Donating my hair for Locks of Love

P1080487Today was haircut day! I’ve been growing my hair out from a VERY SHORT style to a VERY LONG style for the last 4 or 5 years now. Chuck loves long hair, and I have to admit I like it a lot too, which was a surprise to me as it’s been short for most of my life. It was starting to get a bit too long though (almost to my waist) and difficult or annoying to deal with at times.

Long hair has it’s advantages and disadvantages when RVing full-time. Advantage: You don’t have to get it cut frequently, which is nice since getting a good haircut when you’re used to a specific salon or stylist can be challenging when traveling so frequently. Disadvantage: With hair as long as mine, washing it becomes more of a hassle, as it takes more time, more water, and more HOT water (camper hot water tanks are VERY small) than is practical in a mid-size RV, especially if you’re dry camping or water-usage is otherwise an issue. If staying at a campground with shower facilities, it’s easy to just use theirs, but if it’s a pay shower, no shower, or nasty shower… it’s not much fun. And I really prefer my own shower anyway.

I’ve long known about Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that turns donated pony-tails into wigs for financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis, so I decided today would be a good day to donate 10″ of my hair to a good cause.

So far, I have mixed feelings on the results. I’m having to get used to the new, shorter style. It’s been a long time since it’s been this short and it’s like looking at a stranger in the mirror! It’s nice to have a bit of a change though, and I feel good about cutting off enough hair to help someone else versus just cutting a few inches for my own comfort. Plus, it will grow back! Who knows, maybe I’ll donate again in a few years time? In the mean-time, Chuck is being a real trooper about it all. As I said before, he LOVES long hair, and one of the reasons I grew it out was for him, so I know he would have liked it if I never cut my hair again. But he was understanding and encouraging and even went to the salon with me today. Of course, being the photographer he is – I think it was only so he could take pictures so he could put them in his blog post about it!

If you are interested in donating your own hair to those in need, there are a few organizations besides Locks of Love and each has its own guidelines for hair length and other rules for insuring quality hair. You can learn more by visiting the links provided below. Thanks to Great Clips for participating in the program (and providing a free haircut as well) and my love to Chuck who always makes me feel beautiful (even if I was bald)! :-P

List of Hair Donation Organizations

  • Locks of Love
    2925 10th Avenue North
    Suite 102
    Lake Worth, FL 33461
    Phone: (561) 963-1677
    Fax: (561) 963-9914
    Toll Free: (888) 896-1588
  • Pantene Beautiful Lengths
    511 Wisconsin Drive
    New Richmond, WI 54017-2613
    Phone: 1-800-945-7768
  • Wigs for Kids
    21330 Center Ridge Road, Ste 26
    Rocky River, OH 44116
    phone: 440-333-4433
    440-333-3850
  • Childhood Leukemia Foundation
    807 Mantoloking Rd Suite 203
    Brick, New Jersey 08723
    Phone: 1-888-CLF-7109
    Fax: 1-732-920-8859
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