By Stowell P. Watters

Staff writer

Two and a half years ago Silas Phipps-Costin of Kennebunk stopped going to the hairdresser, but while some classmates took his act of salon-absence as a fashion statement, Phipps-Costin said he was doing it for all the right reasons.

“For my Bar Mitzvah I had to do something socially responsible, to show that I am becoming a man. In seventh grade someone suggested I give my hair to Locks of Love, and I thought that was a pretty good idea” Phipps-Costin said. “Some people thought I was crazy.”

At 13 years old, Phipps-Costin said he had been growing his hair out for nearly a year when a classmate made that suggestion. Currently in the eighth grade at the Middle School of the Kennebunks, Phipps-Costin said his long hair had only a few, minor setbacks.

“It took like, 30 minutes to wash and comb. And relatives would always ask me, ‘when are you going to cut your hair?’” he said. “But I never minded it, it didn’t get in the way of my karate classes.”

His mother, Rachel Phipps, watched as her son’s hair grew longer and longer.

“I love long hair, and Silas’ is so thick and beautiful. Short hair is boring,” Phipps said.

Phipps-Costin said Feb. 23 was a banner day for him, as it encompassed his Bar Mitzvah, the cutting of his long hair and a large party at Atlantic Hall in Cape Porpoise – celebrating his ascent into manhood.

As he walked into Nancy George Hair Design in Kennebunk his hair dresser of 10 years, Kim Lemay, said she was shocked by the length of his hair.

“Oh my!” she said.

At Nancy George Hair Design, Lemay said, they are no strangers to the Locks of Love program. Locks of Love, she briefly explained, takes donated lengths of hair for use in wigs which are then given to children of low-income families who have lost their hair due to extenuating medical problems, such as cancer. Lemay said the non-profit organization only takes locks that are 10 inches in length, have never touched the floor and are not chemically treated by dyes or bleach.

Upon washing Phipps-Costin’s hair (10 minutes) and brushing it (another 15 minutes), Lemay began separating  the hair into bunches as thick as broomsticks. She pulled a wet lock back and  measured it from base to tip.

“Wow, Silas, your hair is 16 inches long!” she said, drawing smiles from the family that had gathered and sat in the adjacent, vacant stylist chairs at the salon.

Phipps shared a story with everyone present as Phipps-Costin’s hair was cut about how her son had won a crazy hair day at The Middle School of the Kennebunks when he put it up in a bun like a Samurai.

“Mom, that wasn’t a contest!” Phipps-Costin said, explaining that he didn’t win anything but was told by fellow classmates that his hair “was the craziest.” 

Phipps-Costin’s 7-year-old brother Judah’s eyes widened as his brother was swiveled left and right by Lemay, each snip drawing another “ooh” or “ahh” from the family. Of the 150 relatives that attended Phipps-Costin’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony at the Temple Etz Chaim in Biddeford, some of those traveling the furthest came from Los Angeles. Cousins to Phipps-Costin, Mia and Isaac Reback, both excused themselves from the hair-cutting to grab an ice cream. Upon returning to the site of their short-haired cousin they stopped still in the doorway.

“Oh my God!” Mia Reback exclaimed.

“Party time Silas!” Isaac Reback said.

With astonished reactions aside, the family began taking stock of the newly added benefits. Isaac Reback suggested the new ‘do might warrant Phipps-Costin some extra attention from girls, while Phipps-Costin was just excited to be “able to see [his] own face again.” Phipps said, although she would miss the hair and loved it, she would be relieved by the shorter maintenance time involved in the new cut.

As for the future of Phipps-Costin’s head, he said he is all about the new ‘do.

“Yeah I liked long hair, but, I think I will like it short much better,” he said.

Phipps-Costin, who said he enjoys skiing, reading and writing fiction, said this donation is something he is proud of, but isn’t the end of his altruism. During a Bar Mitzvah, his mother explained, guests shower the birthday boy in gifts. For his 13^th birthday and Bar Mitzvah ceremony Phipps-Costin asked if all guests would donate money to Doctor’s Without Borders, a non-profit organization that awards grants for emergency medical projects that require doctors to visit remote locations and practice medicine upon those who might be displaced from their own country, in a war zone or in extreme poverty.

“He has been doing nice things for other people all his life – he’s actually the nicest guy I know,” Phipps said of her son, smiling, but wincing slightly at the site of his freshly shorn hair.

To contact Stowell P. Watters call 282-4337, or email news@kennebunkpost.com.