Even a few strands of hair can make a big difference in the Gulf of Mexico, where a massive oil spill has been wreaking havoc since late last month.

That’s the message being touted by DeAnne Guyette, owner of Progressive Hair in Austin, and her staff. The salon has partnered with Matter of Trust, a San Francisco-based non-profit currently collecting hair to make oil-soaking “booms.”

Yes, that means the group is asking for the very stuff many of us comb daily and cut when it gets too long. Pet hair is wanted, too.

Why the longing for the loose locks? Lisa Craig Gautier, executive director of Matter of Trust, said the answer is very straightforward.

“Simply put, we shampoo because hair collects oil,” she said in a press release. “It soaks up skin oils, grabs oil from the pollution in the air, and it can soak up petroleum in oil spills.”

The idea came to the forefront after another major oil spill — the Exxon Valdez in 1989 — had Alabama stylist Phil McCory noticing how hard it was for workers to clean oil from otters’ fur. Thinking that human air would absorb oil in a similar fashion to otter fur, McCory experimented in his backyard with a swimming pool, used motor oil, and old pantyhose stuffed with hair and knotted at the ends. Within two minutes of deploying the makeshift bags of hair, McCory found himself with a pool free of oil.

McCory eventually created a company called OttiMat, and in the last 12 years, it has partnered with Matter of Trust on various fiber recycling programs. However, the concept has really taken off in the weeks since the massive spill started — so far, the non-profit has gathered more than 400,000 pounds of hair from around the country for use in the Gulf region.

In Austin, Guyette is doing her part to try to make that number even bigger. Guyette first caught word of the project from her sister-in-law, Teran Aberg, who saw a story about Matter of Trust on a morning news program. Aberg, who also works at Progressive Hair as a receptionist and bookkeeper, said she knew instantly that her company could — and should — get involved.

“I got on the phone right away and called DeAnne,” Aberg said. “(Hair) is just getting thrown away, so you might as well use it.”

Guyette agreed, and the salon started collecting strands of hair in bins marked, “SAVE — Oil Spill Project,” last week. With only a few days of hair collection under their belts, Progressive stylists have gathered just a few bags so far. But they hope to collect a lot more — Guyette has reached out to other salons in town, and she said they’ve been very receptive. Overall, they are aiming to collect 100 pounds of hair by next Monday, which is when Matter of Trust wants the much-needed resource to be shipped.

And Guyette isn’t stopping at just hair — because the “booms” are made by stuffing hair into pantyhose, she is also asking her customers to bring in clean stockings to ship to the Gulf region.

So far, the owner said customers have liked the idea, but she said she hasn’t noticed a huge influx of people coming into the shop specifically wanting to trim their hair for a cause. That, Guyette hopes, will change as more and more Austin residents become aware of what she and Matter of Trust are doing.

“If we sit around, nothing is going to get done … We’re cutting hair (and) it’s going on the floor. Why not put it to use?” Guyette said. “That’s what Americans are all about.”

How hair can help in the Gulf

For more about Matter of Trust, and how to get involved with hair-donation efforts, visit www.matteroftrust.org or call (415) 242-6041

Progressive Hair in Austin is online at www.progressive-hair.com. You can also call the salon at (507) 437-1471