For Inglewood Senior Center member Marselina Andrade, it’s been three months since her last haircut.
She usually goes to the salon every six to eight months, where they usually just shorten the ends of her hair. But at El Camino College, cosmetology students gave her a fresh trim.
“I was happy with the way they cut my hair,” Andrade said in Spanish.
Smiles, laughter and the sound of blow dryers filled Room 143 of El Camino College’s Industry Technology Education Center as cosmetology students pampered Inglewood seniors Wednesday, Nov. 13.
“We try to pamper our seniors because they’re in their golden years and they deserve every bit of it,” Derek Ybarra, activities director for Inglewood Senior Center, said.
Cosmetology professor Charlene Brewer-Smith said the event gave younger stylists an opportunity to learn how to style older customers.
“Students need to know how to work on aging skin, aging hair, aging nails,” Brewer-Smith said.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts came along with the seniors and even slipped into a salon chair himself, chatting with students while they demonstrated a pedicure onto him.
Butts shared his excitement to be part of something that lifts up individuals who have struggled.
“It gives them something to look forward to every day,” Butts said. “We take them to different places, last week it was Thanksgiving lunch at the Intuit Dome.”
The Inglewood Senior Center houses seniors aged 50 and older. Members take part in a number of activities, parties, celebrations, classes, trips and more.
“We also offer home-delivered programs. These are for seniors who unable to leave their homes,” Ybarra said.
