TEMECULA, Calif. — (September 16, 2022) – Long hair and big hearts are wanted this October at Spa Pechanga at Pechanga Resort Casino. The 8th Annual Mane Campaign comes back offering free cuts and hairstyles for anyone willing to cut and donate eight or more inches of their hair to help those battling cancer. Donors get a free, fresh hairstyle for fall. Their freshly shorn hair allows more real-hair wigs to be made and given free of charge to cancer warriors, courtesy of Hair We Share. Hair We Share provides free, real-hair wigs to eligible men, women and children with breast cancer and other medical hair loss conditions. Here’s how to sign up to donate:
- Haircut donation appointments at Spa Pechanga may be made now through October 28 by calling
(951) 770- 8501. - Appointments will be taken on Thursdays and Fridays in October from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Spa Pechanga.
Donors’ hair will be measured and cut by cosmetology students from Paul Mitchell The School Temecula
under direction of an expert instructor on Thursdays, and by hairstylists from Smith Salon of Temecula on
Fridays. - Donors receive a voucher for a free haircut and style to their choice of Smith Salon or 11:11 Salon – both in Temecula.
Out of the area donors will receive a $50 gift card they may use at a salon of their choice.
Pechanga Resort Casino also provides hair donors with a $50 credit toward treatments or retail items at Spa Pechanga, plus sends a $50 contribution to Hair We Share in care of each hair donor. Donors can hold out even more hope for great things. Each will be entered to win one of five Pechanga Getaway packages which include a two-night luxury hotel stay, day passes for two to Spa Pechanga and a $200 food and beverage credit.
The mane campaign coincides with October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Like so many things, COVID precluded us from hosting this campaign the last two years, though our team is committed to bringing back the hope and light it sheds on the need for hair donations,” said Rachel Patane, Spa Pechanga Manager. “The campaign has touched each and every one of us. We’ve seen so much love, tears and strength from the donors and from breast cancer patients through our programs and because of that, we want to make this year’s campaign even better.”
By including salons from the Temecula area, and the areas’ local cosmetology school, more potential donors can be reached. “It’s a great opportunity for the students to get real-world experience and to work toward a fantastic cause,” said Patane. In its eighth year, more than 500 ponytails have been collected through the previous years. It takes five to six ponytails to make one real-hair wig. In 2019 alone, 224 feet of hair was collected making it the most successful year to date. The length of the hair is 10 times taller than a giraffe.
The side effects of breast cancer treatment, especially hair loss, can be devastating to a woman’s psyche. The Mane Campaign encourages men, women and children who can donate eight or more inches of naturally colored (not harsh chemically colored or bleached) hair. Gray hair is now accepted.
For more than a decade, Pechanga Resort Casino has been a major supporter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation in its region. Since 2011, resort/casino team members have donated more than $360,000 to the fight against breast cancer and toward raising awareness. The Centers for Disease Control show breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women affecting one in eight. The organization statistics show more than 200,000 women get breast cancer and more than 40,000 women die from the disease each year. Hair loss, one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, can be especially traumatic for a woman fighting cancer.
Donated hair must not be bleached or a color that is not naturally occurring, and must be at least eight inches. Grey hair and colored hair is accepted. To make an appointment at Spa Pechanga,
call (951) 770-8501. Appointments for hair donations and styles are based on availability.
Spa Pechanga is open Monday – Sunday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, visit Pechanga.com/indulge/spa.