Hair to Spare?

I am one of those people who has been blessed with the fortune of having thick, fast growing hair. It's also red, but we can't win them all. All of that, coupled with the fact that I don't dye or chemically treat it in any way makes me the perfect candidate for hair donation. And honestly, why not donate? It's not like I'm going to do anything with that old hair anyway.

I started donating as part of a new year's resolution to do 15 random acts of kindness for every month of 2015. I failed miserably, tapering off somewhere around April or May, but all of the acts and donations that I did complete can't be undone by my failure. I still did a good 60-75 things that have (hopefully) improved the lives of others, if even a little.

So what am I saying here? I'm saying donate your hair! It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it will mean the world to someone who doesn't have the fortune of growing their own, for whatever reason. Below I have compiled a list of various organizations where you can donate, as well as their length and hair quality requirements, so that the donation process will be as easy as possible for you.

It's so simple.

Enjoy. :)

The following rules apply to any hair donation

• Hair must be clean and dry
• Donated hair needs to be pony-tailed and/or braided (this keeps the hair in one direction)
• Hair must be stored in a Ziploc bag inside of the envelope you intend to mail it in.

Additionally, some organizations have a donation form they require you to fill out and send in with your hair. These are usually just so they can send you a certificate to say thank you.

Angel Hair for Kids

Angel Hair for Kids™ is a program of A Child’s Voice Foundation™ that provides wigs and hair loss solutions to financially disadvantaged children in Canada who have lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment. Using hair that is generously donated to the program, the foundation can create wigs and hair systems and provide them at no cost to the child’s family.

http://www.acvf.ca/index.php/our-programs/angel-hair-for-kids/

A Child’s Voice Foundation, C/O Angel Hair For Kids
3034 Palstan Road
Suite 301 Mississauga, Ontario
L4Y 2Z6

Donation requirements:

• 12 inch minimum
• No permed, bleached, dyed, or treated hair
• No dredlocks
• Slightly gray hair is acceptable
• Print off and fill out the hair donation form

Also, the cool thing about AHFK is that if you're in the area (again, it's in Canada), you can call ahead to the National Office (905.275.3434) and schedule a time to drop off your donation in person.

Hair donation drop-off hours include: Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m; Tuesday and Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  The National Office is closed on weekends.

Childhood Leukemia Foundation

Childhood Leukemia Foundation is a national non-profit organization that works closely with health professionals, to empower children and their families by providing the necessary tools to encourage hope. Supported by an ever-growing network of passionate and devoted donors and volunteers, Childhood Leukemia Foundation helps ease the day-to-day struggles of children fighting cancer and the families that love them.

https://www.clf4kids.org/

807 Mantoloking Road
Brick, New Jersey 08723

Donation requirements:

• 10 inch minimum
• No colored or chemically damaged hair
• Fill out the donation form

Children With Hair Loss

Children With Hair Loss was created as a resource for ALL CHILDREN who have medically-related hair loss. It is their mission to empower these children to become whole again by making hair replacement available to those who may be financially challenged and might otherwise not have a means of obtaining the hair they want and need. Their goal is to assist as many of these children as possible in changing their lives by improving their outlook and empowering them with a degree of self-confidence that will allow them to face the world with renewed self-esteem.

http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/

Children With Hair Loss
12776 S. Dixie Hwy
S. Rockwood, MI 48179



Donation requirements:

• 8 inch minimum
• Non-chemically treated hair is preferred, but any hair in good condition will be accepted
• Gray hair is also accepted
• Print and fill out the hair donation form

Locks of Love

Locks of Love is 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.



http://www.locksoflove.org/

Locks of Love
234 Southern Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701



Donation requirements:

• 10 inch minimum
• Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer measures at least 10 inches
• Colored and permed hair is ok
• No dredlocks or bleached hair

Note: Per the LOL website "Shorter hair [as well as] gray hair will be separated from the ponytails and sold to offset the manufacturing costs."


In 2014 my daughter and I both donated 10 inches to Locks of Love before I came across this article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/05/13/locks-of-love-6-million-of-hair-donations-unaccounted-for-each-year/#367f04277ef4


Take from that what you will, I just wanted to put it out there, along with this Snopes article:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/locksoflove.asp


Again, take from that what you will. I am neither endorsing, nor discouraging against, Locks of Love. As stated, I myself have donated to them, though that was before I knew what I know now. Would I donate to them again? I don't know. Right now there are too many other organizations that I'd like to help. :)

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Beautiful Lengths is a partnership between Pantene® and the American Cancer Society®, the largest nonprofit health organization committed to saving lives from every cancer and improving the quality of life for people facing the disease. The role of Pantene is to help women achieve long, strong,* beautiful hair and provide the funds to turn this hair into free, real-hair wigs for women with cancer.

http://gotobeautifullengths.com/

Donation requirements:

• 8 inch minimum
• No dyes, bleaches, or chemicals (vegitable and semi-permanent dyes are allowed)
• No more than 5% gray

Beautiful Lengths does not require you to fill out a form, but you should include your name and address with your donation if you would like to be notified when it is received.

Wigs For Kids

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." Wigs for Kids depends on monetary and hair donations from generous individuals. The process for creating wigs made from real hair is costly and time consuming. Wigs for Kids never charges the families that are receiving these custom Hair Replacement Systems.

http://www.wigsforkids.org/

Wigs for Kids - Hair Donation
24231 Center Ridge Road
Westlake, Ohio 44145

Donation requirements:

• 12 inch minimum
• Hair cannot be chemically treated or colored
• No dredlocks

Wigs for kids requires that you fill out an online form, located here:

https://ol230.infusionsoft.com/app/form/hair-donation

Once you have finished you will be given an ID number that can be used for tracking your donation. WFK also uses the information provided to send you a thank you note upon recieving your donated hair.

Wigs 4 Kids (of Michigan)

Wigs 4 Kids Wellness Center and Salon is a 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. Wig recipients, also known as Ambassadors, range in age from 3 to 18, and are located throughout Michigan.

http://www.wigs4kids.org/

30126 Harper Avenue

Saint Clair Shores, MI 48082

Donation requirements:

• 10 inch minimum
• No colored or chemically treated hair
• No more than 10% gray
• Print and fill out the donation form

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.