…when there is already a surplus of human and synthetic hair for wigs?
I ask this because I’m always hearing of the grand gesture of women cutting their gorgeous hair all off to give to Locks of Love and I wonder why cancer patients and whatnot can’t just wear regular wigs.
I use human hair extensions and I have also had falls and wigs that were made of human hair. Someone, somewhere is selling their hair for these things and I don’t see any reason for everyday people to sacrifice for something that is already available. It’s not terribly expensive, unless you go high end, and in that case I’d think these doners would rather give the money to buy the wig than cut their own hair.
Please, Dopers, fight my ignorance on this one. I know you have all the answers!
Why donate to a hair charity? For the same reasons they donate to any other charity I would suppose. I assume Locks of Love provides the wigs free of charge to the recipients? “Free” is better than “not terribly expensive” when you’re talking about people undergoing expensive medical treatments. My dad’s been going through various cancer treatments for the last few years and even with Medicare and a supplemental policy the costs add up. My parents are fairly well off financially and it’s still something of a strain for them. Someone with less money and fewer resources, maybe that free wig means the difference between having to choose to go without “hair” and having to go without food one month.
I had a co-worker who lost her hair to chemotherapy, and when she tried on some synthetic wigs apparently burst into tears because it looked so phony. She then was fitted for a human hair wig and I’ll tell you, it looked sensational. You could stand three feet from her and it looked just like her hair.
Cost her $1200.
Now, she made good money and didn’t need charity, but maybe people who make a lot less money could use the help.
My wife did it for a charity other than LoL (Beautiful Lengths, I believe). She did it because she knows people with cancer and wanted a new haircut anyway. I don’t know about the efficacy of hair vs. synthetic wigs, but I’d bet some simply prefer hair.
What LoL does is make custom hairpieces for children. These are different from wigs made for adults because they’re fitted and made in such a way that there’s little, if any, danger of the piece coming off, which would be devastating to the child. LoL estimates the cost of each hairpiece at somewhere between $3500 to $5000 apiece, so these are high-end pieces. And they’re not just cancer victims; most of the recipients have medical problems that cause permanent baldness.
I should also point out that most insurance does not cover hairpieces for cancer or any other condition, so this is really a huge break.
According to the Locks of Love FAQ, the wigs are free of charge or, if charged for, on a sliding scale.
FWIW, I’ve donated twice, but I was having my hair cut that short anyway. In fact, the second time, it was the stylist’s idea: “Since you’re cutting this much off, is it OK if I send it to Locks of Love?” Sure, it’s not like I’m going to use it.
I donated mine, but I didn’t grow it expressly for that purpose. I already had butt length hair and was ready for a change, so I had my stylist donate it to LoL. As Robyn mentioned, most of their wigs are for children with alopecia. The second largest number of wigs are for cancer patients. There are other conditions that qualify as well.
“Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 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.”
I personally just thought it would be a nice gesture and some kid with a really tough situation could be helped out very easily. It wasn’t a sacrifice for me. I was ready to part with my hair and was happy to do it.
Regarding why they don’t use other wigs, LoL says:
"These prostheses are different from synthetic hairpieces because they form a vacuum seal, and do not require the use of tape or glue. Only the wearer of the prosthesis may remove it, by breaking the vacuum seal at the temples. Children can dismiss insecurities about classmates pulling off their hairpiece, or losing it during sports. They can also swim and shower with it in place. “Wigs” do not provide these needs for every day activities of active children. This sense of security allows the children to get back their self confidence and be kids again. "
I don’t understand how Locks of Love uses hair from Americans, because almost thirty years ago, there was a Straight Dope column where someone wanted to know if she could sell her hair to a wigmaker and Cecil told her that “Wigmakers are only interested in hair that originates in hygienically underdeveloped corners of the world–the dirtier, the better.” So what’s changed in thirty years that it’s now possible to make wigs from overwashed American hair?
Pretty much all my life I’ve had long to very long hair. It gets “trimmed” about once every two years. For decades I’d watch all that hair hit the floor and get thrown away, and wished something could be done with it.
So when I heard about Locks of Love I started donating since I would have had the hair cut anyway, and it seemed like a worthwhile cause.
According to an episode of Airline tonight, the hair should be at least ten inches long.
