Healthy Living:Mind and Body

How to Donate Your Hair to Cancer Patients


Istockphoto
By Margaret Renkl
From Health magazine

This holiday, in the midst of hurried shopping and party preparations, consider stopping a moment and giving of yourself. Donate your long locks to provide wigs for cancer patients and children with hair loss.

Childhood Leukemia Foundation
The Childhood Leukemia Foundation accepts hair donations for the Hugs-U-Wear program, which gives wigs to girls who have suffered hair loss as a result of cancer treatments.

Guidelines:

  • Hair should be at least 12 inches in length. (Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure 12 inches).
  • Clean and dry your hair before cutting.
  • Braid your hair or put it in a ponytail before it is cut.
  • Place the ponytail or braid in a sealed plastic bag with rubber bands at both ends.
  • Place the plastic bag with your hair donation in a padded envelope.
  • If you’d like a thank you note, also include your name and address on a full-sized separate sheet of paper inside the envelope.
  • Chemically treated hair, from permanents or hair dyes, is not accepted.
  • Hair swept off the floor is unusable.
  • Hugs-U-Wear does not accept gray hair.

Locks of Love
Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from a long-term medical hair loss.

Guidelines:

  • Hair should be at least 10 inches in length. (Layered hair is okay if the longest layer is 10 inches, and curly hair may be pulled straight to measure 10 inches.)
  • Clean and dry your hair before cutting.
  • Braid your hair or put it in a ponytail before it is cut.
  • Place the ponytail or braid in a sealed plastic bag with rubber bands at both ends.
  • Place the plastic bag with your hair donation in a padded envelope.
  • Complete the hair donation form and include it in the padded envelope.
  • Colored or permed hair is accepted but not bleached hair. (This includes highlighted hair because it often has been bleached.)
  • Hair swept off the floor is unusable.

Looks Like Me
Looks Like Me provides wigs and hairpieces to children who have lost their hair due to medical treatments.

Guidelines

  • Hair should be at least 12 inches in length.
  • Clean and dry your hair before cutting.
  • Braid your hair or put it in a ponytail before it is cut.
  • Place the ponytail or braid in a sealed plastic bag with rubber bands at both ends.
  • Print your name on the outside of the sealed bag, and place it in a padded envelope for shipping.
  • Colored or permed hair is accepted. Hair of all colors from men and women of all races and all ages is accepted.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Pantene Beautiful Lengths distributes free real-hair wigs through American Cancer Society wig banks all across the country.

Guidelines
Hair should be at least 8 inches in length. (Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure 8 inches.)

  • Wash and dry your hair without styling products before cutting.
  • Place the ponytail or braid in a sealed plastic bag with rubber bands at both ends.
  • Place the plastic bag with your hair donation in a padded envelope.
  • Include your name and address on a full-sized separate sheet of paper inside the envelope.
  • Hair colored with vegetable dyes, rinses and semi-permanent dyes are accepted, but hair cannot be
  • bleached, permanently colored or chemically treated.
  • Beautiful Lengths accepts hair that is 5 percent gray or less.

Related links:

Last Updated: December 1, 2008
Filed Under: Mind and Body
Also Tagged: , , ,

Comments (7)

The following content represents the opinions of Health.com users. It is not editorially reviewed for medical or factual accuracy. It does not constitute medical advice. See your doctor for medical advice.
  • melinda schwartz

    We are wanting to donate his hair which is gray to locks of love in memory of his mother that died of breast cancer in 2005. He would like to do it in their hometown

  • linda

    i would like to donate my hair please contact me at 619-955-8252 thank you very much

  • linda

    please contact me at 619-955-8252 or email me at kee.dee1@hhormail.com please call me back because i really want to help those who have cancer

  • Tom Fitzpatrick

    My hair is white, not gray, would you be able use it?

  • Tammy

    My husband would like to donate his hair. We are having a hard time finding an address to mail his hair to. Please get back to me.

  • Kathleen

    I have been growing my hair for Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths Program hoever, there is no information on their website (through your hyperlink) and I fear it is no longer in business. Where may I donate my salt and pepper locks for cancer patients who need a boost?

  • CAROL MCKINSTRY

    I WOULD LIKE TO DONATE MY HAIR SO THAT SOMEONE CAN MAKE IT INTO A WIG FOR CANCER PATIENTS WHO NEED SOME NEW HAIR. I JUST GOT MY HAIR CUT AND PUT BANDS AROUND IT. I STARTED HUNTING FOR A PLACE TO MAIL MY HAIR TO AND FOUND YOUR WEBSITE. I AM SO HAPPY THAT IT WILL HELP SOMEONE INSTEAD OF LETTING IT GO TO WASTE IN A TRASHCAN. I REALLY ADMIRE WHAT YOUR GROUPS ARE DOING SO VERY MUCH. MY AUNT JUST DIED OF LUNG CANCER LAST MONTH. SHE NEEDED A WIG BECAUSE HER TREATMENTS CAUSED HER TO LOSE HER HAIR. WHEN I SAW HER I FELT THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRY TO HELP SOMEONE WHO NEEDS SOME NEW HAIR. SO I WILL BE MAILING MY HAIR IN THE MORNING. I HOPE THERE WILL BE ENOUGH TO HELP. MY HAIR IS BABY FINE AND THIN BUT LONG. MAYBE IT COULD BEPUT WITH SOME OTHER HAIR TO COMPLETE A FULL WIG. YOU ARE ALL IN MY PRAYERS AND MY HEATRT.
    MUCH AFFECTION,
    CAROL MCKINSTRY

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