UCLA has not had a permanent hairdresser on campus since an Ackerman Union salon closed in 2020.
But on Tuesday, students temporarily turned a James West Alumni Center conference room into just that – and unlike the old salon, these cuts were for a cause.
Nearly 70 people donated hair during the UCLA Alumni Scholars Club’s annual drive, which benefited two charities that make hairpieces for women and children experiencing medical hair loss, said George Brown, UCLA’s interim senior director of student alumni programs and family engagement. Trainee hairdressers from the Paul Mitchell The School Pasadena provided the free haircuts to students, alumni and members of the wider Westwood community.
The event – which has been around for about 12 years – started with an idea from a student in the Alumni Scholars Club, Brown said. The organization consists of students who receive an alumni scholarship and complete 15 hours of volunteering annually.
“There was no budget at the time to run the event, and we didn’t have any contacts with salons or anything like that. She took it upon herself to find donations for food and supplies,” Brown said. “That was our first year of Locks of Love, and it has been running ever since.”
First-year international development studies student Elizabeth Gant – who said several of her family members had cancer and lost their hair – arrived for her appointment around 10:20 a.m.
A trainee hairdresser showed Gant what donating the 10 to 12 inches of hair would look like before she sat down in front of a mirror decorated with flowers and purple streamers.
The stylist cut her hair, put it into a ziplock bag and tied it up to be sent to charity.
“Depending on how much hair that they want to take off, we will use a rubber band. We would tie it at that mark that they want to cut off,” said Jamal Tate, a hairdresser who volunteered at the event. “After that point, we’re going to cut the hair, and we’re going to place it in the bag so that it’s safe and stored safely.”
Fewer people are donating hair than in the past, making contributions like Gant’s especially important, said Harnoor Kaur, a fourth-year political science and psychology student who was a lead organizer for the event.
Brown said his favorite memory from previous years of the event was when a UCLA staff member brought their daughter to donate.
“Her hair was all the way down to her knees, and this was the first time she had cut her hair,” he said. “She was about 5 or 6, and she was so excited to know that her hair was going to be used to provide a hairpiece for somebody that was having health concerns.”
Linda Mintz, a UCLA alumnus, said she decided to donate her hair after receiving an email about the event from the UCLA Alumni Association. Mintz – who was a Daily Bruin contributor in the 1970s – added that she enjoyed returning to campus, as well as becoming a first-time donor and getting a free haircut.
“A lot of women, when they do lose their hair, it’s a very personal thing, and you can make them try and feel whole again by providing that hair in a wig of some sort,” she said. “Whether it be a child with cancer or older, I think they’ll just feel more beautiful.”
The event also felt like a celebration because it gave trainee hairdressers the chance to volunteer for a good cause, Tate said.
Brown said he credits the event’s longevity to the commitment donors and students have to helping others.
“It feels good to be able to know that you’re supporting people that are struggling, that might not be able to afford a hairpiece at the time, but it’s made possible through their efforts at donation,” he said.
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