A little over 3 months ago someone posted about donating their hair. I was actually planning on doing this on the same day that this poster was and for some odd reason it just never happened. Well today is the day - I have an appt later this afternoon to have it all chopped off. The last time I will have had my hair this short is when I was in 9th grade, so 14 years old. I am definitely going through with it but I am so freaked out. Really it shouldnt be that big a deal but any girl with long hair can relate. I ALWAYS have my hair tied back either in a bun or a ponytail and I NEVER do anything with it. Also hair grows back and its for a great cause so why not right.
Has anyone else out there been brave enough to do this and if so were you happy with the outcome
So its done - Chop Chop all gone =)
I managed to get 12+ inches so I can donate it to a childrens charity that I know of. When she first cut it I thought wow what a major change but its still long enough that I can manage. Then she went nuts with the sciccors and started cutting inches at a time off, after the hair to be donated was off my head. I know I did a great thing but I think like my hair I am in a bit of shock still. I dont think I have ever had my hair this short so its going to take a bit of getting used to - it hasnt even been 24 hrs so Im okay
I definitely dont regret it - and I feel awesome that I am able to do this for someone else
I did, I did! About a year ago I donated 11 inches to Clairol because I didn't have quite enough for it to go to Locks of Love. Over the years I've gone back & forth between long & short hair, but last year was the longest it's ever been since elementary school. It felt great to do it & I've honestly never heard of ANYONE regretting the decision.
I did a little over a year ago. I cut off 14 inches:) Up to my chin! I loved it, but I will tell you, after a few months I was missing my long hair. lol - so now I'm letting it grow long again. But it's for a great cause and I don't regret it. It's just hair, it grows back!
Well, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Dec. 2009 and ended up going through chemo from Feb. 2010 through July 2010. I had long hair at the time and in anticipation of losing it, I had it cut and donated it. I was happy with the cut I got and ended up getting a wig in a similar style (shorter) when my hair fell out. I can understand your hesitation, but as a cancer survivor, you are giving someone such an amazing gift. Your hair will grow back. The person you end up helping may never have their own hair again. Good luck and thanks for thinking of donating your hair. Someone will be very happy you did!
I did it a little over a year and a half ago! It felt good to do something nice for someone else, and it forced me to try a new hairdo. Just remember your hair will grow back! Mine is back to being long and I'm thinking of cutting it again. Or should I grow it longer so I can donate it...
My husband actually did it about 5 year ago. He had a mulit and decided finally to cut it. It was hard on him since he'd had it like that for about 15 years. But at that time my dad was going thru treatment for cancer so it was kind of fitting that he did it then. Just remember you are blessing someone that will charish it possibly more than you!
Good luck and God Bless!
I did!! I got my hair cut from the middle of m back, to chin length. It was A LOT of hair!! I have super thick hair, so the change was wonderful. The cut was awesome. I could actually do something with it other then pull it back, or braids. It was a great change. That was about a year ago, and my hair is about 3 inches past my shoulders now. Once it gets down my back again, I will chop it off and donate it. I think I will just keep the cycle and do it from now on. Good luck!!
I have done this twice in the past 6 years. The first time i donated to 'Pantene beautiful lengths' and the second time (this past May!) to 'Locks of Love'. I have never regretted it!
You are doing a great thing!
My daughter did it this spring, She donated 20 inches.
She loved her hair long, but is fine with it now. It will grow back. In 5 years she'll do it again, or so she says.
She did have a little adjustment period, it wasn't sso bad. And much easier to swim with.
I love love love getting my hair cut!!! I have donated my hair 4 times. It's so fun to chop it off and be a new woman. I always know that hair grows, so I guess it doesn't freak me out too bad. I have never regretted the 4 times I've grown it long and cut it. I think it costs more, but I like to pay to have it styled a bit when I do the big chop. May as well make it a day of glam! Also, it feels SO light when you cut off a large amount of hair. I always forget how heavy hair can be!
Where are you donating to? I've donated 3x to Locks of Love which has a 10 inch or more requirement. But just a few weeks ago I did the chop and donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths which is for women with cancer. Their requirement is 8 inches or more.
I'm so glad to hear about your gift! Good for you!
I donate about every 3 years or so....aproximatly 10-11 inches a time and my hair is always shoulder length when done...It is nice to be "refreshed" every few years. I have really thick hair so I know itgoes to good use!! High five for doing something so great.
I let my hair grow for my wedding and when all was said and done lost 14 inches and it was still shoulder length. I donated mine to locks of love and might do so again if I can even my hair out a bit. It will be a change, but try to embrace that change. It's just hair, and if you hate it, you can always grow it back out. If anyone asks, say, truthfully, you did it for charity.
I donated 10" of my hair in the spring and it was great. Knowing that a small gesture on my part was going to bring a smile to someone and make them geel better anout themselves was fulfilling beyond words. If your hair is always pulled back a new do will be great for you too!
My neices have donated to Locks of LOve several times. They expressed a good feeling that their hair would go to someone who lost their due to an illness. Their Grandmother lost hers several times to Chemo. Tis is a way for them to honor her.
I have always had long hair. When I was a younger my hair was so long that when I sat down I would have to move it or sit on it. Then a few years ago I hurt my shoulder and had a very hard time doing anything with my hair. Even simply brushing it was a chore and very painful. Finally I decided to get it cut short till my shoulder was healed. After all, I could always grow it back. Right? I never did! I love my short hair now.
