Haircuts For Cancer
By Melissa Wynn
Photos By Mara Dobbins
Cancer touches countless lives and many of us have seen the front line first hand. As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminding us to Think Pink, we often wonder if there is something we can do personally to help those going through it.
One thing several of us can do is to donate our long hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Beautiful Lengths is a partnership between Pantene® and the American Cancer Society®, the largest nonprofit health organization committed to saving lives from every cancer and improving the quality of life for people facing the disease. Our generous donations of eight or more inches are made into real hair wigs for women that suffer hair loss due to treatments for a wide variety of cancers including breast cancer.
Brittany Atkinson of To Dye For Salon in Westwood along with Mountain Valley Living Magazine are on a mission to inspire those that have hair to spare to join us in October with a hair cut for cancer.
A recent interview with two time breast cancer survivor Jan Cox ,along with news of the recent double mastectomy of a family member, inspired me to make an appointment with Brittany and cut my own hair for cancer.
As Brittany washed my hair for cutting she explained that hair donations should be healthy. Colored or chemically treated hair cannot be donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths (requirements vary by organization). A trim to remove any damaged hair or split ends should be done before cutting off the final ponytail to be donated, so that is what To Dye For did for me. Snip, snip, ponytail, snip and my four years of growth, totaling twelve inches, was ready to be properly packaged and sent to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. I left To Dye For feeling cooler, lighter and happy that I could help someone with cancer in some small way. Nothing like a good deed and a new look to put a little spring in your step.
Those wishing to join us in a haircut for cancer simply need to make an appointment with Brittany or their local hair stylist and make the cut. A new look feels good and so does making a difference.
The girls at To Dye For and many participating salons are happy to prepare and send your generous donation in for you but you can also send it in on your own. Donation forms and all length and packaging requirements for Pantene Beautiful Lengths are available at http://pantene.com/en-us/brandexperience/make-the-cut.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness To Dye For Salon is proud to offer $5.00 off the hair cut when you elect to donate your lovely locks during the month of October.
Hair donation isn’t just for the ladies, the guys are welcome to donate as well. On July 10th Westwood local Dale Jorgensen broke out the scissors and divided his thick, curly locks into four ponytails, each twenty-two inches in length, snipped them off very near the scalp and donated them to Wigs For Kids. This great organization provides wigs to children suffering hair loss from a wide variety of illnesses and treatments. For requirements and donation instructions for this great cause visit www.wigsforkids.org.
Locks of Love is another amazing organization accepting hair donations to make wigs for children. Learn more at www.locksoflove.org.
Growing long hair is effortless for many of us but real hair wigs give hope and a sense of normalcy to those that receive them. Your hair will grow back before you know it, Think Pink this October and join me in a haircut for cancer.
