The economic crisis in Lebanon has led to a disturbing trend of selling girls’ hair for survival, according to local media. Mothers are reportedly selling their daughters’ long hair to salons for use in hair extensions or for making wigs for cancer patients. This phenomenon seems to have begun in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon and has spread to families needing to make ends meet during Ramadan. The hair trade is lucrative, with 100 grams of natural hair fetching about $300. Hairdressers have shared their heartbreaking experiences of women asking to sell their hair, which they describe as a shocking and sad situation. This trade also raises concerns about the potential exploitation of vulnerable citizens and displaced persons in Lebanon.
Local media in Lebanon talked about the spread of the phenomenon of selling girls’ hair for dollars in order to secure a living, after the economic crisis in the country exceeded the limits of logic and reason.
A lot of news is reported about mothers who sold their daughters’ long hair to women’s grooming salons to benefit from it in prolonging hairdos for women who need to beautify or to market it after converting it into a wig for children’s cancer centers in specialized hospitals in Beirut.
The phenomenon is expanding
- This phenomenon began to spread in the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, which are concentrated in the Bekaa regions and northern Lebanon.
- The phenomenon expanded to reach women in families who needed to secure daily sustenance during the month of Ramadan.
- A worker in the manufacture of wigs in the city of Sidon told Sky News Arabia that the price of every 100 grams of natural hair amounts to 30 million pounds (about 300 dollars).
Sad stories
- Jamil, a hairdresser in Beirut, told Sky News Arabia that a woman had gone to him to sell her hair, noting that it was a sad incident. He added, “The situation was shocking, and I did not expect to cut her hair for this reason.”
- Another incident was talked about by a hairdresser in the city of Zahle in the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country, and he said, “A woman surprised me by asking to cut her blonde daughter’s hair in exchange for $50.” “It is one of the strangest stories I have seen during my years of practicing the profession,” he continued.
- The owner of a beauty salon in Akkar, northern Lebanon, said that this phenomenon has begun to spread among the women of the camps in that region. She explained that “the hair of the girls in the camps for the displaced is longer and that their mothers sell it for a dollar.”
Scary alert!
In a related context, Saeb, the owner of a wig-making factory, explained, “This trade was active in Syria, and it has recently arrived in Lebanon. Hair is sold by fine to turn it into bridal hair ornaments, and it is promoted by hairdressers in Lebanon.”
Saeb concluded his speech to Sky News Arabia, “This phenomenon began in Lebanon a short time ago, hoping that it will not expand and affect other parts of the bodies of citizens and displaced persons in order to secure a living.”
The story of girls being forced to sell their hair for mere dollars in Lebanon is a tragic reflection of the economic crisis gripping the country. The fact that mothers are being forced to make such a decision to secure their daily sustenance is a heartbreaking reality that cannot be ignored. As the phenomenon spreads to more areas of Lebanon and affects more families, it is important to raise awareness and find solutions to tackle the root cause of the crisis. Let us hope that the situation improves and that families do not have to resort to such extreme measures to make ends meet.