13 inches of ponytail today! Previously, I've been a big supporter of Locks of Love and promoted their non-profit each time I've donated my hair; however, I wanted to
do some research on hair donation agencies,
since recently I’ve heard a thing or two that made me wonder if Locks of Love was the best recipient. I know many of you have mailed in your daughter's locks, which is why I want to share with you what I discovered in
my research:
1.
Locks of
Love: they are “a public
non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged
children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any
diagnosis.” What this means is that Locks of Love can charge for the hairpieces
they construct from donated hair if the child’s family earns more than X amount
(note, I tried to find out what the family would need to earn annually to
receive the hairpiece for free, but I couldn’t find anything other than LofL
requires a tax return as part of the application process). Details: must have
10” of non-gray, non-damaged hair (note, chemically treated is okay, just so
long as the hair isn’t damaged).
2. Wigs for Kids: this is
a non-profit organization that makes “custom-made Hair Replacements” free of
charge to families of children suffering from hair loss. Details: must have 12”
of non-chemically treated and non-gray hair.
3. Wigs 4 Kids:
basically Wigs for Kids but for the region of Michigan. There are a few other
regionally specific organizations, including Children with Hair Loss (Michigan)
and Angel Hair for Kids (Canada).
4. Pantene
Beautiful Lengths Campaign: their organization accepts
hair donations to create wigs for women fighting cancer. They work with the
American Cancer Society. Details: must have 8” of non-chemically treated hair
that is no more than 5% gray.
Special thanks to Lee Groh at Jolie Salon in Danville for my new hairdo!
