In an effort to help children abroad who have lost their hair due to illness, a local salon is encouraging Qatar residents to donate their locks to charity.

All hair that is collected by Glow American Salon during a one-day event in September will be donated to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization based in the US.

Qatar residents who wish to donate their hair can also do so directly with Locks of Love at any time, by following the guidelines here.

The group makes wigs for American and Canadian children suffering from hair loss due to medical illnesses like alopecia and cancer, or injuries such as burns that result in permanent hair loss.

In an email to Doha News, Glow’s owner and managing director, Hillary Kozma, explained that the inspiration behind the charity drive came from a client.

She said a young lady named Lauren came into the salon recently and wanted to cut her hair to donate it to make a wig for kids with cancer. She continued:

“We were very moved and inspired by this, and we decided to have an all-day event to encourage more ladies to do the same.

It just goes to show how just one act of kindness can affect hundreds of people. We wanted to make a difference, and we wanted to create an event that would allow others in the community an opportunity to make a difference as well.”

Kozma added that donated wigs help children restore some of the self-esteem, confidence and normalcy in their lives, that their illness might have taken away.

Requirements

The official hair donation event will be held on Monday, Sept. 8, from 10am to 7pm at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel.

Women who wish to participate in the event or donate their hair before then can book an appointment by calling 66864220 or 66864221, or email [email protected].

Hair must be 10 inches or longer to be viable for a donation. Hair that is dyed or permed is acceptable, and layered hair is usable if the length of the longest layer exceeds 10 inches.

Women with curly hair can also donate if their hair measures more than 10 inches when straightened.

However, those with bleached hair would not be able to donate to the cause.

The process

During the event, stylists will wash and shampoo the hair before braiding it. Hair will be cut one inch above the 10-inch mark, to be sent to Locks of Love.

The donor will then be treated to a free cut and style, courtesy of the more than 18 stylists that will be present at the event.

Donors can also book a nail polish change for QR30 on the day of the event, with all proceeds going to charity.

Additionally, a night’s stay at the Grand Hyatt Doha’s Royal Suite, Executive Suite and Club Room, as well as a dinner for two at Issan or Rocca, will be up for auction.

Any money donated during the event will also be sent to Locks of Love. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page here.

Thoughts?

Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Glow is only accepting hair donations during its one-day charity event.