Cactus Salon Makeovers Make Up for Lack of Services for Military Women

Stacey Alvarez of Ronkonkoma is on active duty as part of a Black Hawk unit with the Army National Guard, and has been deployed twice in Iraq. She says it's really tough to be a women in such a male-dominated area.

The military has rules dictating what women can't do appearance-wise, such as having highlights in their hair or wearing nail polish. That's why Alvarez spent Monday morning getting a free makeover at  in Stony Brook as part of a year-old program from not-for-profit Shining Service Worldwide that recognizes the need for more support services for military women.

She was granted a pass day – meaning she didn't have to spend one of her vacation days – to attend the makeover event.

"I definitely haven't done anything for myself in a long time. There's a lot of times when you just want to be in a salon and get your hair done," said Alvarez, also a new mother who gave birth to her son 10 months ago. "They have a lot of things for men. This is the first time I've heard of anything for women."

Her experience is not unique. According to Frank Amalfitano, executive director of the Bay Shore-based nonprofit United Veterans Beacon House, there has been a definite lack of services for military women, including active servicewomen, veterans, and military parents and spouses, when compared to men in the same position.

"I can attest to that for the last 15 years. Now they're addressing women's issues more intensively than in the past," said Amalfitano, whose organization has multiple homes on Long Island for homeless veterans, including one dedicated to female veterans.

Linda Franklin, founder of Shining Service Worldwide, said the makeovers "do a lot more than you realize" for women who often put other priorities ahead of their own well-being.

Franklin runs a blog about female empowerment and is the author of the book Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am: The Real Cougar Woman. About a year ago, she began getting feedback from women serving in Afghanistan who were reading her blog.

"After talking for a year to veterans, spouses, moms, we found out a lot about what's falling through the cracks and how we can help them," said Franklin, who began selling black-and-silver beaded bracelets to support the cause. She said she hopes to grow the makeover program into a nationwide network of salons who regularly offer these services to military women.

Tara Cupid of Dix Hills has spent the last six years as an engineer in the Army Reserves, including a year spent deployed to Iraq. But on Monday morning, Cupid spent a few hours at the salon getting a makeover.

"It's really nice to get this kind of treatment," said Cupid, who got her hair done and enjoyed a shellac manicure from Cactus Salon beauticians who volunteered their time to support the cause.

Cupid said she hasn't spent a day at a salon like this since she returned from Iraq in 2008. "That's really the last time I treated myself to something like this," she said.

The makeover program is part of a larger effort to mentor military women, "The Power of 10," to help them get re-integrated into society.

"When you see their smiles at the end, it's wonderful," Franklin said. "It's an event of the heart."