10 tips for donating your hairdressing skills for charity

Thinking of donating your hairdressing skills for charity? We've got ten top tips from Petros Mairoudhiou at Trevor Sorbie, who volunteers for Crisis at Christmas. 1) Recognise that you can help As a stylist at the Trevor Sorbie salon in Covent Garden I was really shocked to see such a visible increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the run up to Christmas last year, which got me thinking about what I could do to help. Sometimes in the face of a problem like this it’s easy to feel that it's too big to get involved with, but we all have individual skills and we have to get to grips with the reality that whatever we do can make a difference. 2) Offer your skills I wanted to make a difference and give back with the skills I know and love. I also felt a bit fed up with the usual Christmas where it’s just about gifts and the stress of trying to keep everyone happy -  which is really forgetting the reason for the occasion. The Crisis at Christmas service was therefore an obvious way to channel what I could offer; by volunteering you can become part of Crisis’ Service Team – they look for a whole host of people with special qualifications including medical professionals, advice practitioners, hairdressers, alternative therapists… I think it’s so important to give back to the society that we live in and, in the current economic climate, it’s so easy to lose everything and end up on the streets. All you have to do is register online and select which shelter you want and what shifts you can work. 3) Challenge yourself I wanted to cut as much hair as possible on the day and not turn anybody away, which was challenging. I'm also a very sensitive person and found it upsetting listening to people's stories... 4) Feel warm and fuzzy ... But while that part of it is hard, the overwhelming emotion is that it’s enjoyable to take part. Seeing the elation on people's faces once the hair was cut and seeing how it made them feel, as well as the thanks I got for giving up my Christmas Day to do something for them, was really humbling. 5) Count your blessings I did miss sitting around the table with my family, but I learnt that Christmas is about giving back and that I should be grateful for everything I have! I'm doing it again this year and encouraging my colleagues to join me as well. 6) Auction your skills Don’t want to give up your Christmas? You can support charities in a different way all year round by offering a cut and colour as an auction or raffle prize to boost their fundraising at events. 7) Devote a day in salon Give a percentage of your day’s takings to charity; if all the team gets involved you can raise great money in just one day. Publicise it to your clientele so they know to book an appointment on this day, even if it’s just a blow-dry they wouldn’t normally come in for. 8) Just do it If I had a penny for every person who told me that they'd love to volunteer, I'd be a rich man. Stop talking about it and just get on and sign up. 9) You have a skill Yes you really do! Everyone has something to give and I believe that everyone has a fantastic skill they can share, so donate your time this Christmas and put yourself to good use. 10) Round up the troops There's no I in team, so try and rally up a team of people to help give back.