Girl's loss wigmaker's gain

IAIN MCGREGOR/The Press

CHOP CHOP: Hairdresser Cindy Suh cuts 17-year-old Ruth-Victoria Price's hair.

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A Christchurch teenager is giving away her waist-length locks for a good cause.

Ruth-Victoria Price, 17, yesterday had her first haircut in two years.

Her blonde locks will be donated to wigmakers for people with conditions resulting in hair loss.

"I'd wanted to do it for a long time; my hair was already reasonably long, so I thought I'd put it to some use," she said.

Price said her decision was inspired by her great-grandfather, who suffered from alopecia that left him bald by age of 19.

She contacted Dunedin wig company Freedom Wigs, and was told she met the requirement of "virgin hair" that had not been dyed or permed. While her hair was already long enough to be used, she decided to grow her blonde locks past her waist to provide as much hair as possible.

Price said her hair had not required too much maintenance, although it had occasionally slowed her down.

"It's quite heavy, and it took quite a while to dry, but you can do lots with long hair."

She was already feeling lighter after the cut.Price was planning to personally donate her hair so she could watch the wigmaking process.

- © Fairfax NZ News