Northern Virginia resident Zahab Kamal Khan parted with 5 feet of her hair Aug. 26 at the McLean Community Center to benefit Children with Hair Loss.
That non-profit group provides annual, customized human-hair replacements and styling services at no cost to children and young adults who have suffered medically related hair loss. The service, which continues until the recipients reach age 21, is designed to empower children by increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem, which may have been decreased by their hair loss.
A world-ranked squash player, Khan spent the past 17 years letting her hair grow 6 feet 3 inches long. Stylist Gregory White did the honors in removing most of Khan’s hair.
Khan, who already held the Guinness World Record for most hair clips – 1,100 – expected that her action would garner another Guinness record, this time for the Most Hair Donated to a Charity by an Individual. She also hoped her hair donation would raise awareness about women in sports.
Khan moved to the U.S. from Pakistan in 2018 and now is a professional squash instructor in Tysons and McLean.
Khan also in 2018 founded the Zahab Neha Foundation, which helps student athletes in Pakistan. The foundation’s donors so far have provided monthly rent and tuition assistance for 60 students pursuing their educational and athletic ambitions.