Chronicles Whimsy: Haircuts

Have you heard of Locks of Love? What about Wigs for Kids? Angel Hair Foundation is based in Oregon. Angel Hair for Kids is based in Canada. Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a big name company with a hair donation program. Each organization has their own particular guidelines, including how long the hair must be and if it can be previously dyed. A good overview of the programs can be found here.

I first donated hair while still in High School. I've also donated twice during my adult life. That is, until a few weeks ago.

A little background:

While Little Miss was in pre-school last year, one of her homework assignments was to cut out something. A few weeks after this she found the scissors again and was cutting paper. She was instructed to put them away and leave them alone. She took it upon herself to start cutting her hair. Thankfully, I was right there. She only completed one cut, while starting on the second.

From this, I could plainly see that adding bangs wouldn't help, and that cutting all of her honey locks would be a waste. I measured her hair and knew it wouldn't be long enough to donate. I decided to ignore the attempt at her own hair cut and just styled around it. We purchased extra clips, headbands, and bobby pins.

Fast forward to this spring. Little Miss is growing more independent. She wants to brush her own hair, but has difficulty with the length. I ask about cutting it shorter, so it's more manageable. She rejects the idea. Hubby and I continue with the daily brushing, and Little Miss sports lots of ponytails.

By mid summer, Little Miss is mastering washing her hair and brushing on her own. However, her length and bulk make it difficult. I again ask about a new haircut for school, I also ask about donating her hair to help someone else. I've measured her hair about every other month and its now long enough. [When I first started donating hair, you only had to have 8 inches, now you need 10.] She agrees to a haircut, excited for the new look. She repeatedly shows me anywhere from her chin to her shoulders. After looking at the websites and pictures for hair donation, Little Miss informs me that she wants to "help a little girl who doesn't have hair."

The big day.
It is a week before school starts. We end up cutting everyone's hair this weekend. Munchkin needs a haircut, so does Hubby. Pumpkin has past his first birthday, and is blessed with as much or more hair than Munchkin had at his. I had read with Wigs For Kids that its better to divide the hair into multiple ponytails, to maximize the usable hair in the donation. This also helps to even out where and how you make your cuts.

Immediately after we're finished with her haircut, Little Miss looks at me and says "Ok, Mommy, it's your turn now. You have to share your hair, too." [Please ignore my cluttered house in next few pictures.]