“Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis” (http://www.locksoflove.org/index.html). Donated human hair (in the form of ponytails), is turned into custom-made hair prosthetics that can retail between $3,500 and $6,000! The child receives the hairpiece long and is then able to get their hair styled to their liking. One of the differences between this and other wigs is they are specifically made to fit the child’s head and there is no glue or adhesive that holds the piece into place.
Locks of Love used to be a connected with a for-profit wig manufacturing business but it became its own separate entity and an official 501(c)(3) in 1997. One of the women who spearheaded the development of the charity suffered for a time from alopecia (the loss of all hair) but later recovered. When her daughter was 4, she too developed alopecia but unlike her mother, she was never cured. This was the driving force behind her mother’s passion to create this organization.
The first time I donated my hair was right after I returned home from the Peace Corps. I had a lot of hair! The second time I donated my hair was a month after I got married (my husband prefers long hair!). The third time I donated my hair was a week ago.
The website gives a clear list of rules to follow such as the length of the ponytail needs to be 10” from tip to tip and they do not accept hair that has been bleached. They do however accept gray hair or hair that has been colored.
To check out the list of guidelines, click on this link: http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html
How can we get involved?
If you don’t have hair to donate, or if you really don’t want to cut your hair offJ there is a tab on the website that lists other ways to help. Locks of Love is always accepting financial donations as the manufacturing costs are so great.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” (the fox’s secret- The Little Prince)~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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