My 13 year old daughter, who we call Missy E on social media, announced to me over the weekend that she thinks she would like to cut her hair and donate it. She donated her hair last when she was about 8 years old. She cried once her hair was actually cut. It ended up much shorter than she realized it would be in her mind’s eye.
Over the last five years, she has allowed it to grow back, and it Is now below her waist.
She has been having it trimmed only a couple of times each year. It is thick enough that even at nine years old, she was breaking elastics and barrettes, and could barely hold her pony tail in her hand. Now that we use Lilla Rose hair accessories, her pony tail is sized for a medium flexi clip, and she can use an extra large to contain a bun, although she prefers hair sticks-even a single one works. She is getting tired of the maintenance, however, and the length of time it takes to keep her hair neat each day. She also thinks she’d like to add bangs to her hair style.
Today we’re looking into the organizations that accept hair donations and seeing what the requirements are for each organization before we decide where we will send it when it is cut later next week. My list is not meant to be exhaustive, and information is taken off each website with a link back to that site. If you decide to donate hair, please do your own research into the background of each organization to determine if the organization is where you want your donation to go.
1. Children With Hair Loss
The mission of this 501c3 organization is “Children With Hair Loss is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that provides human hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults facing medically-related hair loss.”
- From the History section of the website on who the organization serves: “Originally, CWHL’s focus was on children fighting cancer, until we found out that there were a lot of other reasons why children lost hair including Alopecia, burns, Trichotillomania and other rare diseases and disorders. To this day, Children With Hair Loss has never charged a child. Currently, we provide a customized human hair replacement and care kit to over 300 children a year!”
- Everything a child receives is FREE, and recipients are eligible to receive a new hair replacement once a year until age 21!
- Some of their requirements for hair donation include: “Hair must be a minimum of 8 inches, Clean, Dry, and in a Ponytail or Braid.”
- Gray hair is accepted, as is chemically treated hair in good condition, however, non-chemically treated hair is preferred.
Children With Hair Loss is a Michigan based organization. Donations can be made to Children With Hair Loss
12776 Dixie Hwy
South Rockwood, MI 48179
734-379-4400
A financial donation for wig assembly is also recommended.
2.Wigs for Kids
The mission of Wigs for Kids is “Wigs for Kids is a cooperative effort among Certified Cosmetic Therapists throughout North America who share a common goal. “Children shouldn’t have to worry about how they look, especially when they’re in the middle of a health crisis,” says Jeffrey Paul. “We want to give these kids the opportunity to feel good about themselves again.””
Who is served:
- Individuals who are 18 years of age or younger
- Experiencing hair loss due to medical reasons including of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, alopecia, trichotillomania, burns and more
- Referred by a medical professional
Directions and qualification for how to make a hair donation:
Directions for hair donation are pretty specific from the website: To donate:
- Make sure hair is a minimum of 12 inches for proper hair donation length. Pull curly hair straight for a more accurate measurement.
- Hair must be clean and dry. Wet hair will mold in shipping and will be thrown away.
- Hair cannot be permed, color-treated, or highlighted. Temporary coloring or highlights that wash out are acceptable but must be completely washed out before cutting. Gray hair is accepted.
- Tie hair into at least four sections (six are even better) around the head for a more generous donation. Hair that is pulled into one ponytail or braid results in a loss of up to four inches of hair. To do so:
- Make a center part
- Starting from this center part, part the hair over the top of each ear. This will create four sections of hair
- To create four ponytails,
~Tie the hair in front of each ear into ponytails, and then tie the hair behind each ear into ponytails.
~Make sure each ponytail or braid is tightly secured. Hair that is loosely wrapped tends to become loose when shipped, making it unusable. PLEASE be sure hair is tight and secured with several rubber bands 2-3 inches apart.
~Cut hair above rubber band
- Wrap ALL ponytails in one (1) piece of tissue paper and seal in a Ziploc bag.
- Mail the hair in a sealed envelope or a small shipping box (special containers or insurance are not necessary)
A financial donation with hair donation is also recommended/requested.
- Wigs for Kids address is in Ohio. It has been serving children for 30+ years.
Wigs for Kids — Hair Donations,
24231 Center Ridge Road,
Westlake, Ohio 44145
3. Wigs 4 Kids:
This is a Michigan based organization, and it has served children in Michigan for 14 years. It is not the same organization as Wigs For Kids. Be sure to research either organization more thoroughly if you have concerns about where you are sending your hair and/or who it will be serving.
Their vision is to “Our vision has lead us to become a leading Wellness Center in Michigan where families of children diagnosed with short-or-long term hair loss can receive help at no charge, while also providing allied health services, educational and professional guidance. Through these efforts, Wigs 4 Kids is committed to improve a child’s quality of life by helping them deal with the appearance-related side effects of treatment.
Who is serviced: “Wigs 4 Kids services children throughout Michigan between the ages of 3 through 18 at no cost to them or their families. The majority of the kids we serve have cancer, although we assist children with other forms of hair loss. “
How to donate:
We accept 10” minimum hair length (from scalp to end), however longer lengths are appreciated. We will also take 7-9 inches to make a boy’s wig or a short wig for a girl.
- Hair needs to be clean, and thoroughly dry. Please bundle hair in a ponytail or braid before having it cut. After securing the hair, have it cut 1 inch ABOVE the rubber band to keep the strands bundled together – this is inclusive of the 10 inches. Once it has been cut please place in a plastic bag such as a Ziploc.
- Layered hair is acceptable and may be divided into multiple ponytails and then cut.
- Hair may not be colored, chemically treated (if unsure, ask your stylist), or more than 10% gray.
- You may pull curly hair straight to measure the minimum 10”.
- Wigs 4 Kids accepts hair from all ages and all countries.
- Hair that was cut years ago or swept off the floor is not usable.
- Wigs 4 Kids does accept new human or synthetic wigs and extensions.
- PLEASE NOTE: Anyone may cut your hair as long as the above guidelines are followed.
- Go Green Salon, located inside Wigs 4 Kids, offers a consultation, haircut & style for a fee to those wishing to donate their hair. 50% of the proceeds from the fee goes back to Wigs 4 Kids. For more information, call 586-772-6656.
- Please complete a hair donation form to send in with your hair to
Wigs 4 Kids, 30126 Harper Avenue, St. Clair Shores, MI 48082. We always appreciate the opportunity to acknowledge our hair donors. The form can be included at the same time you send the hair.
4. Pantene:
- Pantene has partnered with American Cancer Society. It services women battling with cancer.
- Pantene has a minimum for 8 inches of hair donates, 5% GRAY, AND NO use of chemicals, bleaches or dyes may be used on hair.
- You can help either by providing 8 inches of hair or donate $8.
- Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Attn: 192-123
806 SE 18th Ave.
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
5. Locks of Love: 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. Most children have alopecia areata. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge.
Guidelines For Acceptable Donations
- Hair that is colored (Unless bleached first) 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.
- Shorter hair will be separated from the ponytails and gray hair are sold to offset the manufacturing costs.
How to get involved or where to send a hair donation:
Locks of Love, 234 Southern Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701
Have you or a loved one ever donated hair?
If so, where did you donate?
Tell me in the comments!
Blessings this chilly April week!
Deb
