Long locking clocks? ‘Give your hair for a hairpiece’

Sylvie Takke from Atelier het Pruykenhuys in Rijsbergen makes hairpieces from real hair. These are for entertainment purposes and for people with hair problems. This last group benefits in particular: from cancer patients to people with hair diseases or baldness due to other causes such as stress.

“It’s crucial for these people,” Sylvie explains to EditieNL. “Without a hairstyle, they’re incomplete. It’s a part of self-esteem. Some of these people don’t go out if they don’t have a proper hairstyle, that’s their identity.”

Scarcity

But in general, there is a scarcity of real hair that can be used for wigs. “Our most important resource is the most difficult to find, especially on the longest lengths,” explains Sylvie. “I help a lot of people between the ages of 15 and 55, especially the younger ones who need long hair.”

And not always enough donations. Especially now that the hairdressers are closed, this is a problem. “If it’s not given, then sometimes a concession will have to be made: the use of synthetic hair or a shorter hairpiece.”

But according to Sylvie, it’s just not really in our culture. We want to keep everything we have to make ourselves beautiful. “You need a really good reason to give up that precious hair that holds or falls with your identity,” she explains.

#lockdownlokken

Because hairdressing salons are closed, Sylvie sees more and more people with long hair. “And everyone’s like, oh, I really wanna go to the barber. But with every inch of length, we can help more people with that, ”says Sylvie.

That’s why she created #lockdownlokken. With this, the wig maker hopes to draw more attention to the fact that a lot of hair bundles (perhaps unnecessarily) will soon go into the trash. “You can also donate it! Don’t let this bunch of hair end up in the trash, but remember: am I going to the hairdresser now, or a little later, to make the bouquet useful?”

Also dyed hair

Sylvie would like to point out that all hair types are welcome. “People think that colored, bleached or gray hair cannot be given away. Anything is possible with us!” she says. “The Haarwensen Foundation does not really need this, because the children cannot stand it. But as a result, these forests are no longer offered to us.”

So if your hair is healthy, you can just give it from about 12 inches. “When it’s healthy and well cared for, all textures and colors are welcome. We take pieces of the bunches and mix them together, so we need a lot of different hairs.”

And also a lot of donations: because in a hairpiece there are five or six bunches of hair. “We really need a lot to be able to make a good mix.”

Anyone who gives it to the studio will receive some money for it. “Between 15 and 250 euros. But if I have to bring it from abroad, it can be thousands of euros per bunch of hair. It’s not doable. So the more growth there is in the Netherlands , the better. “