Mangaluru: “Locks of Love” is a unique hair donation drive aimed to create awareness on importance of hair donation among Mangaloreans.
The drive is being organised by the St. Agnes College’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in association with Bliss Professional Unisex Salon on September 10 at 10 am in the Forum Fiza Mall. The students also performed a flash mob on the campus on September 9 as a curtain raiser to create awareness on hair donation for patients who have lost hair during chemotherapy. This was organised in association with Bliss Professional Unisex Salon which will be grooming and cutting the hair of the donors on Sunday. The flash mob was organised jointly by the New Ocean Kids Dance Academy.
Why donate?
The hair which we cut in the salon is usually thrown away. However, the same hair can bring back smiles on faces of women and children who have lost them due to cancer treatment.
Wigs made of natural hair are expensive. The hair collected through the drive “Locks of Love” will be donated to an NGO Sarga Kshetra which makes and distributes free wigs to women and children who have lost hair due to chemotherapy and other medical issues.
How to donate?
People who wish to donate the hair need to be present at the Forum Mall on September 10 and professional hair stylists from Bliss Professional Unisex Salon will take care of the rest.
However, interested donors should make sure that:
• The hair is clean and shampooed. Hair should not be oily.
• Minimum hair should be above 6 inches.
• Coloured, bleached or permed hair is not suitable.
• Dreadlocks won’t be accepted
• Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure minimum 6 inches.
• Grey hair is not accepted
Anyone can donate
Boy or girl? It doesn’t matter. And for the most part it doesn’t matter what type the hair is – straight or curly, fine or thick, etc. Donating hair for cancer patients is both easy and rewarding and anyone can do so. The hair is utilised to make a beautiful wig for someone who really needs it to maintain a positive body image after hair loss due to chemotherapy.
The need
Hair forms an important part of one’s appearance and the way one projects themselves to the world. Hair is precious especially to someone who suddenly loses it due to medical reasons. For cancer patients, hair loss is the most stressful and traumatic side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The altered appearance can cause a setback to patients’ morale who already are enduring physical and emotional hardship.
Bliss Professional Unisex Salon to the rescue
Bliss Professional Unisex Salon will continue the noble initiative which will start on September 10 even in future. Anyone who is interested to donate can always visit the salon and the professional stylists will take the necessary steps for the donation.
Student initiative
The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication began in St. Agnes College this year. The “Locks of Love” is a student initiative and all arrangements are done by the Ist year students.
To create awareness, the students have performed flash mobs, organised awareness talks as well as started campaigns on Facebook and Whatsapp. Apart from Love of Love, the students have started campaign #Womenatwork, where they bring the efforts of working women, which often go unnoticed, into the mainstream.
For more details on hair donation contact Lakshmi Shenoy, HoD, Journalism and Mass Communication, St. Agnes College Contact: 9986967371.
