Cosmetology Students Clip for a Cause

38 participants contribute to a global charity donation effort

Trilogy Salon & Spa is always busy, whether the activity is Cosmetology students learning a new technique in class or clients arriving for their appointments. But the frenzy in the salon on February 29 hit differently.

Students and faculty spent a portion of their day at Trilogy giving haircuts to support The Great Cut 2024, a world-record charity hair donation effort benefiting Children with Hair Loss. The organization provides customized wigs at no cost to children who have lost their hair due to a medical challenge.

To participate in The Great Cut, all hair colors and textures were welcome, but donors needed to be able to contribute a minimum of eight inches of hair to the cause.

“The cut is free, and we send the hair in for donation,” explains Suzi Bellman, Cosmetology department chair. “Anyone can donate. Male. Female. Young. Old. Gray. Dark hair. Whatever color hair you have.”

Students had 17 individuals sit in the chair for a clip; another 21 donors dropped off their hair clippings ahead of time.

“It makes me happy, honestly,” explains Cosmetology student Jonathan Villa, “I didn’t know this is what it was for but hearing about it made me happier about it.”

Weighing in at 5 pounds, the contributions have been packaged up and are on the way to San Diego, California where they will be included in a global effort on March 16 to set a world record for the most hair donated to charity in 24 hours.

Organized by a group called The Longhairs, the event will try to surpass its world record in 2019, when 339.14 pounds of hair were collected for charity.