ALTAMONTE SPRINGS – Lunatic Fringe, the upscale salon at the Uptown Altamonte mall, is known for their “Fringe Trims,” hair coloring, facial waxing and more.

Now the salon has also devoted one day to giving something back to the community – in particular, to the parents of children who are undergoing a painfully difficult and challenging time.

On Nov. 21, the staff from Lunatic Fringe – nine stylists altogether — were at the Ronald McDonald House at Alden Road in Orlando. Their aim: to provide a service to the parents of these seriously ill or injured children.

“We’re going to give haircuts to the families of the children there, to the moms and dads,” said Jennifer Flores, manager of Lunatic Fringe. “This is a free service.”

 The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities is to create and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. As the charitable organization’s Web site notes, it would be much harder to promote their central mission — focusing on the critical needs of children – without the help of the “staff, volunteers and donors who make them possible.”

That includes volunteers like the staff at Lunatic Fringe, who were at the local Ronald McDonald House to lend their skills with scissors, clippers and other hair styling tools to the parents of the children staying there.

“We just wanted to give something back,” Flores said. “We’re a salon that likes to give back to the community. That’s something in our culture, the Lunatic Fringe culture.”

Lunatic Fringe first opened its doors in 1999 by husband and wife team Shawn Trujillo and Angie Katsanevas in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were successful enough to expand to three local salons, a school and a beauty supply store, and eventually to new salons in Central Florida and Boise, Idaho. The Altamonte Springs salon opened in March 2009.

Part of their mission, Flores said, is to be players and contributors in their local community.

“Paul Mitchell has the kind of culture where we give something back, where we’re friendly people,” she said. “We’re all about opportunity. A lot of salons do stuff like this, and in the Paul Mitchell culture, they always do this.”

That includes the Altamonte Springs salon, which has already been involved in the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals.

“It was one of the biggest charity events here in Florida,” Flores said of the event that took place two years ago. “It was a big

experience. We got to touch people’s lives. We see these kids going through tough times, and it’s very hard. But we’re here to give them support and make them happy.”

That also extends to touching the lives of the parents of those children.

“We’re basically there giving them our time, and helping them out,” Flores said.

Flores also credited her staff,  a group that the salon culture often refers to as “artists” –who, Flores added, are happy to be on this mission.

“We’re a team,” she said. “We’re not a staff, we’re a team. We work together as a team. We’re constantly getting educated. We treat each other as a family, and when people come here, they feel that.”

Lunatic Fringe offers Paul Mitchell products in addition to scissor work, stylist work, coloring, and textures that include perms and straightening, make up, brows, and eyelash extensions. Flores said her staff has cultivated a loyal customer base because they go the extra mile for their guests.

“We have great customer service,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons we have the guests that we do. It’s all about the guest experience here. We give them everything we have.”

New to Lunatic Fringe this holiday season: Awapuhi, imported to the Altamonte Springs salon from the Paul Mitchell Systems Awapuhi Farm.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger is a Keratin Intensive Treatment concentrated protein blend, designed to provide strong, healthy hair. Paul Mitchell Systems notes that it’s ideal for hair that is naturally dry and brittle, sun-damaged, and lightened or chemically treated. It’s created from the fragrant juice of the Awapuhi ginger plant, which Hawaiian natives have used for centuries to moisturize skin and hair. Each plant is harvested and processed by hand to preserve its special hydrating properties.

Lunatic Fringe Salon is at Uptown Altamonte, 293 E. Altamonte Drive. To learn more, call 407-862-HAIR (4247) or log on to www.lunaticfringesalon.com.

Contact us at FreelineOrlando@Gmail.com.