Kim and Brittany get more than a haircut at the salon

By Elise Braase
Communications Manager
Baltimore, MD

There’s nothing like a day of at the salon to lift your spirits after busy season. For Baltimore Tax Professionals Brittany Sullivan and Kim Griffin, their latest trips to the salon for long overdue haircuts took on new meaning. Both Brittany and Kim recently donated their long tresses to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a partnership between Pantene and the American Cancer Society, where Pantene provides the funds to turn donated hair into free, real-hair wigs for women with cancer. So far, Pantene has donated 24,000 free real-hair wigs to the American Cancer Society’s wig banks, which distribute wigs to cancer patients across the country. Since starting the program in July 2006, over 400,000 ponytails have been donated, according to the program’s website.


Kim and Brittany - pre-haircut

This is the second hair donation for both Brittany and Kim. Even though they didn’t plan or execute their donations together, their stories are somewhat intertwined. Kim’s first donation was in January 2010. She and Brittany, whom she met as a summer intern at McGladrey, were having lunch when Kim mentioned she was off to meet her mother at the salon for a haircut before going back to school. She had 14 inches of hair cut and donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. “It was scary that first time. They put my hair in a pony tail and cut it off. I remember taking of picture with my ponytail and sending it to Brittany. But, this second time, everyone in the salon knew I was donating my hair and they were very excited to watch me get my hair cut,” said Kim.

Several months later in 2010, Brittany donated 12 inches of her hair to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age of 21 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. This year, she donated 10 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. “I purposely let me hair grow long during busy season so I would have enough length to donate it,” said Brittany. The minimum length required is eight inches, according to Brittany.
Both Brittany and Kim know women with cancer who’ve had to wear wigs when chemotherapy caused them to lose their own hair. Kim’s aunt has been battling breast cancer for several years and has worn a wig during periods throughout her treatment. Brittany says a friend’s mother, also suffering with cancer, told her that having a human hair wig makes a big difference.


Post-haircut

Even though Brittany and Kim are happy with their new haircuts, both say they’ll donate again. “It takes about 8-10 donated ponytails to make one human-hair wig. Fortunately, my hair grows very fast,” said Brittany.