SLIDELL -- World famous hairdresser Vidal Sassoon left the glamour of the beauty industry behind this morning to help volunteers at a Habitat for Humanity construction site in the south Louisiana community of Slidell.

Slidell, a city about 30 miles north of New Orleans, was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina's winds and floodwater that swamped the area from nearby Lake Pontchartrain. Many residents couldn't return home for months.

Monday's visit marked the second time in about eight months Sassoon has visited St. Tammany Parish. In November, he helped Habitat build homes for storm victims in Lacombe, a community a few miles west of Slidell.

Both visits were part of Sassoon's work with Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, an international fundraising effort by beauty professionals that has generated almost $2 million for the East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)