By Alyssa Devoe
Long-haired people with soft hearts are being asked to donate their ponytails to make children feel better about themselves during the Locks of Love hair drive April 16-21.
Salons throughout Utah county are offering free haircuts to those who donate their hair between April 16 and 21.
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that collects donated hair to make wigs for children, ages six to 18, who have long-term hair loss. The hair loss can be from disorders, such as alopecia areata, or from medical treatments or accidents.
Krystal Reed, a committee head for the drive, said that the salon owners are excited to participate in the drive.
'I just tracked them down and asked them to help and all twelve were really excited to help,' Reed said.
Reed got involved with Locks of Love after her friend saw an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show about the organization. Her friend was so touched by the organization that she called Reed and told her she had to donate her hair.
Reed had been growing her hair for ten years but thought it was such a good cause that she cut off and donated 13 inches of her hair.
The minimum length of hair that can be used for the wigs is 10 inches and all colors and textures are welcome.
Reed said it takes about 10-12 ponytails to make one wig.
To make the wigs, a cast of the child''s head is created so that the wigs can be exactly fitted. The wigs are vacuum-fitted to the child''s head so they are secure and can be worn during sports, showers and all the everyday activities that children do.
Reed helped organize a similar event last May at the McKay Events Center and many stylists were eager to participate, but there were no sinks and outlets. The stylists weren''t able to give as good of haircuts as they would have liked, so this year they are staying in the salons and offering free haircuts.
Reed said she wants people to be aware of Locks of Love even if their hair is not long enough to donate right now, so in the future they might be able to participate.
Shauna Shumway is a ten-year old girl whose hair fell out as a result of alopecia. She received a wig from Locks of Love in December. Shauna said that she loves her new hair.
Benjamin Troy, the manager of The Under Cut in Provo, has been offering free haircuts for donors since the event last May.
'For anybody who wants to donate, I''ll do free haircuts,' Troy said.
Troy got involved with Locks of Love because he feels that image is really important to kids, and he thought this was a good way to help children feel better about themselves.
For more information about which salons are offering free haircuts, call Krystal Reed at 801-434-4510. For more information about Locks of Love, call 1-888-896-1588, or go to www.locksoflove.org.