Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Mill Creek mom loses her locks as a Valentine’s Day gift to charity
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Dan Bates / The Herald
Studied closely by her son, Kenji, 5, Rayna Hwynn watches in the mirror Tuesday as student cosmetologist, Roq Simms dries and brushes out her new shortened hair style after removing more than 10 inches for Locks of Love on Valentine's Day.
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At Paroba College in Everett, Rayna Hwynn waits to have her hair cut off and donated to Locks of Love.
It was time for a change.
Rayna Hwynn had been thinking about it since Christmastime. With her mind made up, she picked Valentine's Day.
"Last chance," Roq Simms said. A hair-styling student at Paroba College, a cosmetology and esthetics school near Everett Mall, Simms had scissors in hand Tuesday afternoon. She was all set to snip.
"To run?" Hwynn replied. Despite her flip answer, Hwynn neither ran nor flinched.
The 37-year-old Mill Creek mother of three sat calmly while Simms cut more than 10 inches off her gorgeous brunette hair.
Hwynn chose Valentine's Day with a purpose. Her hair is being donated to Locks of Love. The Florida-based nonprofit organization provides hairpieces to children and teens suffering from conditions and medical treatments that cause hair loss.
Hwynn, who works with her husband Dr. Richard Hwynn at their Buffalo Square Dental office, said her dramatic haircut wouldn't be a complete surprise to him. "He does know," she said before Simms transformed her flowing hair into a cropped pixie style. "He doesn't say much of anything about it," Hwynn said.
She said their children, 5-year-old Kenji, Kaedan, 8, and Kiana, 12, weren't thrilled with the idea of a mom with a brand new look.
Kenji tagged along with his mom to the beauty college, but fell asleep in a chair before the haircut was finished. Simms' work was checked and perfected by Marsha Elliott, an instructor at the school. By the time Kenji woke up, Hwynn was sporting a chic haircut that looked like Demi Moore's in the movie "Ghost." Speechless, the little boy rubbed his eyes and stared.
Mary Kay Jurovcik, director of marketing at the Everett beauty college, said the school has had many clients donate hair to the charity. Hair donations are becoming more rare, Jurovcik said. "People sell hair for extensions," Jurovcik said. "Depending on length and quality, you can sell your hair for $300 to $400."
Hwynn is the second member of her family to donate to Locks of Love. Daughter Kiana donated her hair when she was about 8, Hwynn recalled.
When donating hair, there are a few extra steps in the haircut process. Before making the first cut, Simms brushed Hwynn's hair, which reached the middle of her back, and divided it into four ponytails. The student stylist braided the ponytails before cutting them close to Hwynn's head.
Hwynn's shorn braids were placed in plastic bags, then in an envelope to be sent to Locks of Love in West Palm Beach, Fla. The charity provides children who have long-term or permanent hair loss with custom-made natural hairpieces that would sell for as much as $6,000, according to the charity's website.
Jurovcik said Locks of Love seeks hair at least 10 inches long that has not been chemically treated. "It's hard to find virgin hair," she said.
Hwynn hasn't had short hair since high school -- in the 1990s. "I decided I was going to do it awhile back. It was time for a change," she said. "Might as well make good use of it."
Hwynn said her mother was once treated for cancer and may have worn a wig. "Everybody's family has been touched by it," she said of the disease.
"For a child to have to go through that, it's unimaginable. They just want to fit in, to be normal," Hwynn said.
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Rayna Hwynn had been thinking about it since Christmastime. With her mind made up, she picked Valentine's Day.
"Last chance," Roq Simms said. A hair-styling student at Paroba College, a cosmetology and esthetics school near Everett Mall, Simms had scissors in hand Tuesday afternoon. She was all set to snip.
"To run?" Hwynn replied. Despite her flip answer, Hwynn neither ran nor flinched.
The 37-year-old Mill Creek mother of three sat calmly while Simms cut more than 10 inches off her gorgeous brunette hair.
Hwynn chose Valentine's Day with a purpose. Her hair is being donated to Locks of Love. The Florida-based nonprofit organization provides hairpieces to children and teens suffering from conditions and medical treatments that cause hair loss.
Hwynn, who works with her husband Dr. Richard Hwynn at their Buffalo Square Dental office, said her dramatic haircut wouldn't be a complete surprise to him. "He does know," she said before Simms transformed her flowing hair into a cropped pixie style. "He doesn't say much of anything about it," Hwynn said.
She said their children, 5-year-old Kenji, Kaedan, 8, and Kiana, 12, weren't thrilled with the idea of a mom with a brand new look.
Kenji tagged along with his mom to the beauty college, but fell asleep in a chair before the haircut was finished. Simms' work was checked and perfected by Marsha Elliott, an instructor at the school. By the time Kenji woke up, Hwynn was sporting a chic haircut that looked like Demi Moore's in the movie "Ghost." Speechless, the little boy rubbed his eyes and stared.
Mary Kay Jurovcik, director of marketing at the Everett beauty college, said the school has had many clients donate hair to the charity. Hair donations are becoming more rare, Jurovcik said. "People sell hair for extensions," Jurovcik said. "Depending on length and quality, you can sell your hair for $300 to $400."
Hwynn is the second member of her family to donate to Locks of Love. Daughter Kiana donated her hair when she was about 8, Hwynn recalled.
When donating hair, there are a few extra steps in the haircut process. Before making the first cut, Simms brushed Hwynn's hair, which reached the middle of her back, and divided it into four ponytails. The student stylist braided the ponytails before cutting them close to Hwynn's head.
Hwynn's shorn braids were placed in plastic bags, then in an envelope to be sent to Locks of Love in West Palm Beach, Fla. The charity provides children who have long-term or permanent hair loss with custom-made natural hairpieces that would sell for as much as $6,000, according to the charity's website.
Jurovcik said Locks of Love seeks hair at least 10 inches long that has not been chemically treated. "It's hard to find virgin hair," she said.
Hwynn hasn't had short hair since high school -- in the 1990s. "I decided I was going to do it awhile back. It was time for a change," she said. "Might as well make good use of it."
Hwynn said her mother was once treated for cancer and may have worn a wig. "Everybody's family has been touched by it," she said of the disease.
"For a child to have to go through that, it's unimaginable. They just want to fit in, to be normal," Hwynn said.
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
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