by Jennie Granados

When we think about giving, we think of money as the most “useful” thing to offer–but it is not the only one. A hair donation is a tangible gift that will change someone’s life immediately.

In cases of breast cancer, women often feel mutilated when the breast is removed. Besides this, they often lose their hair during chemotherapy, which impacts their lives and especially their self-esteem.  Hair donation allows many women to get a natural hair wig, which better allows them to deal with social acceptance issues caused by changes in their physical appearance.

A hair donation event was a part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in El Salvador, and always thinking, “how can we help?” some of the Rulesware girls decided to make a hair donation.

Please take a look at some of the photos included in this post. If we have inspired you at all, please get involved yourself!

How the Hair is Used

To get an idea of how necessary hair donation is, six ponytails are required to make a human hair wig for a woman, which means six donors of hair per wig.

To Get Involved

Around the world there are many hair donation programs, we encourage you to help with this cause.

In the USA:
Locks of Love
Wigs4Kids
Pantene Beautiful Lengths Campaign

In El Salvador:
Gente Ayudando Gente
Asaprecan

Tips and Guidelines on Getting Involved

Before you cut your hair and send it off, make sure that you check the donation requirements of your preferred charity.

In general, the following guidelines are common for all organizations that accept hair:

• Hair has to be put into a pony tail or braid and cut above the pony tail holder.
• Donation length requirements may vary from 10 to 14 inches.
• Layered hair styles are typically okay, as long as the shortest layer is at least the minimum required length.
• Hair must be clean and dry.
• Hair may not be bleached, chemically treated (if unsure, ask your stylist), or more than 10% gray.
• Your cut off ponytail or braid should be packaged in a zippered plastic baggie and then put in a padded envelope

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill