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Hair Donation: Cut It Short for September

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Exeter chapter.

Over the warm summer months long locked girls tend to adopt the look of a wavy haired beach babe, a flower wreathed festival filly or a layered lioness on her travels. Yet when September hits, it is time to leave summer style behind and focus on a new look for a new term. Whether you are starting university for the first time or returning for your final year, you want to begin the year looking the part.

September is the chance to change your style and begin afresh: re-vamp your wardrobe, re-jig your beauty collection and most importantly change your hair style.  And what better way to make a sharp start to term than to get your haircut?

Whether you choose a shoulder length trim or a cute bob, a different hair style can change your look significantly.  Our hair plays a vital role in how people perceive us. For centuries, hair has been a symbol of female identity; a personal yet public aspect of our appearance. Hair is an indicator of our age, style and even class. It can complement your face shape and enhance your features. The length and colour can even determine a woman’s background and culture, making it a defining feature of our character. For collegiettes in particular, hair is a prime aspect of our student style. Getting ready for class or cocktails, for example, is often centred around curling, styling or straightening our hair.

Yet some girls do not have the luxury of choosing their hairstyle. From birth, or as a result of illness, they may have suffered hair loss or lost their hair entirely. This makes a haircut an impossible pleasure.

So, when you are next in the hairdresser’s chair, notice the amount of hair that falls to the floor and is swept away forever. Well, what if you could put your excess locks to good use?

Little Princess Trust are a charity who provide real hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland who have sadly lost their own hair through the duration of cancer treatment. The charity work with specialist suppliers and experienced hairdressers who strive to provide realistic wigs, tailored to the individual child’s needs. They also assist children with other conditions which also result in hair loss such as alopecia. 

I first found out about the charity when returning home after my sister’s prom. All her friends had grown their hair so it could be plaited, pinned or permed for the event. With this in mind, I returned expecting her to still resemble a sixteen year old Rapunzel. I was shocked to see a sharp blonde bob greeting me at the door!

 

“Where is your hair?” I exclaimed “I thought you were only going to get a trim for school in September?”

“Well”, she explained, “I cut off a little more so I could donate it to a girl who doesn’t have any hair.”

 

With an open smile she waved her chopped off pony tail at me before popping it into an envelope to send off to Little Princess Trust.

So collegiettes, if you are thinking of visiting the salon for a new cut this September: think twice about how much you want off. Instead of wasting your lost locks, donate them to a girl to give her the chance to have a new style this September too.

Here a few short hairstyles to inspire your new look for September:

·         The Shoulder Length Layers– Perfect for anyone with a slight curl or wave.

·         The Sharp Bob- Ideal for girls with straight hair (or committed to straightening)!

·         The Sleek Shoulder Length Trim– Play it safe with this neat, sophisticated look.

·         The Cute Pixie Cut– This is a bold move to make, but completely worth the new look you’ll gain.

The charity accepts donations of clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from males and females, and of any natural colour (dyed must be of a natural colour), no less than 17cm in length.

Charlotte is a third year Maths and English student who is President for HCX. She loves reading about the history of major designers and browsing through their latest collections and enjoys running, ice skating and partying! She is also interested in making and designing clothes as well as buying them and has taken several courses in pattern design for Womenswear. A few years ago she ran her own small business making and selling shorts and lounge pants which she hopes to restart soon.  She loves visiting new places and would love to travel to France to improve her French and learn more about the culture and fashion. She thoroughly enjoyed being Deputy Editor for the Fashion and Beauty team in her second year so is very excited to be part of the inspirational HCX team for a third year.