Sam Villa Partners with HairToStay to Help Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Sam Villa company will donate 5% of net website sales in October to the Sydney Berry Foundation at HairToStay (HTS).  The Sydney Berry Foundation has challenged 50 companies in the beauty industry to donate a combined $250,000 to enable 250 individuals access to scalp cooling. This treatment can dramatically reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss.  HTS is the first national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cancer patients afford scalp cooling.    

“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 contribute to the industry positively.”

“One of the most visible and traumatic side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss, which I can attest to its profound impact on a person’s identity, privacy, and overall mental health. 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,” Sydney Berry, Haircare Advisory Board with HairToStay and Professional Beauty Association Chair.

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 fewer chemotherapy medications, and (2) the rate of cellular metabolism is slowed, thereby reducing the effect of whatever chemo medication is present.