Your Hair (and Your Pet's) Can Help Clean Up the Gulf Oil Spill

***UPDATE**** BP not using hair boons for clean up, but coastal towns along the Gulf coast are. See CNN report HERE.

***UPDATE*** See below for groomers in the Charleston area partipating in the Hair for Oil Program

Planning on getting your hair cut soon? Or taking your dog to the groomer this month? Your clippings can help clean up the Gulf Oil Spill! Hair collects oil, soaks it up like a sponge in fact.

Matter of Trust, an environmental non-profit, has helped clean up oil spills in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond since 1998 by reusing donated hair clippings from hair salons, barber shops, pet groomers, and wool farmers. Stuffing this donated hair into donated nylon stockings, this organization creates highly absorbent booms to contain oil spills. A pound of hair can absorb one quart of oil in one minute. And hair mats can be wrung out and reused up to 100 times.

Matter of Trust is currently coordinating efforts of thousands of participants to match nylon and hair donations to space in temporary warehousing along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. Volunteers are building booms on site hoping to hold off the encroaching oil slick. Through its donor database matching system program called Excess Access, Matter of Trust is notifying salons and groomers... of where exactly to send their boxes to high-priority sites.

First, please SIGN UP to the Matter of Trust Excess Access program. It's FREE and FAST. It is our mass donation matching database system.

Matter of Trust cannot give out addresses for where to send hair, fur and nylons unless you are signed up, because as the spill moves so do the recipient sites and they don't want any boxes returned to you.

Salons and all natural fiber donors can sign up to contribute to this program and get posters about our hair for oil spills program. See the instructions and warehouse mailing address. Individuals can tell their salons about the program and / or just mail in their own hair after reading our instructions for individuals. Nylons can have runs, must be washed and in a separate bag from hair if coming from salons.

Lowcountry Dog is pleased to announce the Charleston Hair for Oil Program. Just visit any of the participating groomers listed below during the month of May and your dog's hair will be mailed off to Matter of Trust to be made into boons and hair mats for the Gulf Oil Spill Clean Up. A few of the groomers are also offering discounts for grooming appointments made during the month of May for this special program. Click on the links to learn more about each groomer, then call to make your appointment. Just mention the Hair for Oil Program! Each location is also accepting washed nylons for donation as well!

4 Paws and a Tail Mobile Grooming -- 843-810-3706

Animal Medical West --10% off of all shave downs-- 843-766-7387

Bark Avenue -- 10% Off -- 843-471-2275

Daniel Island Vet Hospital -- 843-881-7228

My Three Dogs -- 10% Off -- 843-884-8818

Yuppy Puppy -- 10% Off -- 843-884-7666

Would you rather just drop off your dog's clean, flea-flea free hair after a good brushing?  Nemasket Veterinary Clinic in Summerville has generously agreed to be a drop off point for the Charleston Hair for Oil Program. Just bring your dog's hair in a plastic baggie to 605 Miles Road Summerville SC 29485 or call 871-4560 for more info.

special thanks to LCD reader Melisa Coffin who first suggest a Charleston Pet HairCut Day to assist with the spill clean-up. Great idea Melisa! Thanks for being part of the LCD community.