I had always thought that once measured, the hair was easier to keep together if it was braided, banded at both ends and then cut outside the bands. I know little about the procedures though.
That does enlighten me on the topic a bit, thank you. I guess I have always just assumed they could make those same wigs from the bulk kind of hair you purchase by the weft. The hair is human, and it’s not expensive.
If the wigs that Locks of Love makes are specially designed, what would be the difference between using weft hair and donated hair? It’s exactly the same thing. And if the hair donor isn’t paying for the $3500 wig to be made, then what does it matter where that hair comes from?
I get that it’s a very lovely gesture for one human to donate to another human. And that, in itself, would be a very legitimate reason to do it the way they do. But it isn’t as if there’s a shortage of human hair that could be made into wigs without people cutting their own hair off.
Because SOMEONE pays for the prosthetics to be made, and that someone is Locks of Love. If Locks of Love didn’t get hair donations, then they’d have to spend their money on hair instead of on paying the prosthetic makers. I assume that like everyone, they have a finite amount of money - so if some of it goes to buying hair, that’s less prosthetics they can afford to have made and give away.
They could simply focus on raising money and buy wefts from Sally Beauty, but what fun is that? (They do take monetary donations, by the way.) Getting a classroom full of kids (most of their hair donations come from kids, not adults) to band together in solidarity lets them give a lot more than their $2 allowances. It teaches them that they can make a difference by acting directly, not just by taking out their wallets. Grown people can make whatever financial contribution they like, but again, one assumes most folks have a budget for charitable contributions - this is something they can do in addition to their budgeted giveaways.
I’m not sure why you think there has to be a “shortage” for a donation to be valuable. There’s no shortage of canned peas, either, but food kitchens appreciate your donating them so they don’t have to use their limited funds to buy them.
I’m not criticizing it, I’m just trying to understand. I’ve known several women who have donated hair to LoL and that lead me to wonder about the whole thing. I think it’s beautiful that children would cut their hair as a solidarity thing to help another child. IMO, that is a wonderful and generous thing for them to do, and also teaches them the power of giving to others.
What I am more confused about it the anonymous donations of adults who do it. I could go buy a bundle of high quality human hair and donate it for wigs, but it doesn’t seem like people are doing that. I guess, to me, it wouldn’t matter where the hair came from as long as it came at all. Would LoL accept donations of bundled hair, even if it didn’t come straight off of my head?
Absolutely! As long as it meets the other requirements - 10 inches*, undamaged from color or perming (It can be permed or colored, but it can’t be damaged from it) - they don’t care where it comes from. In fact, collecting wefts from cosmetology students or beauty supply companies would be a great opportunity to raise awareness and allow people with shorter hair to make a hair-type contribution.
I could go buy a piece, but I do have all this hair I grew for free. If I’m going to do anything with it, I like the IDEA of some poor hairless kid using it when I’m done with it. I can always grow more, y’know?
*They will take shorter hair, but it will be sold to regular wig makers and the profits used to fund Locks of Love’s efforts. Most of their giftees are little girls who want long hair prosthetics, so 10 inch is the minimum direct donation that will end up in a prosthesis. It takes several (I think up to a dozen) donations to make a single prosthetic, because only the longest hairs can be used.
I wish I could donate, but nowadays I keep my head shaved, and I can’t imagine being able to stand having hair long enough for it to be of any use in wig-making.
Because the hair is donated, it keeps the cost of the hairpieces down. I don’t make a lot of money, but I can grow the hell out of some hair. Some of us do what we can to help others.
Before my gastric bypass surgery, I and my family all got our hair cut, between us we donated over 5’ of hair – 3’ of it coming from me. I have made it a habit to not cut my hair unless I plan on taking at least 10" off.
Another interesting point – if you ask around, many hairstylists will cut and style your hair for free if you are donating it to LoL.
In my case, it was kind of like giving something to Goodwill. Here was something (in my case, about 14" of hair) that I didn’t want or need anymore, but that someone else did want and could use for a good cause. I even got a free haircut (one of the best haircuts of my life, actually) out of the deal.
Maybe it’s because my hair won’t grow that I wonder about this. I can’t imagine having 10 inches of hair to cut off. It would probably take me my whole life to get it that long.
