DONATE YOUR PONYTAIL

Long-haired girls, listen up!

If you cut your long tresses, you could not only get a major style make-over, but you have the potential to seriously transform a sick child's life!

If you have a ponytail that is 10 inches or longer, you can donate hair so a child who's lost theirs to illness, can look more like themselves. Children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, suffering from alopecia areata, or recuperating from scalp burns face multiple hurdles. In addition to the physical challenges of medical treatment, children also must combat low self-esteem and poor self-image from losing their hair. Imagine not only being sick, but being bald too. It makes your style issues seem less urgent, doesn't it?

When sick kids feel better about their appearance, they feel brighter about the outlook for their future. With renewed confidence, these children will go out in public again, without feeling self-conscious. They can look proudly in the mirror. And their increased happiness can even lead to a better chance at recovery, since the mind-body connection is very strong.

A custom human-hair wig can cost more than a thousand dollars to make and is too expensive for many families. But there are organizations who work with volunteers to make wigs for kids. Donate your ponytail, and it can be turned into natural-looking wigs, that are then donated to sick children who are financially disadvantaged. Just imagine the difference that you can make!

Imagine that every time you look in the mirror after your haircut, you'll know that you've made a real difference in the life of a sick child!

Ready to lop off your ponytail for sick kids? Check out the links below, which can guide you in making your hair donation.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

Each organization will have specific instructions about how you should donate. But in general, they will probably need the donated hair to be 10" long minimum (if it's curly you can pull it straight to measure 10"), clean and dry, and not bleached or over-processed.

Donate your hair to Locks of Love, which creates wigs for children suffering from long-term hair loss. Locks of Love sells many of the hair donations it receives, in order to fund its charitable program. So the neediest families get their wig for free, while other families pay based on their financial ability. You can send your hair donation by mail using Locks of Love's online hair donation form. (U.S. only)

You can also donate your hair to Wigs for Kids. This worthy organization gives hairpieces to kids who suffer hair loss due to burns, chemotherapy, radiation treatments alopecia, and other medical problems. Wigs for Kids sells hair donations it considers "unusable" in order to fund its programs. Families must demonstrate financial need in order to qualify for the program, but then they get the wig for free. You can send your hair donation by mail by using Wigs for Kids' online hair donation form. (U.S. and Canada)