Happy Friday: Locks of Love (Give & Save)
Sent from reader, Crystal:
I just wanted to share one of the unique ways to save money and help a good cause at the same time. I recently cut a FOOT of my hair off and donated it to Locks of Love, an organization that makes real hair wigs for cancer patients. Many salons around the country offer free haircuts for those that cut enough hair to donate to Locks of Love. So I saved $40 on a hair cut, helped a good cause that’s dear to my heart, and I use 60% less shampoo and conditioner.
HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀
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I’m so glad I read this. I am currently in nursing school and have been growing my hair out. We are required to have a ‘bun’ so I figured I might as well grow it out. I am planning on getting my hair cut on graduation day. Thanks to this article I will now being using Pantenes program. I’ve used locks of love twice in the past, but will change this time. It seems like such a waste to throw away so much hair. Thanks for the information!
My daughter and I both grew our hair out and donated to Locks of Love last July…it was a wonderful experience for both of us!
This is a great organization. They denied me for having dyed hair too, but I will have my daughter grow out her hair for it. 😀 I am however joining Smiletrain . They do cleft palate and lip repairs in third world countries and I think it;s awesome. My 2 year old was born with a cleft and we got the surgery free with out insurance here in the states so it;s a way to give back.
My son was also born with a cleft what exactly do you do when you join smile train? I’m very interested
i just lost my best friend to breast cancer last week and i want to say that the need for wigs is immense. the donated wigs are a mixture usually of real and synthetic hair. she was on a waiting list for a “real hair” wig since 2006 and NEVER got one since she just passed away. i had another friend that paid $2000 for a real hair wig since she is in a high media profession also fighting breast cancer. thank you to all who do any type of hair program. it is so important. lots of love and hugs, a
I am so sorry for your loss.
thank you
So sorry. 🙁
Locks of love does not give wigs to cancer patients. They give them to alopecia patients which is fine but they are deceptive. They also do not use the hair people send them they sell it. They are not considered a very reputable organization by many and it’s worth doing your research before donating.
I have also heard about that too, Kim. That’s why I prefer to send it to a trusted organization that will not make a profit such as the Pantene one.
I also donate my hair but I actually have never thought about it as money saving. I just think about the person out there…
I have donated my hair too many times to count, great way to change up your style, help someone. I love having Long hair and always miss it after its gone, but it does grow back 🙂
Great Job Crystal!!!
I wish I could donate my hair, but it has NEVER grown past the middle of my back and my hubby HATES my hair any shorter than my shoulders (he loves longer hair.) So I have never had hair long enough to cut to donate and still have enough to please the hubby…… 🙁
So I have a slightly more extreme way to get a free hair cut AND donate the hair.
https://www.stbaldricks.org
St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an dedicated to curing childhood cancers. They are a very reputable, well-respected charity. They give far more money each year to pediatric cancer research than the American Cancer Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and a lot of the other “Big Cancer” charities.
You shave your head (if there isn’t an event close to you, you can organize your own event or shave on your own) and ask for donations (which you can do easily online, on facebook, etc). If your hair is long enough you can still donate to Pantene (or LOL if you prefer). And, YES, plenty of women shave and look beautiful after! what’s more beautiful than a woman who has shaved her head to help out kids with cancer?
https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/Relish — This is the link to the event I organized last Fall and our biggest fundraiser was a woman who raised over $5000 and looked very, very beautiful bald!
This is a great organization for any one willing to go bald (temporarily) for kids with cancer! (Oh, and not only is it a free haircut, but you won’t need another one anytime soon!)
Ginger
I’ve gone bald before and it is so liberating! I now know what my hair looks like at all lengths and what I prefer/what looks best with my face shape.
I recommend that every woman do this at least once in their lifetime- its just hair, it will grow back!
My two daughters and I donated our hair to Pantene Great Lengths. I had called the American Cancer Society to find out who they would refer. Locks of love may be a great organization but not on the American Cancer Society list. Pantene was. They have fewer restrictions and less length. I love to hear all these stories of giving.
that’s awesome! Way to go Crystal!
Locks of Love charges cancer patients for their wigs. Donate to Dove or another organization please.
I plan to cut and donate mine in the next month. I did not know you could get free hair cuts. Does anyone know any place that offers free haircuts in the laurens, sc area? thanks
Just clarifying that Locks of Love CHARGES cancer patients for their wigs. There are other organizations that do similar work; please check in your area for an organization that GIVES the wigs to these people who are fighting for their lives.
I donated 18 inches about a year ago in memory of my little sisters best friend that died at 15 from cancer. It was nice to be able to do something with all my hair. 🙂
I donate my hair every 2 years and don’t cut it in between so it gets really long! I’m up to over 40 inches now and going to go in this summer to get another 20 inches cut off 🙂 I don’t give it to Locks of Love because they are very picky with what they can and can’t use, but there are a lot of other charities out there that accept hair! It’s a great cause 🙂
I donate my hair every 2-3 years to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths (I have also heard that LOL charges for their wigs) and I like to give at least a foot of hair if I can. I didn’t know that some hair salons will cut the hair free as I’ve always paid for my cuts (but I do write the cost off as a donation).
This was so, extremely inspiring. I’ve been growing out my hair, for no reason really, but seeing this has inspired me to get it cut for a reason. I see some comments about locks of love charging cancer patients for the wigs, which is unfortunate, but I can also point out some good in that. Donating would be special to me because my sister is an ovarian cancer survivor and she owned a real hair wig, BUT she had to pay for it out of pocket. (And alot of money too) But I guess if you look at it this way… My sister wouldn’t have been able to purchase a Real Hair Wig if it weren’t for the people who donated hair. Not very many cancer patients even qualify for a real hair wig. So for those who don’t qualify and want to purchase one, I’m sure they still really appreciate the people who donated. So either way. It goes to a good cause. That being said I have done my research and decided to go with the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program because they do give away all their wigs, no charge, and they give to adult women. My sister was an adult with cancer. Most others focus on children, which is also a wonderful thing to do, but I think I’ll start with this program, maybe grow my hair out do it again in a couple of years and next time to a children’s donation center. 🙂
Love this! I’ve done this twice, each time I had a child, I cut my hair short and donated. Salon always charged me, but oh well.