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"It was a story about a girl who got a wig and was really excited about it," she said.
Habingreither decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love. This Florida-based nonprofit makes hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children without hair.
"It's nice to know you're doing something for a good cause, and it wasn't even that hard to do," Habingreither said.
Before cutting it, she waited until her hair was long enough to meet the 10-inch length required by Locks of Love.
"It was a little scary to cut so much hair, but right after I got it done, it was very liberating," she said.
Thanks to donors such as Habingreither, Locks of Love sends more than 1,000 wigs to low-income children each year. Most of the children suffer from alopecia areata, a long-term hair loss disease.
"Basically, your body develops an allergy to your hair," said Susan Stone, Locks of Love executive director.
More than 4 million Americans suffer from alopecia areata. Victims of this unpredictable skin disease lose scalp and body hair. Though no treatment or cure exists, Locks of Love helps make life tolerable for children with alopecia areata.
"The founder had alopecia areata in her 20s. Fifteen years later, her 4-year-old daughter had it and lost all of her hair. Using her daughter as an inspiration, she decided to devote herself to Locks of Love," Stone said.
Originally a wig-making company's philanthropic project, Locks of Love officially established itself as a nonprofit in 1997.
"Our first year, we helped 21 kids. And now, over 1,000. And we're not even 6 years old yet," Stone said.
Wednesday, Locks of Love accepted its first international application. A girl from Canada will soon be the recipient of a new hairpiece.
"Receiving the wigs makes kids more outgoing. It really brings out their self-esteem," Stone said.
Obtaining a wig generally takes four months. Applicants for wigs receive a plaster-of-paris mold kit and video by mail. The child makes a skin-to-plaster head mold and sends it back to the manufacturing plant.
"Kids can go swimming, they can hang upside-down on the monkey bars, they can lead a normal life," Stone said.
Children can choose their desired hair length and color. Such wigs are known as prosthetics and are worth more than $3,000.
"I have some kids whose friends don't even know that they don't have hair," Stone said.
Stone describes working at Locks of Love as incredibly gratifying.
"I picked up a little girl in our office who had never had hair," she said. "We put her wig on, and for the first time, she looked in the mirror and saw herself with hair. It made her cry. It made me cry."
Tears are common at Locks of Love.
"Every day, our staff cries. Because of the kindness or suffering. Either what kids will do for someone they don't even know or what they will bear," she said.
Stone said not having hair can be emotionally scarring, especially for children.
"Kids who don't wear the right jeans get teased. Can you imagine what it would be like to go to school without hair?" Stone said.
Locks of Love receives many letters of thanks from grateful children.
"We had one little girl who wrote to us and said every time she put her wig on and looked in the mirror, she said a silent, 'Thank you,' to everyone who donated their hair," Stone said.
Local Austin stylist Virginia Lake sends more than 15 ponytails a week to Locks of Love.
"People come in and say, 'I want to send my hair to Locks of Love.' We keep the hair, package it and send it off," Lake said.
Lake offers free haircuts for clients making such donations.
"What really perturbs me is when someone comes in and says, 'Oh, I just cut off 15 inches.' I say, 'What did you do with it?' and they say, 'Oh, I threw it out,'" Lake said.
She initially became involved after a family member died of cancer.
"She was all about raising kids. The hair goes to children. So, this is something I can do to think about her," Lake said.
Now, her salon is known throughout Austin as the place to donate hair.
"I get people I only see every two years 'cause they cut their hair and donate it," Lake said. "Then, I don't see them for a while and then, boom, they're back in the salon ready to cut their hair and send it out again," she stated.
The hair must be at least 10 inches, clean and dry. Clients become nervous cutting off hair that took years to grow.
"Sometimes they get a little emotional, but then I remind them that they're not the ones who should be crying. The person who should be crying is the person who really needs their hair," Lake said.
Other clients are excited and proud of themselves.
"They bring in friends, cameras, pictures. Everyone gets really excited. Like, 'Oh wow! You cut it off!'" Lake said.
Thirteen-year-old Kira Palmore cut and donated her hair at Lake's salon.
"She put it in a ponytail and braided it and cut it off right about the rubber band. Then she put it in a box with a bunch of other braids in plastic bags," Palmore said of Lake.
Palmore wanted to help other children by donating her hair.
"I just thought it was a good idea. I felt bad for them," Palmore said.
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