So... You Want to Donate Your Hair?

Well, first of all congratulations! Donating your hair is really like being Santa. You get to bring joy into someone's life who is going through something dreadful. And, really, who doesn't want that?

I've done a bit of research on some of the companies that take donated hair. Many of you will just automatically say, "Locks of Love." Did you even know that there are other companies out there? Check 'em out below.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths is one of the more well-known organizations. They say, 

"Beautiful Lengths is a partnership between Pantene and the American

Cancer Society that gives gorgeous, real-hair wigs free of charge to women

fighting cancer. Demand for real-hair wigs is high, and we need your help to reach

even more women. To us, it's hair, but to a woman with cancer, it's hope."

Some things to know:

• Requirements: The hair must be at least 8" when straight. No permanent color, bleach, or chemical treatments (Like the Japanese straightener). No more than 5% gray. 
• Pantene Beautiful Lengths makes wings mainly for woman with cancer.
• Wigs are free.

Locks of Love is probably the most well known donation company. They say, 

"Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers."

Some things to know:

• Requirements: They take up a full page to explain them, which you can see here. 
• They donate wigs to children under 21 suffering from long term hair loss. 
• Not all their wigs are free.
• There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the organization. You can read about some of it here. 

Wigs for Kids is another non-profit organization that takes hair donations. They say,

"When Children lose their hair, whether as a result of medical treatments, health conditions, or burn accidents, they don't just suffer physically. The change in their appearance can drastically undermine their self-image and sabotage their self-esteem. To combat this additional trauma, Certified Cosmetic TherapistTM Jeffrey Paul founded Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1981."

Some things to know:

• Requirements: Another whole list of them. See them here.
• As the name suggests, they make wigs for kids.
• As far as I can tell, the wigs are free.

You can do a Google search that will turn up a hundred other organizations. There are even location based ones. So you can donate to people who live in your area.

Next time you're donating you hair, or you are thinking about donating, search the web and find out what organization is right for you. It's a brave thing you're doing, so make sure you feel good about doing it!