Newcastle University Student Shaves Head For Little Princess Trust

Newcastle University student Natasha Brisbane-Nash has not only cut but completely shaved off her hair, and benefited two charities in the process. Raising over £2,600 so far for The Leprosy Mission, the 21-year-old zoology student was well-sponsored to fully shave her head, and also donated the cut hair to the children's hair loss charity, the Little Princess Trust.

Getting used to a new look

Natasha, who has always had long hair, was nervous about her bold haircut. “I must admit to having a glass of wine in the hairdressers,” she said. A local hair salon in Newcastle gave Natasha a short pixie crop, free of charge, before her friends at home helped her shave off the remaining hair.

Transformed by her new look, she said, “It does feel very different and I do feel very exposed which is good because it’s why I did it.” She finds herself now understanding the isolation that leprosy causes on a deeper level and hopes that people asking her about her new look will spread awareness about the disease.

Donating the cut hair

Not wanting her hair to go to waste, she donated her cropped locks to the Little Princess Trust a UK charity supported by The Belgravia Centre which works to provide real-hair wigs to children with hair loss, generally as a result of illness or cancer treatment.

The Little Princess Trust works with experienced hairdressers and specialist suppliers to create wigs from real hair individually tailored to match the child’s original hair as realistically as possible. The charity mainly helps children undergoing chemotherapy, who often suffer with hair loss as a result, but also works with children with other hair loss conditions, such as Alopecia.

Since its in inception in 2006, the charity has helped more than 2,700 boys and girls. Hair loss can be particularly traumatic for children and suitable high-quality wigs can be hard to find. The charity welcomes donations of hair, as well as funds to help purchase the additional wigs required to keep up with demand. They accept donations of natural or dyed hair, which is at least 8 inches in length and should be supplied tied in a pony tail. For more information on how to donate hair to the charity, visit the Little Princess Trust website.

If you would like to support Natasha's fundraising efforts, visit her JustGiving page to donate online and see how much she has raised so far.