After the tragic New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana, many of the injured suffered serious burns that irreversibly damaged hair bulbs, preventing the natural regrowth of hair. To support the process of re-appropriating the image of patients, an international solidarity initiative was born: collecting hair to make free wigs for burn victims. The idea, which started from the Canton of Valais, quickly involved numerous Italian provinces.
How the donation works
Those who wish to participate can go to partner salons, where those who donate their hair receive a free cut and styling. The collected hair is sent to the Swiss company La Natur’elle in Martigny, which acts as a sorting centre, before being processed in a factory in Italy to make the wigs. The minimum length required is 20 centimetres, while the ideal is to reach 35 to allow for longer cuts. Colored hair is also accepted, but not treated with perms, aggressive bleaching or henna, to guarantee the resistance of the fiber during processing.
A mission that transcends borders
The initiative has found strong impetus on social networks, particularly on Instagram and TikTok, where hairdressers and organizations share tutorials and instructions for correctly preparing the locks. The hair must be washed, dried and tied in a ponytail or braid to prevent the natural fibers from becoming confused, which is essential for the quality of the final wigs. The echo of the project has led numerous Italian salons to offer the same service, from Biella to Lecco, creating a concrete and tangible support network.
The psychological value of the gesture
In addition to the aesthetic benefit, wigs represent an important aid for the psychological well-being of burn victims. Recovering a feature of your appearance helps reduce emotional confusion and support self-confidence during a long and complex healing process. For the injured, whose hair will never grow back, the donation becomes a gesture of life and hope, capable of transforming a small personal sacrifice into concrete help.
The first locks have already arrived and hairdressers confirm that the collection will continue in the coming months. The objective is to guarantee all burn victims the possibility of having a personalized wig, reducing the impact of the tragedy on their daily lives and offering a concrete signal of closeness from the community.
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