A woman walked into a Wisconsin salon and quietly examined every product on display. One of the stylists, Kate Langman, noticed her and struck up a conversation.

Kate soon learned that the woman hadn’t washed her hair in six months. She had been struggling with depression and hadn’t left her home in all that time, letting her hair grow out naturally and become severely matted.

Kate offered to book her an appointment for the very next day—but the woman never showed up.

“My heart broke when I saw her like that,” Kate later told The Huffington Post. Then, nearly a month later, the woman returned—and this time, Kate got to work. Over the course of nine hours, she transformed the woman’s hair. The result was nothing short of remarkable.