Tayside hairdresser Charlie Taylor is on a mission to inspire locals to donate their long locks to make wigs for children experiencing hair loss.
The multi-award winning stylist, who runs salons in Dundee and Perth, was named Scottish ambassador for The Little Princess Trust in October.
The UK charity creates real hair wigs for young people suffering from cancer and other hair loss-related illnesses.
The trust was founded in 2006 by Wendy and Simon Tarplee, who lost their daughter Hannah to cancer.
It creates more than 2,000 hand-made wigs every year.
The charity also helps to fund childhood cancer research projects.
As an ambassador for The Little Princess Trust, Charlie will help to raise funds for the charity and encourage more people to donate their hair.
Having seen the devastating impact of hair loss first-hand, she says it is a cause that is close to her heart.
Her salons have facilitated dozens of hair donations for the charity over the years.
She said: “I run a hair loss clinic so I am very aware of the effects of not having hair.
“I don’t think people realise until they’ve not got hair just how big a part of their identity it actually is.
“I think during Covid people started to realise a bit more that hairdressers and their hair looking nice was something they couldn’t take for granted anymore.”
‘Hair loss is very distressing’
She added: “Even just the physical aspect of watching your hair go – when you wake up in the morning and there is hair on your pillow, or you have a shower and the hair gathers around the drain – is very distressing.
“It affects people’s wellbeing, self-confidence and how they feel about themselves.”
Who can donate their hair to the Little Princess Trust?
Charlie says the ideal length of a hair donation is 12 inches or longer, while the minimum length of hair that can be accepted is seven inches.
The hair must also be in good condition, however it can be coloured.
She said: “We just plait it up, go for the chop, put it in a bag and send it off to the charity.
“From there, these wigs get literally hand made.”
It takes around 16 individual donations to create one wig.
Each wig takes 60 hours to make and costs £700.
They are made available to children and young people up to the age of 24.
Some may wonder why real hair, as opposed to cheaper, synthetic hair, is needed for the wigs.
Charlie, who lives in Perth, explained: “It is important to have real hair because unfortunately you cannot put any heat appliances on synthetic hair.
“For example, if it is a teenage girl and she wants to have a nice hairstyle like everyone else, maybe put a wave through it, she can’t, because the minute you put any kind of heat on synthetic hair it just melts.
“Whereas real hair you can basically do anything to it.”
Real hair wigs also last several years longer than their synthetic counterparts, are easier to take care of and look more natural.
In January, she and the charity ambassadors for England, Wales and Northern Ireland will get together to arrange a series of fundraising events across the UK in 2024.
Speaking about the year ahead, she said: “I think it is an exciting charity and I think I’m a very good fit for it. It just feels right.”
Anyone wishing to donate their hair to the Little Princess Trust can read the step-by-step guide on their website here.
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