Boy donates hair to Locks of Love
Published: June 24, 2005
Being 10 years old can be a tough age for a boy. Especially a boy with long, strawberry-blond hair cascading onto his shoulders.
From being mistaken for a girl to getting the nickname “Yeti” at school, it hasn’t been easy for Devin Husslage.
But Husslage said all the teasing has been worth it: He wasn’t growing his hair to make a fashion statement, he was growing it to donate to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.
“The first time I got called a girl I thought: Do I really look like that?” said Husslage. “But then I thought: It’s for the better, because it’s a good cause.”
After more than two years without a haircut, Husslage’s hair was finally ready - in fact, it was longer than the organization’s 10-inch minimum.
So on Thursday afternoon, Husslage climbed into a chair at A Hair Ahead Salon, held his breath and watched as two years’ growth of his hair came off in less than five minutes.
“No more teasing,” said his friend Channing Brend, who stopped by the salon to see the new Devin. “People used to call him caveman because they said cavemen had a lot of hair.”
Husslage’s mom, Robin, said her son’s hair not only attracted some strange looks, but it was a “real pain” to take care of.
“I kept asking him, Are you sure you want to keep doing this?” she said as she snapped pictures of Husslage proudly holding a thick ponytail of his hair.
“He plays lacrosse, and after games his hair would just be in knots because of the helmet,” she explained, noting that boys lacrosse helmets aren’t made with a hole to pull a ponytail through.
His mom said Husslage first got the idea to grow his hair when his 12-year-old sister, Alexandra, decided she would donate her hair to the organization. She said Husslage was hoping his example would encourage other boys to do the same.
Since the salon began participating in the Locks of Love program (they will cut your hair for free if you donate it to the organization), they have never had a male participant, said hairstylist Jessica Spiliotis.
As Spiliotis put the finishing touches on the boy’s new look, Husslage said he would gladly go through the experience again.
“Hopefully I’ve inspired some people at my school,” he said with a smile.
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