HOUSTON – Sometimes hairdressers are therapists, sometimes they're magicians; Missouri City stylist Christal Mercier said she is a little bit of both.
"I have a gift from God, and I just like to share it," Mercier said.
Mercier has been doing hair for 30 years, specializing in non-surgical hair loss replacement systems.
She realized her talents could be used for a noble cause when her sister lost her hair after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"This is the devastation of her hair loss. She never let anybody see," Mercier said, as she waved at a framed poster of her sister -- a collage of modeling headshots on one side and close-ups of her sister with balding, patchy hair to the right.
She said the hair loss made her normally outgoing, vivacious sister more withdrawn and embarrassed. But when she put a wig on her sister, Mercier said she saw her sister regain her confidence in an instant.
She knew she could do the same to help others, too.
So she began her own nonprofit "Hair Dreams by Christal," dedicated to helping people struggling to afford hair replacement by doing their hair free of charge in a private setting, free of embarrassment or shame.
Nine-year-old Kaila Ray's parents saw Christal's work on television and knew she could help their daughter. Kaila suffered from alopecia, which left large bald patches on her scalp.
Mercier crafted a custom wig for Kaila, and a once-shy and troubled girl lit up instantly.
"Christal put a wig on her and she saw how she looked and the first thing she did was she flipped her hair, and a big smile came across her face and I was like 'wow, this is the Kaila I really wanted to see,'" said Louis Ray, Kaila's father.