• Students will have the chance to donate their hair to Locks of Love tomorrow.
• Locks of Love provides prosthetic and synthetic hairpieces to children with hair loss.
• Students who donate their hair will receive free hair styling from Glow Salon and Spa.

Children suffering from disease-induced hair loss often experience a lack of confidence. Locks of Love, a non-profit organization, has helped to restore this confidence through its prosthetic hairpieces.

Students will have a chance to donate their hair in Alumni Memorial Union Room 254 tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Its a cool thing to do and a really easy way to contribute to a good cause," said Rachel Meyer, a senior in the College of Communication. Two years ago Meyer gave 11 inches of her hair to the foundation.

There will be 30-minute time slots available throughout the day for hair donations. Although interested donors need to register for an appointment before the event, there are plenty of open time slots available, said Laura Buikus, an event coordinator and sophomore in the College of Business Administration.

Walk-ins are welcome depending on the time, Buikus said.

During each appointment, stylists from Glow Salon and Spa, 765 N. Jackson St., will cut and style each donor's hair. The salon volunteered to help with the event, free of charge.

"To me, I feel like it's so neat," Buikus said. "Plus, you get a free hairstyle."

Since its founding in 1997, Locks of Love has provided hairpieces to more than 2,000 children throughout the United States and Canada, said Lauren Kukkamaa, Locks of Love communications director.

The group provides prosthetic (made of donated hair) and synthetic hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18. The prosthetics are free or are provided on a sliding scale, based on the financial need of the child's family, according to the group's Web site.

"Most people don't know it's actually geared toward kids and young adults," Buikus said.

Many of Locks of Love's prosthetic recipients suffer from alopecia areata, a disease recognized by its permanent hair loss. However, the organization helps children suffering from any type of disease resulting in hair loss, its Web site said.

Students who choose to donate their hair must meet some requirements: Hair must be at least 10 inches long, clean, dry and bundled in a ponytail, Kukkamaa said. While the hair can be colored, it cannot be bleached. Dreadlocks and hair extensions are not accepted.

While Locks of Love does not count the number of donations that come in per day, the group receives more donations during the summer and winter holiday time, Kukkamaa said.

Buikus said donating hair can be a difficult thing to do.

"Hair is such a symbol of beauty," she said. "(It's) a hard thing to get rid of."

Buikus said some who have expressed initial interest in donating their hair have been a little reluctant. But she said they're going to be doing it for a good cause, and it's important to "put a face to the donation."

Kukkamaa said, "It is giving of yourself. It is a very personal donation."

If people don't want to donate their hair, Locks of Love also accepts financial donations, Kukkamaa said. She encouraged people who are interested in helping, but unable to donate hair, to help spread the word about Locks of Love.

"There are lots of ways to volunteer," Kukkamaa said.

Prosthetics are solely intended for children with permanent or long-term hair loss. The vacuum seal on the hairpiece only works with total hair loss and no hair re-growth.

For children with short-term hair loss and children under the age of 6, Locks of Love provides synthetic hairpieces. Because young children's scalps grow at a constant rate, a prosthetic would soon be outgrown, according to the group's Web site.

"With any type of volunteer work, you want to help people," Buikus said. "I feel like this type of donation is a really honorable sacrifice you can make for somebody else."