I Cut My Hair!!! And Donated it to Charity.

So finally, after two and a half years, I cut my hair. And WOW it feels so good to have short hair again! It no longer gets in the way when I sleep. I don’t have to spend so much time brushing out the knots. And, I can now wash my hair with only a tiny amount of shampoo and it dries almost instantly.

If I don’t like having long hair why did I grow it out? Well, a few years ago my mother received a couple of wigs to cover her hair loss from chemotherapy. I decided then that I would grow out my hair and donate it to an organization that supplies wigs for people with hair loss due to cancer or other medically diagnosed hair loss. 

For the last couple of years the most i’ve done is have the ends trimmed. This helps the hair grow faster by eliminating split ends. And last week I walked into Gari’s barber shop in Budapest and asked him to help me cut off my hair.

I was a bit nervous about finding a barber to do the job. I’ve had experiences in the past where the language barrier was great enough that the barber really didn’t understand my instructions. Even though they were nodding that they did. But when I talked to Gari he assured me he knew what I wanted to do and it was no problem. So I made an appointment for the next day.

Finding an Organization

I have no idea about the hair donation services available where I could donate. So I took to Google to sort things out. There are a few helpful YouTube videos also available.

If you are thinking of donating your hair i’ve compiled a list of the main organizations I found in my search. I’ve put a list below. Please note that neither “Pantene Beautiful Lenghts” nor the “Child Leukemia Foundation” accept hair donations. However they, like all the organizations, do accept financial contributions in case you want to help but have no surplus hair at the moment.

1. Locks of Love
2. Wigs for Kids
3. Hair We Share
4. Children With Hair Loss
5. Pantene Beautiful Lengths
6. Child Leukemia Foundation

I’ve also put together a quick PDF document that does a comparison of the four remaining places that do accept hair donations. I got the information from each of their websites and the PDF also contains links to their sites.

And my final decision based on my length of hair and all other variables considered is Locks Of Love!

Before you freak out please go read the Snopes article on Locks of  Love. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors that Locks of Love Sells wigs at outrageous prices. Do your own research and don’t believe the meme’s on social media.

If you are looking into donating your hair do your own research on which charity fits your situation and priorities. Every one of them has slightly different requirements and help different groups.

Here Are The Basics

Do:

• Trim your hair. Get rid of split ends.
• Wash and dry before donating. Do not use any products afterwards.
• Use rubber bands and secure into a ponytail and place removed hair in a zip lock bag.
• Follow all instructions for your chosen charity CAREFULLY!

Dont:

• Assume they accept grey, bleached, or permed hair. Follow all requirements for your chosen charity.
• Mix your hair with other people’s donations. Mixed hair can not be used.

Good luck with your hair donation experience. Make the most of it and encourage others to do the same.