Hair donation again - 10 inches lighter

-



It was time again: hair long enough to get a 10 inch cut again! I found out hair can be donated back in 2012 when I was living in Lawrence, Kansas during my postdoc. We were driving back home with friends from the Kansas University Swim Club after a swim meet in Missouri and the topic came up in the car: two of my teammates were waiting for their hair to grow long enough to donate them again. What?! I didn't know you could donate hair! My hair grows quite fast and in the past I have already done 2 major 'cuts' from very long to short, I could have donated instead of it all going to waste!

Wigs are expensive and organizations use donated hair to make wigs for children suffering from hairloss due to various illnesses but who's families cannot afford to buy one. So since my hair grows fast and I like to cut it every so often anyways, might as well donate it each time. Apparently 6 to 10 hair donations are needed to be able to make only one wig. This time was my 5th time donating my hair, I'm so lucky that it grows so fast so I'm just going to keep doing that as long as it does!

How to cut your hair for a donation?
  1. Call your usual hair salon before showing up and ask if they can help you doing your donation, bring a big pair scissors (to not damage theirs) and a long ruler. Technically you can also do it at home but I've done it 4 times in France at my usual hair salon, each time with a new hair stylist who had never done it before and each time they were happy to learn to do it as I explained to them how. The very first time I did it in Kansas at a salon who had lots of experience so that helped to get me started. 
  2. Wash your hair really well and remove all knots
  3. Make 4 ponytails with rubberbands  - 2 rubberbands per ponytail is easiest - make the ponytails higher on your head if you want your hair layered afterwards. Only 2 ponytails may be sufficient if you have thin hair.
  4. Measure 10 inches from the tip of the ponytail to where you will cut
  5. Cut the pony tail above the rubberband so the ponytail stays nicely tight (loose hair is not usable)
  6. Let the hair dry really well during a few days (otherwise it molds really fast and is unusable)
  7. Once really dry, pack in a paper towel and ziplock bag and ship in a regular enveloppe to the organization of your choice :-)


I've been sending my hair donations to Locks of Love for these 5 times, but I recently heard that they may not be the best place to donate anymore because of tracability reasons, would need to check again. Wigs for Kids seem like a great place to donate, but the minimum length is 12 inches/30,5cm! That's just too long for me.

Fake Hair Don't Care in France seems to be a really great place to send your hair donation in France and the minimum is only 10 cm! that's really not much at all compared to 25cm! Best to have good condition hair so that they can actually use it for a wig otherwise it gets wasted. I will definitely send to them next time.


It is always a bit stressful when they actually cut, but it usually turns out not as short as I thought!

September 2018
November 2016

March 2015

First time March 2013

Does this article make you want to donate your hair if it is ever long enough?
Or have you already donated it once? to which organization?


 Guidelines For Acceptable Donations - FAQ - HAIR DONATIONS - Locks of Love website
• Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
• Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable. If unsure, ask your stylist. We are not able to accept bleached hair due to a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing process. **If the hair was bleached years ago and has completely grown out it is fine to donate.
• Hair that is swept off of the floor is not usable because it is not bundled in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable. If shaving your head, first divide hair into multiple ponytails to cut off.
• We cannot accept dreadlocks. Our manufacturer is not able to use them in our children’s hairpieces.
• We also cannot accept wigs, falls, hair extensions or synthetic hair.
• Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches.
• Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails.
• Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.
• 10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.

 Anyone can donate as long as the guidelines listed below are followed. We encourage all of our donors to go to a salon they are already familiar with to ensure their comfort when donating.
Labels:
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Please add your name to your comment :-)

Popular posts from this blog

Fridays for Future in Valparaíso

-
Image
I arrived at Carolina's place in Pio Pio on Thursday evening, and the next day we went together to Valparaiso, one-hour bus ride away, to walk around the city and also to see the Friday's for Future march for Climate action. Here in Chile, climate change is really affecting the country, along with several other deeper issues of access to water and agriculture being reserved for export, mainly avocados here in the area. In many places, the ground water level has gone down so much due to the cultivation of immense spaces for avocados that water for the local inhabitants needs to be supplied by truck. in many places, the rivers are privately owned so the local population also does not have access to sufficient water. I loved seeing the creative signs and smart slogans in the march. It was also really emotional for me to see so much drive and passion to protect the environment by so many people, especially groups of teenagers and families with children. One of the groups were a
Read more

Hall of mirrors and baby twins

-
Image
It's cousin time again. Let's hit the museum and that cool mirror piece in the 'Light' exhibit. Laura lives in Denver and works at the Denver Art Museum, she takes care of the art pieces for their conservation, cleans them and stores them in very special ways to best preserve them and gets to see everything behind the scenes. Earlier this year was the big Monet exhibit and she was dusting the Monet paintings everyday! So on her day off, she super kindly offered to take me for a tour in the museum. So of course we went to the hall of mirrors,  “Corridor #2” by Lucas Samaras, 1970. It is an impressive walk through the mirror gallery with the light and reflection effects, a surreal space. It is also  selfie- and picture-heaven so I end up wanting to go through more than once. The one rule is to NOT touch the mirrors! The whole rest of the exhibit is actually fascinating, especially the way the curator and artistic team have presented the art pieces and placed them i
Read more

Christmas in Valle Azul at Matilde's

-
Image
Spending Christmas so far away from home and family, I was looking forward to arriving at Matilde's house. She and her family seemed to be a very warm and welcoming from their Workaway profile so it was the place I wanted to be for Christmas, especially because they are engaged in environmental and social projects and she said they don't do anything commercial with gifts but simply spend time together and cook food, perfect. They truly were welcoming and warm, I was really happy to be there. I spend 4 really sweet and fun days with Matilde, her daughter Nissa (19) and family friend Raquel with her children (although at their grandparents for the vacation time). The time with them was very chill, relaxed and fun. There wasn't much work for me to do because I stayed so little time and it was mostly raining the whole time, so not possible to work in the garden. 'What do you do when it rains here?' 'well, just as we are doing now, we have nice conversations, we c
Read more