VIRGINIA BEACH -- "It's all our water," says Dave Dunlap as he sits in a salon chair. "We've got to take care of it, and if this helps, that's the best way to do it."
With his hair clippings falling to the ground at Sport Clips at Pembroke Mall, the hair's final destination will be be the Gulf of Mexico to assist with the clean-up of the massive oil spill that's taken place.
"People across the country are doing this," Dunlap notes. "It's like one pound of hair picks up a quart of oil."
The owners of the Sport Clips locations in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, Hampton, and Newport News are donating the clippings from all their salons to Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that uses the hair in mats and booms that soak up oil from spills and leaks.
"It's great. It's just awesome, and I'm excited that we can be part of it," says Melissa Brooks, manager of the location at Pembroke Mall.
"Typically, this is hair that would go into the dumpster, go into the trash every day," Brooks tells 13News. "Now, we're able to turn that hair into something great."
The owners plan to donate the clippings from the five salons indefinitely.
Sport Clips Locations
4554 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Suite 670, Virginia Beach (Pembroke Mall)
741 Eden Way North, Chesapeake
5206 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg (New Town)
4500 Kilgore Avenue, Hampton (Peninsula Town Center)
12551 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News (Jefferson Commons)