When I had it cut short the hairdresser put it in a pony tail and cut it off so I could donate it before doing the final style cutting. She cut almost 3 feet of hair off! I went to the Locks For Love website and got the instructions on how to send it to them.
This year a very dear friend was diagnosed with cancer and had to start chemo. She refused to go out of the house with no hair. We talked about her getting a wig and people that donate their hair. She now has a beautiful wig she got thru LFL and loves it. When I see her smiling face "out and about" doing the outdoor things she always loved doing, I am so happy I did donate my hair.
My youngest daughter donated her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths - they make wigs for children free of charge. Her dad has been fighting cancer & since the time he got sick she has vowed to shave her head if he needed chemo. Well, fortunately for him he hasn't, but she was as oddly a little disappointed so she donated almost 9 inches. It was either that, or let her get a mohawk!!! Fat chance on that one! She has thick curly hair like mine so hers was cut up to her shoulders. It is a bit unmanagable but we're dealing with it. On her bad hair days she looks a little like a mad woman, but we love her all the same & are very proud of her. Best of luck to you and I'm sure you will look beautiful.
I know that you already cut it and great!!! but I just wanted to tell you our story. ALL 4 of us in the house have long hair. Now my 6 year old decided to donate hers. Ok, no problem, then the 5 year old wants to, great! So why not, I will do mine. Hubby wont do his too, he is not fun! We go and get it cut off, the girls are THRILLED to help out other people (locks of love) and they know it will grow back. I am unhappy with how our hair was cut, the girls that did the cutting didnt know how to cut in a braid it seems, and the 5 year olds is all but butchered. She is ok with it, and it looks... ok.. ish.. but I am going to have to get it fixed in about another month. (she also wanted to donate hers to my Dad cause "granddaddy has no hair" lol) But we all did it for something good.. I got about 11" taken 6 year old 12" and 5 year old 10". I still use too much shampoo a month later! lol
Many people donate to Locks of Love.
They provide some wigs for free and may charge others based on their annual income.
In the past they've been criticized for selling donated hair.
* Donated hair must be ten inches or longer. (Curly hair can be pulled straight to meet the requirement.)
* Hair may not be bleached, chemically damaged, or overprocessed; permed or coloured hair is acceptable.
* Hair must be in the form of a clean, dry ponytail or braid. Dreadlocks are not accepted.
* Hair that is less than ten inches or grey is separated from the donations and sold to offset manufacturing costs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locks_of_Love
There are places where you can sell your own hair (and horse hair) - people sew and embroider with it.
My wife donated her beautiful hair. She went from WOW to ow because she went to a butcher instead of a qualified, competant hair dresser. Every time he tried to correct his mistakes, the hair got shorter and shorter.
Now it doesn't complement her face/figure at all. I hate it short.
Selfish of me? I don't think so. I remember the Aesop fable about the fox that lost its tail.
Good luck to you and yours.
BTW, here is a poem and paragraph I wrote years ago when my DIL were encouragng my wife to cut her hair.
Maybe it shouldn't matter to me
What the length of her hair should be
Long, short or very difficult to see,
But I am who I am and it makes a difference to me.
I asked before we were married
Long before any children were carried
Before a ring was bought
Before my heart was taken and I was caught
I asked for long hair so beautiful to see
Because it was a dream of mine and meant so much to me.
Have your hair long or have it short
Look like a beautiful model or an old judge in court
But don't ruin my dream of what my wife's hair should be
Remember, long ago, long hair was promised to me.
I don't know why I love the rainbow
Nor do I understand the warm fuzzy feeling
I get when seeing the blossoms in the meadow.
I don't know why God made this being
And let him enjoy seeing the same movie, hearing the same rhyme
Crying at the same scene and at hearing the same part
I don't know why I have the same thrill each time
Or why I have the same wonderful feeling deep in my heart
I know not why I love blue eyes or long shimmering hair
Or why, when I see a beautiful sky, or bird or sunset
I'm apt to stop and look and call others to share
The wonders I see with the ones I love and yet,
My chest constricts, heart is pained, and tears appear
When the one I love, honor and cherish
Wants to cut her long, beautiful, hair.
I don't care nor do I feel it my place to tell anyone but my wife how long or short their hair should be beyond the first time. I am a very weak person when it comes to self control, so I have made my opinion known to my adult kids more than once. (If I had good self control I wouldn't be 60 pounds over weight.) If you ask my opinion I will tell. If you don't ask, I will do my best to keep my opinion, about the length of hair, to myself. I also don't feel it isn't anyone else's place to make any efforts to have the one I love cut her hair.
I work with women that use a razor to cut their hair. The length of their hair can best be measured with a micrometer. I don't tell them how they look because they don't ask me. I don't tell those I don't love how they look with their razor cut hair or their hair that looks like the barber that cut my hair cut theirs using the same standards I have to use to keep my job as a police officer. If a lady at church asks me how their new manly hairdo looks I try avoid the issue and tell them how nice their dress looks. I would be just as upset if anyone tried to get my everlovin' to dye her eyes a different color. I absolutely love her beautiful Black Raspberry eyes.
