COEUR d’ALENE — A flowing mane of deep copper tresses tumbled onto the black cape wrapped around 8-year-old Ricky Schuerger.

One by one, his stylist, Tasheena Abeyta, collected the fiery red hair into locks that would soon bring joy to someone in the world through Hair We Share, a nonprofit that creates wigs for people affected by medical hair loss.

"It feels really weird," Ricky said Friday afternoon, sitting in Voiage Salon as Abeyta pinned up portions of his hair.

The Borah Elementary School third-grader has been growing out his lovely locks since September 2019. He was inspired to donate his hair after watching an episode of "Adventure Time with Finn and Jake."

"There was this witch lady who had no hair and she was sad about it," he said.

He had the idea that he wanted to help people who also were sad about not having hair.

"I asked my mom about it," he said. "I'll feel good about giving someone my hair. I'd be helping someone, and I like helping people."

Ricky's hair is a special shade of red that skipped multiple generations and came as a surprise when he was born.

"Both parents have to be carriers of the redheaded gene," said Ricky's mom, Laura Cogburn. "We didn't realize there was red."

She said her side of the family is from Spain, so his copper top was not from Irish or Scottish ancestry.

"He came out with red hair and we were just like, 'What!?'" Cogburn said. "Because it's a Spanish red; he doesn't have freckles, but he tans. That coloring and the thickness is from Spain, the northern Spanish Basque region."

Even after being mistaken for a girl and politely correcting people, Ricky said he would do it again.

"He gets a little sassy about it and says, 'Actually, I'm a boy,'" Cogburn said.

She said if they could share a message with the recipients, it would be this: "Get ready for compliments."

"Since the day he was born, people are mystified by that coloring," she said. "Be ready to look good!"

After all was said and done, about 13 inches of hair was collected for donation.

Ricky said the back of his head now "feels like a hedgehog that doesn’t hurt."

"It's not something I brought up. I said, 'Whenever you're tired of it we can cut it,' but he was always adamant about it," Cogburn said. "He always knew what he wanted and I feel when he was born, I knew this was the kind of kid I was going to have. He just really stuck to his goal.

"I am so proud," she continued. "To be 8 years old and have that capacity to give that's natural is amazing. It speaks volumes of his character."