Salon offers ‘Locks' donors free haircut and styling

Augusta — Salon Bleu has kicked off its “hair raising” event for Locks of Love. The salon offers a free shampoo, cut and styling to anyone who comes in to donate his or her long hair to Locks of Love. “We love when clients tell us they want to donate their hair to Locks of Love,” said salon owner Melissa Wildrick. “Not only are they donating to such a great cause but it also gives us, as artists, a chance to show off our creativity by designing a whole new look for someone.” Lock of Love is a non-profit organization that uses donations of human hair at least 10 inches long to make wigs and hair pieces for disadvantaged children under 18 who suffer from any number of balding conditions, not just hair loss due to chemotherapy from cancer treatments. The most common cause, according to Locks of Love, is alopecia areata, an autoimmune deficiency disease that affects over four million people in the United States, two million of whom are children. There is no known cause or cure for alopecia areata. Men, women and children who would like to donate hair to Locks of Love should contact Melissa at 973-383-2538 or e-mail melissa@salonbleu.biz. The salon will shampoo, cut and style contributors’ hair for free on the day of the donation, then package the donation and pay all shipping charges.