Montgomery County woman joins nationwide movement to donate hair to kids in need
NORTH WALES, Pa. (CBS) — Alina McGilloway's hair has grown about 7 inches a year since July 2020. On Tuesday evening, at Society Page Hairstyling salon in North Wales, Pennsylvania, she chopped it all off for a good cause.
McGilloway is donating her hair to The Longhairs, a men's grooming brand that holds the Guinness World Record for the most hair donated to a charity in 24 hours.
"2020 was a rough year for me, like for many of us," McGilloway said. "Grieving and loss and career changes, but providing something for someone who can not grow their hair, I thought about the journey that they've been on."
In 2019, The Longhairs gathered 339 pounds of hair at their record-breaking event The Great Cut, in San Diego.
All of the donations go to the charity Children with Hair Loss, which helps provide custom human hair wigs to kids with cancer, auto-immune conditions and more.
This year's Great Cut event is March 16, once again in San Diego. Longhair CEO Chris Healy is shaving off his 30-inch mane.
"It takes a lot to encourage someone to cut and donate their hair," Healy said. "Hair is a very personal thing. You've been attached to it, literally, for many years. So, when you donate your hair to someone it is not just a special gift, but you are giving a part of yourself to the recipient."
With hopes of beating their previous world record, every inch counts.
"Twenty inches was my goal from the beginning!" McGilloway said. "This feels amazing, and I am just so grateful that my hair has grown this long and strong and it's going to go to someone who needs some hope and strength!"
