Twelve months ago, 'lockdown hair' was a phrase nobody could have predicted would be trending across social media.
But the lengths people have gone to in order to control their flowing locks, or find a prized slot for a hair appointment, has provided some much-needed light relief during the current pandemic.
Now Charlotte Cleaver, whose hair is close to one and a half foot long, has decided she is going to Brave the Shave for Macmillan Cancer and donate the clippings to The Little Princess Trust, who make wigs for young children going through chemotherapy.
Charlotte, who works as a Reception Administrator for the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), will have her tresses trimmed on October 3 and is hoping people will head to her donations page to help raise money for Macmillan's vital cancer support.
Charlotte, who has long blond hair with a blue dyed fringe, decided to donate the hair as she has known people who have lost theirs for various medical reasons and understands the psychological blow it can cause those undergoing cancer treatments.
She said: "My sister and a close friend both suffered from alopecia. It happened to my sister Vicky when she was growing up and to my friend as she got older. I also had a friend who underwent a serious operation and her hair fell out as a result.
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"Even though she nearly died, the massive psychological blow to her was down to losing her hair and, she felt, her femininity with it.
"For women in particular, your hair and the way you wear it plays such a major part in shaping who you are, and, when children undergo chemotherapy, losing hair through no choice of their own can be demeaning."
Charlotte's light hair colour is particularly sought after by The Little Princess Trust.
She explained: "People's hair tends to go darker as they get older so light hair for children's wigs is harder to come by, and in particular hair that is longer than 12 inches."
Charlotte's other sister Kat will be in charge of the scissors on October 3 and is 'very excited' about the job. The hair will be cut first, to preserve the long tresses, before the rest is shaved off. The long hair is then put into bunches and sent to Little Princesses.
Charlotte, who is usually the first person people see when they arrive at Leicester Castle reception, said: "I am quite relaxed about it all. I will just have to stock up with woolly hats for the winter. I may keep my blue fringe though because nobody will want that.
"I suppose my only concern is if I have a cone head when all the hair has gone," she laughs. "My mum is happy I am braving the shave but she is concerned about my lumpy head. She saw the shape of my head when I was a baby!"
Posted on Wednesday 23 September 2020