Kelly Akerley of Hancock helps others through haircuts

Kelley Akerley of Hancock is donating her hair to benefit others. 

Kelley Akerley of Hancock is donating her hair to benefit others.  STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

Cut hair that Kelly Akerley is donating this month. 

Cut hair that Kelly Akerley is donating this month.  STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

By DAVID ALLEN

Monadnock Ledger Transcript 

Published: 12-26-2024 1:05 PM

Something that people do several times a year – get a haircut – could benefit others if they did it less frequently. 

“It’s rare that people will go  a year without getting their hair cut,” said Kelly Akerley of Hancock.

Akerley, 23, donated hair again this month to benefit individuals who need it for a variety of reasons. 

“A person close to me suffered hair loss,” she said of the first time she donated hair. “I was at the Manhattan East Salon in Peterborough, and they said ‘Your hair is eligible for being donated.’”

Eight inches of cut hair is the minimum length, and it went to Locks of Love.

“It was extremely easy,” she said.

Akerley became aware of the process five years ago, which involved filling out a one-page form after a visit to a salon. She’s donating her hair again following a visit to the James Thomas Salon in Peterborough. 

There was a time when any hair that had been colored could not be donated, but that has changed, she said. Akerley donated to Children with Hairloss this month, whose website states that “Non-chemically treated hair is preferred but any hair in good condition will be accepted.” 

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“There’s been no negative aspect to it at all. It’s very straightforward,” she said. “My mom was sad to see it go.”

Donated hair can benefit people with a variety of needs. 

“There’s alopecia,” said Akerley, referring to hair loss of an irregular nature, such as in young women. A famous case of this is actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley has been public about her alopecia and does not cover it with a wig of donated hair. 

“For a lot of people, their hair is their identity,” said Akerley, explaining why people choose to cover hair loss. The side effects of certain medications can also cause hair loss, as can chemotherapy, menopause and childbirth.

Akerley graduated magna cum laude with a degree in biochemistry from Kalamazoo College in Michigan, and followed that up with an obstetrics internship in Germany. There, she interacted with patients entirely in German, having begun her studies of the language at ConVal, where she graduated in 2019. 

She is putting her scientific background to use as a lab technician in Massachusetts involved in pre- and post-extraction of plant material for a cannabis firm.

After discussing the donation process Akerley headed out to the post office to send her most-recent donation. 

“For a lot of people, getting their hair back gives them their identity back,” she said.