Buy One, Give One Hair Cuttery’s Share-a-Haircut Program Kicks Off

Children receiving a back-to-school haircut at the Hair Cuttery salon in Westerly during the month of August will be giving one back to a disadvantaged child in the community.  From Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, every time a child (18 years old or younger) receives a haircut at any of the Hair Cuttery salons in New England, including the salon in Westerly at 146 Franklin St., a free hair cut will be donated to a disadvantaged child in the community.

Hair Cuttery, the largest family owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, expects to donate up to 100,000 back-to-school haircut certificates¾a total of $1.6 million¾in this year’s Share-a-Haircut program. This is the 14th year of the program, the only one of its kind in the nation. Since the program’s launch in 1999, Hair Cuttery has donated more than 700,000 free haircut certificates to kids in need. 

“Share-a-Haircut is about the ritual of preparing for a new school year,” said Dennis Ratner, Founder and CEO of Hair Cuttery. “A new haircut symbolizes a new start and new possibilities. We want kids to associate feeling good about themselves with getting ready for back to school.”

Hair Cuttery surveyed* moms of school-aged children on self-esteem and school performance and found:

·      88 percent of moms believe haircuts help their child feel good and more confident about themselves;

·      86 percent of moms say that having more confidence allows their child to perform better in school;

·      And nearly four in ten moms believe a haircut boosts their child’s performance in school.

“Having been a stylist my entire life, I understand the impact a fresh new haircut can have on someone’s self-esteem,” said Ratner. “I love seeing the look on a child’s face when they first check-out their haircut in the mirror. They walk out of the salon with a little extra pep in their step. That extra confidence can make a big difference to children as they start the new school year.” 

A free haircut can go a long way for any family, especially those in need. According to The National Retail Federation last year, the average cost of back-to-school spending for kindergarten through 12th grade is $688.

Hair Cuttery donates one free haircut certificate (up to 100,000) to a child in need for every child’s haircut (18 years and younger) purchased during the month of August. The free haircut vouchers are valid up to November 15, 2013.

Hair Cuttery works with more than 150 local government and community organizations to distribute the haircuts.  Nearly 900 salons nationwide will participate in this year’s event. To search Hair Cuttery locations, visithttp://www.haircuttery.com/locations/.

*Survey conducted using the online omnibus services of Ipsos from April 17-25, 2013, among a national sample of 574 moms of school aged children (5-18)