Campus community to donate hair for good cause

Washington University Locks of Love will join forces with St. Louis’ D-Zine Hair & Art Studio Monday, April 6, to host a haircut event supporting children afflicted by disease-related hair loss.

The event will take place from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in the Danforth University Center.

Locks of Love is a national organization that makes wigs for children who have cancer or other illnesses that cause hair loss. For those wishing to donate 10 inches of hair or more, the cuts are free. All other haircuts will be $20.

A WUSTL Locks of Love event in November raised more than $800, and 21 heads of hair were collected. Organizers hope to double that this time, striving to collect hair from 40 donors and $1,600 in donations.

“I joined Locks of Love because I had always wanted to donate my hair and thought it was a great cause,” junior Xin “Cissy” Si said. “Hair can always grow back, but giving self-confidence to a child can have a long-lasting benefit.

“Our events allow people to donate their hair on their own time, which I think is appealing to busy college students and faculty members. People who donate are excited to have their hair cut, and it’s always fun to see the ‘before and after’ pictures,” Si said.

Laughing Penguins photo booth studio of St. Louis will be available to take before and after photographs for free.

D-Zine’s professional stylists donate their time to the event. All hair and money collected at the event are donated directly to the national Locks of Love organization in Florida.

The hair is made into custom-fitted wigs for children afflicted by disease-related hair loss, while the money is used to offset the cost of wig production.

In addition to haircuts, D-Zine will sell hair-care products and donate a portion of the proceeds to the national Locks of Love organization. A bake sale will benefit WUSTL Locks of Love.

For more information, visit sugroups.wustl.edu/~washulol.