As October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many brands are doing their part to support the month-long initiative by donating to organizations that encourage and fund breast cancer screenings, treatment, education, and research. Take for example, Sam Villa.
The professional education and styling tool company has committed to donating 5% of its net website sales during the month of October to the Sydney Berry Foundation at HairToStay (HTS). This partnership between Sam Villa and HairToStay supports the Sydney Berry Foundation’s recent challenge to 50 companies in the beauty industry to donate a combined $250,000 to enable 250 individuals access to scalp cooling, a treatment that can dramatically reduce chemotherapy induced hair loss.
“We’re turning to our reach of 2 million on social media, including 800,000 IG followers and about 850,000 subscribers to our YouTube channel, to help amplify the message around this important cause and raise money for the Sydney Berry Foundation with HairToStay,” says Regina Baptista, President of Sam Villa. “As a brand rooted in #ArtistsSupportingArtists and #BrandsSupportingBrands, we continue to look for ways to positively contribute to the industry.”
As it stands, HairToStay is the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cancer patients afford scalp cooling. For those who don’t know, scalp cooling involves wearing a cold cap before, during, and after getting chemo. Cooling the scalp during chemotherapy is thought to prevent hair loss by affecting two cellular processes: 1) Blood flow to hair follicle cells is reduced, therefore exposing them to less chemotherapy medications, and 2) the rate of cellular metabolism is slowed, thereby reducing the effect of whatever chemo medication is present.
“One of the most visible and traumatic side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss, which I can personally attest to the profound impact it has on a person’s identity, privacy, and overall mental health,” says Sydney Berry, Haircare Advisory Board with HairToStay and Professional Beauty Association Chair. “Beauty professionals are often the first to learn about this challenging time in their client’s lives when they’re asked to do a chemo cut. However, with more education and awareness, stylists can recommend scalp cooling as a solution and the Sydney Berry Foundation can help fund the treatment for those who don’t have access to it.”
To help spread awareness, be sure to visit bit.ly/htshaircarechallenge to make a donation.
