Pandemic Hair, Please Share
It started out with a story on the evening news in 2001. At the time, I was an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I learned that a local veterinarian had passed from an unfortunate accident and her last wish? To donate her hair to Locks of Love.
“You can donate your hair?!?” I had to learn more about this…
Fast forward a few years… In 2019, I mailed off my fifth hair donation. I calculated that I have donated OVER 5 feet of hair, approximately 152,4 centimeters in the past 18 years. Because I have friends that ask me each month about donating their hair, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to this with information and direct links to make this process a bit easier. And perhaps there are others out there with longer hair due to the pandemic and maybe this can be an option for them as well.
Before donating hair, please double check the requirements on hair donation AND shipping. Each organization has specific requirements so that they are able to use every strand of hair.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Hair must be completely dry and clean — the healthier the better.
Hair should be secured and cut into several ponytails. If it is already cut into one large ponytail, many organizations will still accept it. Smaller ponytails ensure that they can use more of the donation. Some organizations want ponytails or braids. Some do not want braids - so please double check.
Every organization has a different length requirement. Although there might be a minimum of 8”-12”, longer hair donations are the most requested.
Please cut hair 1” above the band. One inch above the band is also included in the donation. Also secure hair with a band at the bottom of the donation. Please secure all ponytails with another band (or ribbon).
Curly/wavy hair should be kept in its natural pattern and not blown straight. Pull curly hair straight for a more accurate measurement.
Please check guidelines for colored/dyed/gray hair. Some organizations will accept it and some want hair that is kept in its more natural form.
Donation form: Most organizations will ask that you print out a form so that they can thank you with an email or a certificate for your generosity.
Shipping: Place donation in a plastic ziplock bag. Large padded envelopes are ideal as they help secure the hair from getting damaged.
Salons: There are some salons out there that offer free haircuts for those donating their hair and some will even offer to mail your donation for you. Personally, I like getting the email PDF (or paper) certificate so I mail it myself.
Here are the organizations that have received hair from Laura Poe:
Locks of Love:
Their mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children free of charge. I have donated twice to this organization before I learned about some questionable business matters. Hair donations must be a minimum of 10”/25 cm. They do accept hair that is colored/permed. More information specific to donating to Lock of Love can be found here. Link to their donation form can be found here.
Pantene: Beautiful Lengths
Good news! They are no longer accepting hair donations. “Through the passion and generosity of donors all over the US and Canada, we are pleased to share that we are able and committed to meet the future real-hair wig needs of the American and Canadian Cancer Societies for the next four years.” So perhaps they will reopen their campaign in 2022-2023.
In memory of my friend, Jennifer S. Greene.
May 28, 1979 - July 25, 2014
Wigs for Kids
Wigs for Kids is non-profit hair donation organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1981. “Children shouldn’t have to worry about how they look, especially when they’re in the middle of a health crisis. We want to give these kids the opportunity to feel good about themselves again.” While they accept hair donations of 12 inches or longer, they encourage you to donate 14+ inches of hair; the more length you can donate, the more of an impact you will make. Requirements: Hair cannot be permed, color-treated, or highlighted. Gray hair accepted. Tie hair into at least four sections (six are even better) around the head. PLEASE be sure hair is tight and secured with several rubber bands 2-3 inches apart.
Little Princess Trust
Based in Hereford, England, the Little Princess Trust is an organization that provides free real hair wigs to children and young people, up to 24 years, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. The minimum length of hair that they accept is 7”/17cm. However, they do currently have sufficient stock of hair measuring between 7 - 11 inches, and that is why they encourage their supporters to donate hair that measures 12 inches and above. Their greatest demand is for hair donations of 16-inches or longer. They will accept straight, wavy or chemically straightened hair (if the dye is a natural color and the hair is in good condition).
For more specific information about donating to the Little Princess Trust, click here.
Here are some other organizations that might be of interest:
CWHL: Children With Hair Loss
Children With Hair Loss (Rockwood, Michigan) 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. Children With Hair Loss greatly appreciates all hair donations that are a minimum of 8 inches however, they have many requests from recipients for long hair replacements that require donations of 10 inches or longer. If you can grow your hair a bit more before donating, it will help them most in their mission, "Covering Young Heads to Heal Young Hearts!" For more information, click here. Generally, non-chemically treated hair is preferred (but any hair in good condition will be accepted). Gray hair also accepted.
Matter of Trust - Eco-Enthusiasts for Renewable Resources
This San Francisco based organization is looking for ponytail donations of 3” or more to make “hair mats.” These mats are used to soak up waste from major oil spills and help keep storm drains and waterways clean. Due to the sheer volume of donations from the thousands of generous donors, they have to manage the volume and direct materials to the closest recipients. If you are interested in donating, please sign up for their Free Exchange on Hum Sum (Humanity Adding Solutions platform) and post your gift of hair under Clean Wave – Hair & Fur. It’s free, fast and easy.
Hair We Share
This Long Island, New York family owned custom wig design business. They work with all kinds of hair loss, including chemotherapy, alopecia, head trauma, accident and burn victims. They provide customized, human hair wigs free of charge to anyone whose financial means doesn’t allow them to purchase one. Because of COVID-19, this organization has lost major funding in 2020. They are currently accepting donations of 8” for a special ponytail tracking fundraising program. More information here. HAIR THEY DO ACCEPT: They accept ponytails a minimum of 12”/30 cm. Hair cannot be highlighted or bleached but can be dyed (natural colors only). Gray hair okay. HAIR THEY DO NOT ACCEPT: Hair that has been treated with bleach – or lightened. Hair that is not a natural color. Hair that is not dry. Hair that is not packaged in a sealed plastic bag. For more specific guidelines on hair donation, click here.
Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids
Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids Wellness Center and Salon is a local grassroots non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides wigs and support services at no charge to children and young adults experiencing hair loss due to cancer, alopecia, trichotillomania, burns and other disorders. Their wig recipients range in age from 3 to 18, and are located throughout Michigan. They request a 10” minimum hair length although they accept hair as short as 7 inches to make a boy's wig or a short wig for a girl (from top of ponytail to end). Please no colored or chemically treated hair. Hair should not be more than 10% gray. More information on hair donation can be found here.
I read somewhere that it takes 6-10 hair donations to make ONE full wig (and the video above says 20-30!!) — so I plan to donate my hair as long as I can. Because of these specific requirements, I try to keep my hair as healthy as possible (air dry!) and have never dyed it. Fun fact: all of my hair donations were cut in different cities - Greensboro, New York City, Frankfurt, San Francisco and Düsseldorf.
If you cannot make a hair donation but still want to help, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society. All the organizations listed in this post also accept monetary donations, as creating wigs from real hair is costly and extremely time-consuming.
Happy Hair Donating!