Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hair today, hairpiece tomorrow

Normally getting a haircut isn't a spectator sport.

However, several people gathered to watch Emmet's Lyndsay Barnes,12, get her locks shorn. The reason for the gathering at the Hair Loft was Barnes donating her hair to Locks of Love, an organization providing hairpieces to young people suffering from alopecia areata, a medical condition resulting in the loss of hair. Alopecia areata has no known cause or cure.

Vicki Bennet, owner of the Hair Loft, did the cutting and styling. First, she brushed Barnes's hair out and put it in a ponytail. The ponytail was measured and banded at 10.5 inches, as Locks of Love requires the hair to be a minimum of 10 inches to be donated. The scissors came out, with the hair being cut just above the band.

Barnes sat quietly as her hair was cut, but was shocked when she saw her ponytail on its own in the hands of another.

When asked why she was making the donation, Barnes said, "I thought it might be nice to help others in need. I've been wanting my hair cut for a while and my mom said there were people we could give it to."

Bennett said the Locks of Love organization has been around a long time. She heard about it from a nurse at Hope, visited its web site on the Internet and is working to become a volunteer salon for the group. If successful, the Hair Loft would be included on the Locks of Love web site.

"They want all types of hair," she said, "both young and old. But, they can't take bleached or highly processed hair."

Volunteer salons, Bennet said, receive a kit with forms to be filled out and the supplies required to ship the hair to Locks of Love. The hair cannot be sent loose, and must be bound to be accepted.

According to the web site, Locks of Love is a non-profit organization providing hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who suffer from long-ter medical hair loss.

The organization does not manufacture any type of hair replacement product or hair care product. As a charitable entity, it must purchase the custom prostheses provided for the recipients.

The guidelines for donating hair to Locks of Love are as follows:

Hair 10 inches minimum (from tip to tip) is accepted, but no wigs, falls or synthetic hair;

Hair needs to be bundled in a ponytail or braid;

The hair needs to be clean, dry, placed in a plastic bat, then in a padded envelop;

Hair is needed from men and women, young and old and from all colors and races;

The hair may be colored or permed, but not bleached or chemically damaged;

Hair swept from the floor is not acceptable;

Hair cut years ago is useable if it's been stored in a ponytail; and

Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails for donation.

Alopecia areata, according to the web site, is a highly unpredictable, autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body.

It is common and affects about 1.7 percent of the population world wide, including more than 4.7 million people in the U.S. alone.

Those with the disease have their hair follicles mistakenly attacked by their own autoimmune system (white blood cells), resulting in arrest of the hair growth stage. It usually starts with one or more small, round smooth bald patches on the scalp and can progress to total baldness or the complete loss of all body hair.

It can occur in males and females, all ages and races, but most often begins in childhood.

While alopecia areata isn't life threatening, it is life altering and can have a severe psychological impact on the victim.

Barnes, who likes to ride bicycles and golf carts, along with horses, said she may do this again, though it will take about two years for her hair to grow to an acceptable length.

Bennett joked with Barnes saying her hair was still long enough on top to make another donation. Barnes was given a long, layered bob hairdo and sat quietly while it was being done. However, she also kept looking at her amputated ponytail.

Bennett worked at salons in Hope before opening her shop in Emmet in 1999. She made the move because it's more convenient for her, and she's able to pick her children up from school.

Barnes is an honor roll student in the sixth grade at Emmet School.

For more information about Locks of Love, the web site is www.locksoflove.net.