Hair Donation!

I am one of those pretty low maintenance hair people. Usually you will see me in a ponytail because it's easy. Sometimes I take the time in the morning to add a small braid or put it up in a funky messy bun like this:

...but nothing that requires an intense amount of work. The end result is that I usually look like this:

...with no real concept of how long my hair is.  It just keeps on growing.

I decided that I really should get my hair cut one afternoon this summer and fortunately my favorite hairdresser Kelly was free.  On a whim, I asked her if I had enough to donate.  I'd donated my hair before a few years ago so this wasn't new to me.  She measured and sure enough I did.  This is what my hair looked like before:

...and here it is 8 or 9 inches shorter!

For me donating my hair just seems like a good thing to do.  It grows back after all and helps out someone in need.  The Canadian Cancer Society helps people find wigs and other types of headwear for those having cancer treatments.  I sent mine to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which is a nation-wide program.  There are many other programs available. 

Here is my hair, all ready to go.  I asked Kelly to do two braids to get as much length in as possible.

Me after...still long and a cute bit o'style going on.
I asked Kelly if many people donate their hair.  She told me that not as many as you would think.  People seem pretty hesitant and she isn't sure why.  She told me about one woman who had even more hair cut than I did just not seem interested.  Kelly sent her away with her hair braided and in a bag anyway, just in case she changed her mind.  She also told me that more younger girls will come in ready to donate.  I know one of our students in grade 2 last year did, it was very sweet.
After I posted my before and after pictures on Facebook, a cousin of mine messaged me to thank me.  She has battled cancer and said that it means more than you could ever realize to donate your hair.   For me, it's not a big deal and it is pretty easy to do.  Just make sure you check out which organization you wish to go through before you do it as each of them have their own requirements and procedures.  When I sent it in, I was able to send it regular post, so cost me just under $2.00 to send so really, it's not a pricy thing to do either. 
I want to encourage anyone who is considering cutting their hair to look into donating it as well.  It means so much to someone who is going through cancer treatments to have a real hair wig to be able to feel healthy and beautiful.