me then will be to connect my audiences with opportunities to volunteer.
A lot of times social media can be very distracting, but it also has the power to inspire others to do good.
“I hope to visit different old folks homes and document my visits. I’ll be sharing this every week. So, if I make one video per week, that means I can cover 52 Old Folks Homes in a year.”
Seng said that he initially started documenting his sessions with the seniors because it was part of his life story. As an influencer, he often records the various things he does – cooking, travelling, making videos, spending time with his girlfriend.
“Initially I never filmed my senior friends but one day I thought to myself what if they wanted to be filmed. So I began filming. Back then I was a smaller content creator with only about 10,000 followers,” he shared.
“One of them messaged me and said, hey, William, can you keep posting this every month because it’s a reminder for me to do something good. I thought, Whoa! If my video inspires someone to do good, I should keep doing it.”
Seng’s story is a powerful reminder that even the smallest acts of kindness can spark meaningful change. His actions show that anyone – regardless of profession or background – has the power to make a difference. In a fast-paced, often self-centred world, he encourages us to pause, listen, and care.
For in these simple moments of compassion, we find true connection.
