Weddingbee

I was actually planning on writing a post about this topic before someone brought it up on the Beehive.

Many brides like to grow their hair out for their wedding - I am one of them. But after the wedding day has come and gone and you feel the need for a shorter hairdo, what are your options? Instead of just going to the salon and having the stylist give you a makeover while all your pretty strands float slowly to the ground, you might want to consider donating your hair for a good cause.

One in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in her lifetime* and nearly 60% of women regard hair loss as the single worst side effect of cancer treatment.**

*Cancer Facts & Figures 2007, American Cancer Society.
**Cancer Practice: Journal of the American Cancer Society, November 2001.

Early this summer, I chopped off a good chunk of my hair and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Before

After

Recently, Academy-Award winner, Hilary Swank, cut off nine inches of her hair to donate to this program on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

AP Photo/Harpo Productions, George Burns

I did my research before I went into the salon because I heard rumors from my MOH that some of these organizations weren’t as good as they seemed. I think the organization most people have heard of with regards to hair donation has been Locks of Love. Although I completely admire what this organization does, I felt some of their practices weren’t as noble. When you google “locks of love” one of the first articles that pops up is this one. They were basically accused of selling surplus donations for profit and do not give out every wig for free, but actually charge juvenile cancer patients according to their parent’s income level. I’m not sure whether the allegations are true are not, but after my research, I felt Pantene Beautiful Lengths would make better use of my donation.

Here are the requirements for Pantene Beautiful Lengths:

“In order to make the most beautiful, realistic and durable wigs, donated hair must meet the requirements below.

• Donated hair must be a minimum of 8 inches long (measure hair from just above the elastic band of the ponytail to the ends).
• Wavy/curly hair texture is fine—you may straighten hair to measure.
• Hair should be freshly washed and completely dry, without any styling products.
• Hair may be colored with vegetable dyes, rinses and semi-permanent dyes. It cannot be bleached, permanently colored or chemically treated.
• Hair may not be more than 5 percent gray.

In appreciation of the sacrifice that a hair donation requires, Pantene Beautiful Lengths only accepts hair it knows can be used for its intended purposes.

As Pantene Beautiful Lengths wigs are created, they are distributed for free through select American Cancer Society wig banks across the country. Women facing cancer can find out about the availability of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths wig by calling the American Cancer Society at 1-877-227-1596. The Society can also help callers with a number of resources providing educational and emotional support.”

I’m sure there are other worthwhile organizations out there that do similar things, and I would be happy to learn about them. I’ve made a personal commitment to donate my hair every chance I get and help out these cancer patients in one of the few ways I can. I encourage others out there to do the same if they are able to. Just think, maybe your contribution will help make a wig a bride will wear on her wedding day to make her look all the more beautiful.

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