Alanood, who owns Glass Salon, has previously supported Think Pink, the island’s breast cancer charity, with an auction but says: “Female cancer is something very close to our hearts at the salon, since all our clients are women, and we wanted to do something practical to support them. Our staff are passionate about helping our clients to feel their best, whatever the circumstances.”
The salon offers free haircuts for people who want donate their locks to make wigs for cancer sufferers and interest is increasing. But Shaikha Alanood says: “We wanted to have a fundraising, haircutting event but then I thought ‘What’s the point of cutting all this hair and sending it out of the country?’
“At the moment, the closest place to send hair donations is Dubai, and most wigs are actually created much further afield. I found a full-service salon in New York, which makes the wigs from scratch using human hair, for those suffering conditions such as cancer and alopecia. We are currently collecting donated hair to send there. However, the New York salon is prepared to come here and teach us how to make the wigs, which means the hair donated in Bahrain will stay in Bahrain.”
For those wanting to donate their hair, Gloss offers a free haircut. The hair, which has to be at least 12 inches long and not bleached (though it can be coloured), is then saved. Nine heads are needed to make one wig. And, of course, since the wigs will be going to those whose immune systems are already compromised, the production process is chemical free.
The New York salon is currently working on the first Bahrain wig.
“We’re very excited about this but finding a recipient is a sensitive subject, so we’re working with Think Pink and perhaps planning a small launch to raise awareness of the process,” says Shaikha Alanood.
She adds that, currently, with wigs being made out of the country, the process is both expensive and time consuming. Getting training to make the wigs locally would cut both and enable more wigs to be made for those who need them. It would also enable customisation of an already hand-made process.
On hearing of the initiative, she was contacted by a salon in Saudi Arabia, which is doing something similar and they are looking at working together. And, Shaikha Alanood is also hopeful that other Bahraini salons will get involved – the more hair that is collected and donated, the more wigs can be made.
