Arlington college student donates 12 inches of hair to charity

When the pandemic hit, Arlington resident Matt White, like many others, could not get a haircut.

He noticed his hair grew quickly and, rather than cut it, he decided to challenge himself and see how long he could grow it out.

“At some point, I realized it could definitely be long enough to donate,” White told ARLnow.

Last Wednesday — almost three years after his last haircut — the 21-year-old went to his mother’s hair salon, Magnus Opus, for a long-anticipated haircut. Hairdresser Clinton Jones tied it into a long, 12-inch ponytail and snipped it off.

White sent his hair to Children With Hair Loss, a nonprofit that donates wigs made with human hair to children and adolescents suffering from medically-related hair loss. Picking the organization was an obvious choice for White because of a family friend who also donated her hair there.

Leading up to the haircut, White said he was excited to see how long his hair had actually grown — four inches longer than the nonprofit’s donation minimum.

Dealing with longer locks, however, had its challenging moments, he admitted.

“The hardest part of the process is when your hair isn’t long enough to go into a ponytail but too long to stay out of your eyes,” White said. “For those with short hair — it can be a challenge, and it can feel quite weird — but you will get used to it pretty quickly.”