Thirteen cancer patients who have lost their hair during chemotherapy treatments will receive luscious new locks for free, thanks to the efforts of the La Jolla High School (LJHS) Model United Nations Club and its 2010 San Diego Hair Donation Event last week. A total of 75 ponytails were collected from 29 donors who came from all over San Diego to shed at least eight inches of hair each. The hair will be sent to Pantene Beautiful Lengths to make complimentary wigs, which can cost up to $1,200, that will be distributed to cancer patients in need throughout the nation. Ardis Zhong, a member of the Model United Nations club who will serve as its vice president next year, was first to go under the blade of Paul Mitchell School of Hair Design stylists. “I was really nervous but also so excited,” Zhong said. “This was the first time I had ever donated hair, but it’s something I always wanted to do and it felt so great to contribute to such an important cause.” Zhong said the idea for the event was born a few months ago when she wanted to get a haircut. “Donating my hair is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. After an enthusiastic response from other students, Zhong said, “I thought it would be fun to have everyone donate together.” The event attempted to break the world record for the most hair donated in 24 hours, currently held by a group in Mississippi that gathered 107.4 pounds of hair from 881 donors in 2007. While the LJHS event fell short, Zhong said she still considers the effort a success. “The world record attempt was secondary to pulling off a really fun, fulfilling event,” Zhong said. “We got a total of 75 ponytails from the people who did participate, which is enough to make 13 new wigs for cancer patients. So our efforts are going to help 13 people across the nation, and that was really the biggest thing on my mind.” To be acceptable for donation, hair must be at least eight inches in length and must not be bleached, permanently dyed or more than 5 percent gray. These requirements exist to make “the most beautiful, realistic and durable wigs,” according to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths website. Each wig requires at least six donated ponytails, according to the site. Once the hair for a single wig is assembled, stylists at Pantene’s partner, HairUWear, dye it to match. To achieve uniform color, all the hair must absorb dye at the same rate. After wigs are finished, HairUWear sends them to the American Cancer Society, which then distributes the wigs for free to cancer patients who have lost their natural hair. “These people don’t have the privilege of growing back their hair like I do,” Zhong said. “Being anxious about how the haircut will turn out doesn’t compare to the pain of not having hair at all. Mine will always grow back, but they don’t have that option.” Zhong was so thrilled with the results of the event that she plans to donate again and hopes to plan another, similar event next year, “when I have more hair,” she said. Since July 2006, Pantene Beautiful Lengths has collected more than 50,000 ponytails from donors nationwide, a Pantene representative said. The LJHS Model United Nations Club, which organized the event, attends conferences where members adopt roles of United Nations members and discuss relevant issues and current events, then craft resolutions based on procedures used by the U.N. For information about future hair donation events visit pantene.com/beautifullengths.