Getting cut for a cause

Lauren Vane

Young girls in Brownie uniforms stepped up one by one and took their

turn in the hair chair at Salon Tesoro in Huntington Beach. As their

long ponytails and pigtails were quickly snipped off, each girl

stared tentatively into the mirror at their new look.

In a hair salon, this would be a typical scene, but there was

something special about these haircuts. The locks of hair weren’t

swept up and thrown away with the garbage -- the hair never even

touched the ground. The pieces were carefully put away in plastic

bags and saved for those who aren’t so lucky to get a haircut.

Brownie Troop 223, of Huntington Beach’s Harbour View School,

recruited members and friends to donate their hair to Locks of Love,

an organization that provides natural hairpieces to children who have

lost their hair due to illness.

“It makes me feel good to help other kids,” said Scout Sable, 10,

of Huntington Beach, a member of Junior Scouts Troop 540.

The Brownie troop came up with the idea of donating hair to Locks

of Love because many of the girls knew of friends and family members

who had lost their hair.

“I just want to give the kids an opportunity to make a

difference,” said troop leader Kelly Cason.

Cason said that her daughters were interested in giving their hair

because their 4-year-old cousin had her head shaved after she

suffered a brain aneurysm.

“It’s something physical, so they really do understand,” said

Isabel O’Connell, of Huntington Beach, whose daughter is a Brownie.

Clarissa Harmon, 7, of Huntington Beach, is not a troop member but

came to the salon anyways to donate her hair after her mother saw a

flier distributed at school.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, so I’m really

excited,” said Harmon.

Anthony Camacho, a hair stylist at Salon Tesoro donated his time

to cut the girls’ hair. Camacho is Cason’s stylist and said he gladly

agreed to help when she approached him about the girls’ idea.

“They’re giving their hair and I’m giving my time,” said Camacho.

“They’re both definitely worthwhile. It’s good to give back.”

Children age 18 and under who have lost their hair can contact

Locks of Love and request a natural hairpiece.

Amy Weeks, a volunteer coordinator at Locks of Love, said most

donation recipients have lost their hair due to alopecia areata, an

autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

There is no waiting list and children whose family income is less

than $100,000 are considered. Although the hairpieces are provided

based on the family’s financial ability, Weeks said that 98% of the

hairpieces are given to the children at no cost.

After receiving an application from the child and family, Locks of

Love sends a kit for the child to create a plaster mold of their

skull. The family then sends in the mold and the child can request

the color and length of the hairpiece.

“We can match any color,” Weeks said.

Donated hair must be a minimum of 10 inches long because some

length is lost in the process of creating the hairpiece. Each

hairpiece is made from six to eight natural-hair ponytails. If the

family had to purchase the hairpiece at retail, prices would start at

$3,000.

Once the child’s hairpiece is fitted, they can return to the

normal life of a child with a full head of hair.

“So many children want to return back to themselves,” Weeks said.

“The natural hairpiece allows them to curl it, dye it, do whatever

they want with it.”

Though the Girl Scout members who donated their hair may be

limited as to how they can style their new short haircuts, they

didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s touched their young lives,” Cason said.

And as one troop member added, there are some additional benefits

as well.

“It’s going to be easier to wake up with less bed head,” said

Devon Cason, 10, of Huntington Beach.

To contact Locks of Love, visit https://www.locksoflove.org.