How to Donate Hair for a Child in Need

Want to know how to donate hair for a child in need? Here is our story of hair donation.

My daughter Z cut her long hair off to a bob because she wanted to donate hair to Locks of Love. Sweet Z, my first born was bald at birth (that didn’t stop this mom from adorning her with bows). For the last 10 years, she has had MAYBE 7 hair cuts, each a trim – nothing drastic…. that was until a few weeks ago. She always said she wanted to donate her hair when it was long enough to cut. After years of growing, it was most definitely long enough!

The hair stylist at Sweet and Sassy was super helpful and encouraging.  The first thing Sweet and Sassy does is a lice check. I guess with the amount of girls going in, it’s better safe than sorry. Thankfully, no lice – how embarrassing would that of been!

Next is the hair wash.

The stylist then had the fun job of detangling Z’s hair.  She used a Knot Genie detangling brush to detangle her hair. If she hadn’t cut her hair all off, we totally would of bought one of these detangling brushes. Z sat there for 15 minutes and didn’t cry to complain about her hair being pulled.

Now was the moment of truth. Would Z be able to stand her hair being cut? No turning back at this point. The stylist next braided her hair and then snip snip…Of course I had to Vine it.

11 inches of hair cut in a matter of seconds. Those 11 inches will go to make a wig or hair piece through hair donation.

It’s taken 2 weeks for the hair to dry (which is a requirement of Locks of Love, the organization we decided to donate through – read more below on hair donation requirements.) We’ve filled out the form and will be dropping Z’s braid in the mail to be made into a hair piece for a disadvantaged child.

There are numerous hair donation organizations to donate to. We chose Locks of Love to donate Z’s hair.

Who is Locks of Love?

Meet the Locks of Love non-profit organization.

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. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

Mission Statement

Our 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. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.

How to Donate Hair to Locks of Love

Donating hair to Locks of Love is super easy.  For hair to be made into a hairpiece there are a few requirements:

• 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.

If your hair is shorter than 10 inches, but you would still like to donate it – no problem, it won’t be made into a hairpiece but will still help the organization…. read on:

• Shorter hair will be separated from the ponytails and sold to offset the manufacturing costs. Although the shorter hair cannot be used in the hairpieces, it still greatly helps to reduce costs.
• Gray hair will be accepted and sold to offset the manufacturing costs.
• Colored hair is not usable if it is colored over bleached hair.
• Because Locks of Love creates custom hairpieces for each child, we are unable to accept donations of wigs, falls, hair extensions or synthetic hair.

Place the braided hair into a padded envelope. Print and fill-out the hair donation form. Donate a few dollars if you can!  Get the full details on donating hair.

That’s it. And here is my girl with her new hair cut. She looks adorable!

Before and After Photos

I am so proud of you Z.  My goal as a mom is to raise good kids that are grateful and giving. So glad my oldest is slowly understanding this.