People who want to get involved with a charity can donate their hair, which is an easy and inexpensive way to do so. It’s not uncommon for children to donate their hair to other children as they want to help them, but anyone is welcome to donate their hair. You won’t regret helping a person in need regardless of whether you do it on your own or attend an event where you will be cutting and donating hair.
Table of Contents
Best Places to Donate Hair
1. Locks of Love
As one of the longest running hair donation charities in the world, Locks of Love is perhaps the best known and most established. Founded in 2002, Locks of Love was established with the objective of giving long-term hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term hair loss as a result of any illness. The hair donation must be at least 10 inches long and must be tied in a ponytail or braided. The color and texture of your hair (except gray) does not matter to us. If your hair is not damaged and hasn’t been permed or colored, then you can even donate it as long as it hasn’t been damaged. Do not hesitate to print out the Locks of Love hair donation form from their website if you are able to. It is important to note, however, that you do not require it in order to donate your hair. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can print your name and address on a large piece of paper and send it to the following address along with the hair:
Locks of Love, 234 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701
2. Wigs for Kids
Wigs for Kids is a non-profit organization that helps children who are suffering from hair loss due to various conditions, such as burns, cancer or alopecia. We can help children who are suffering from the repercussions of hair loss. A similar service to Locks of Love is Wigs for Kids, which provides hair systems for children. As a result of the hair systems they provide, a child can participate in normal activities without having to worry about her hair falling out if she engages in normal activities. Using Wigs for Kids hair systems, children can even go swimming while wearing them. There is an organization that requires that you submit 12 inches of hair, but they will not accept hair that has been treated chemically or is gray. The Wigs for Kids organization works with hundreds of salons across the United States and the world which offer free or reduced services to people who donate their hair to the worthwhile cause of Wigs for Kids. You can send your hair to the following address once you have had your hair cut and have downloaded the necessary form:
Wigs for Kids – Hair Donation, 24231 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, Ohio 44145
3. Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan
As a non-profit organization, Wigs 4 Kids serves children ages 18 and under who reside in Michigan and are suffering from hair loss due to alopecia areata. Although the focus is on the state of Michigan, the program has a much broader scope than just Michigan. The organization has a wellness center that provides not only hair systems for kids, but also allied health services and holistic support services for the whole family. A minimum of ten inches is required for hair contributions to Maggie’s Wigs for Kids in order to be accepted. Chemical treatments and coloring of the hair are not allowed, and the amount of grey hair cannot exceed 10%. I am sure you all know that the wellness center, which is located right next door to Green Salon in Michigan, is a great place to visit if you live there. The fee for a consultation, cut, and style is $40, and 50% of that fee, along with the ponytail that you get, will be donated to Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids. Please feel free to mail your donation if you are not able to drop it off in person:
Wigs 4 Kids – Hair Donation, 30126 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI 48082
4. Children With Hair Loss
The Children With Hair Loss Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to children throughout the United States who are in need of them due to hair loss. In addition to long-term hair replacement packages, the program also offers short-term hair replacement options for children who have lost their hair on a temporary basis. It is supported by generous donations from the community, partnerships with the organization, and the sale of branded merchandise as a means of self-sufficiency for the organization. To make a hair donation, you must have a ponytail that is at least eight inches long. You can send your ponytail to the following address:
Children With Hair Loss, 12776 S. Dixie Hwy., S. Rockwood, MI 48179
5. Hair We Share
As a charitable organization, Hair We Share accepts donated hair for the purpose of creating wigs to help adults and children who are suffering from alopecia or hair loss caused by medical conditions. These wigs are then given away to those who are in need. There is no fee charged to those who receive wigs from the group. It is required that you donate a minimum amount of $25 for each hair donation that you submit to this group. The ponytail tracking program can be accessed by making a financial contribution of at least $125 to the organization when you send in your donated hair in order to be included in the program. You will have the opportunity to see a picture of the actual wig that is made from your hair by participating in this program. You can donate through the Hair We Share website by completing a donation form first. After that, you will need to send your hair to the following address:
Hair We Share, 4 Expressway Plaza Suite, LL14 Roslyn Heights, NY 11577
6. Angel Hair for Kids (Canada)
A Child’s Voice Foundation’s Angel Hair for Kids program is an initiative of the A Child’s Voice Foundation. One of the foundation’s programs is Angel Hair, which is one of the foundation’s many programs. It is Angel Hair that provides hair for children in Canada who are financially disadvantaged. The following address is where you can send your hair donation if you live in Canada, and you would like to help.
3034 Palstan Rd., Suite 301, Mississauga, ON, L4Y 2Z6
Hair Donation Requirements
Make sure that you check the donation requirements of the charity that you are considering donating to before you chop off your hair and send it off. It is generally the case that every organization that accepts hair follows the following guidelines:
- It is essential that the hair is put in either a ponytail or a braid and that it is cut above the ponytail holder.
- Depending on the type of donation, the length requirements can range from eight inches to twelve inches.
- If you have curly hair and would like to meet the donation requirements, please straighten it prior to measuring.
- In general, layers are okay, as long as the layer with the shortest length is at least as long as the shortest layer.
- A clean and dry head of hair is essential.
- Chemically altering hair is not possible.
- Natural hair is usually accepted as a hair type – synthetic hair is not usually accepted as a hair type.
- There is no use for hair that has come from the floor.
- If you have cut off your ponytail or braid, you will need to pack it in a zippered plastic baggie. Once that is done, you will need to place it in a padded envelope
- There is no need for you to send a small donation along with your hair, but it would be appreciated if you could do so in order to help defray the organization’s costs.
It is very important that you read all instructions carefully and follow them to the letter. It is important that you donate your hair to the organization if you want it to be used by them, otherwise the hair will be wasted.
The process of finding companies that donate hair
A lot of hair salons form partnerships with organizations that assist in the donation of hair on a regular basis, either by coordinating cut-a-thon events or by accepting individual donations. To avoid cutting your hair yourself for your donation, you will need to do a bit of research if you would like to go to your local salon to have it cut for you rather than do it yourself.
In order to find out if your local salon partners are participating in any scheduled events sponsored by the charity to which you’d like to make a donation, please contact the charity. Some of the Great Clips salons, for example, accept hair donations that are donated to Wigs for Kids.
If there are any hair donation groups in your area, ask the salons in your area if they are partners with those groups. There might be a place near your area where you can donate hair if you ask salon personnel if they know if such a place exists near where you live.
However, you may be able to find a local salon that does not have a special relationship with one of the charities that you would like to donate to. You may also find one that will work with you to ensure that the cut of your hair meets the requirements of the charity to which you would like to donate.
Conclusion – A Life-Changing Donation
If you’re looking for a way to make a measurable, nearly instant impact on the world around you, then this is the gift for you. It is a generous gesture to donate hair to children who suffer from hair loss, and one that has a lasting impact on their lives. In more ways than one, a donation to one of these hair donation charities is a tangible gesture that can make a positive impact on someone’s life immediately.