Why I Gave My Hair to Locks of Love

I was recently trying out a coconut oil hair treatment (more on that on here) which afforded me a good half hour to sit and think about life. I began to think about how long and heavy my hair had gotten since I started growing it out and, with my unpredictable train of thought, my thoughts turned to a piece I'd recently read about a girl who was discouraging people from donating to the organization Locks of Love.

The young woman was clearly still upset that she hadn't received a wig from Locks of Love when she had Leukemia as a young girl. Now, I will be 100% transparent with you: it breaks my heart that as a preteen girl, this young woman was denied for a wig from Locks of Love.
I do not, however, agree with her readiness to so quickly gloss over the magnitude of what most children who receive wigs from Locks of Love go through. She briefly mentions that people who get these wigs (People with Alopecia) deserve wigs, but never explains exactly what Alopecia is.

Most children who receive these wigs suffer from something called Alopecia. Alopecia is a condition where all of your hair falls out and, once it does, it will likely never come back. It isn't just the hair on your head that is gone. The worst part is that Alopecia has no known cause or cure. You lose your eyebrows, your eyelashes, and literally all of the hair on your body if you suffer from Alopecia Universalis like a few special people in my life do.

Just imagine for a minute that you went to bed tonight and woke up in the morning with a good chunk of your hair laying on your pillow for no apparent reason. Your hair then falls out until suddenly, you find yourself completely bald. It is a pretty terrifying thought, isn't it? Now imagine that this happened to you as a young child.

Personally, I can't imagine what that must be like and I thank God that this has never been a reality for me. As a young elementary schooler, I became aware of the fact that you can donate your hair to make wigs for other people. I can still distinctly remember my mother explaining what happened to people who lost their hair in simple terms that any young kid could understand, "One day, some people's body decides that their hair doesn't belong and it all falls out." Wow. My mind was blown.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this and how kids like me just lost their hair. I couldn't stand that thought so I decided to donate my hair. I hoped that some kid somewhere would get to feel special because they had hair again. When I donated, I gave my hair to Locks of Love.

Hair is something that seems so small until you don't have it. There are plenty of organizations who solely make wigs for kids or adults with cancer, but I personally think (feel free to disagree) that anyone who suffers from Alopecia should have the chance to feel beautiful too. That's why I feel like it is so important to donate to Locks of Love.

Hair helps establish a sense of normalcy for young people. A wig made from real hair gives them the opportunity to swim while still wearing their wig, brush their hair, and even wash it. Those of us who are blessed to have hair can't imagine what it must be like to suddenly lose all of it.

We live in a world where so many terrible things happen. War happens. Natural disaster happens. Terrible accidents and acts of terror happen. People get sick- kids get sick. It isn't really fair to say that one group in need is more worthy than the other. Yes, cancer is devastating. I've seen it shake and even take the lives of family and friends. Yes, I believe that charities like Pantene's Beautiful Lengths project  and Wigs for Kids are equally as noteable. (Wigs for Kids even helps kids who are undergoing radiation and who suffer from Alopecia or Trichotillomania.)

Locks of Love even does give wigs to some kids who have short-term hair loss if the family has a great financial need. In the past, questions have been raised about the donation to wig ratio at Locks of Love. Most of this stems from a single post from Forbes in 2013 regarding the fact that they sell many donations. This makes sense if you have personally donated or know someone who has donated their hair. Frankly, many people don't take care of their hair like they ought to. While their hair isn't bad enough to reject, it isn't up to par with the many donations it takes to make a wig. The hair is sold as to help with upkeep costs. Wigs are costly things to make! LoL also has a disclaimer on their website that states:

"Solicitations often occur on behalf of Locks of Love as part of an event being held to benefit Locks of Love. These events are normally registered with Locks of Love and have obtained approval to use our trademark name and logo in association with promoting the event. However, it has been brought to our attention that unauthorized solicitations are occurring from time to time. The organization Locks of Love does not solicit for hair or financial donations through any means."

I will be donating my hair again in 2017. Far off, I know. Since the last time I donated, I've begun to fully appreciate how wonderful it is to have long hair that you can do lots of things with and I want some girl out there to feel the happiness that having long hair makes me feel. When I donate my hair again, it will be to Locks of Love because I truly believe in this organization and the good that it does in our world. Anything that makes the world a brighter place, even if it is just for one person, is a good thing in my book. So sometime in 2017 there will be some girl somewhere on God's green earth (who most likely lost her hair from Alopecia) that will be bopping around with long brown hair. My hair. And I will never even know her, but I can't wait.