Hair

[magid]

I just made an appointment for a haircut. I know this shouldn't be nervous-making, but my last haircut was the end of 2001. Plus I'm getting 10 inches off (for Locks of Love), rather than just the 3-inch trim I'd originally thought to do. And now it's mental nail-biting time. Will it look ok with a blunt cut? Will there be enough left that I'll be able to pull my hair back? Will my hair be acceptable for donation? (Though if not, I can just get the trim, so really, no need to be concerned, right?)

On the plus side: instant weight loss! *grin*

Comments

[jaq.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested to hear how much it weighs.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I'll see if they'll weigh it for me.

[pling.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that'd be cool. I've been curious for ages about how much my hair weighs, so if you let us know how much 10 inches of hair weighs then I can guestimate :)

[magid.livejournal.com]

My hair is a lot thinner than it used to be :-(. If I'm remembering correctly, yours would be rather thicker (heavier) than mine.

Of course, I have no idea if the salon has a scale or anything around. Hm. If I have time, I could go to the gym scale before and after. Though it's likely not precise enough, so perhaps not worth doing.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I just got my usual buzz-cut. I look fabulous. :-)

[magid.livejournal.com]

I've debated getting a buzz cut, but I'm always to wimpy to go through with it. You, on the other hand, I'm sure look fabulous :-)

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

It *is* nerve-wracking, though! Until yesterday, I hadn't had mine cut since November of 2003, and it still feels very strange to see so much less hair in the mirror. (It also felt odd to look at my ponytail detached from my head.) My husband was looking at me yesterday and saying, "I've never seen you with hair this short."

I imagine your hair will be fine for donation. IIRC, wigmakers usually demand virgin hair (never dyed, never permed), but Locks of Love does not. (And this is a good thing, since I did have a few disastrous perms 20 years ago.)

[magid.livejournal.com]

It always hits me when I'm first washing my hair afterward, and it doesn't go on as long as my arms remember. Somehow seeing it in the mirror isn't nearly as visceral.

I hadn't thought about looking at the ponytail detached, rather than all the clumps on the floor. Thanks for the warning.

I've had a couple of perms years and years ago (not quite 20, but close), and have intermittently tried the kind of dyes that fill in the gray, so I'm not a candidate for wigmakers, either. I'm not sure how long my split ends are, which was what made me wonder whether my hair was long enough (without them, if they have to be taken off).

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

One way it's hit me is brushing my hair after a shower. My hair tangles very easily, so I generally brush it when it's still sopping wet and more amenable to giving up its grip on knots. I used to have to use long strokes, and now the brush jumps free very quickly. Weird.

Anyway, Lock of Love's web site says they accept permed and dyed hair as long as it's not bleached or chemically damaged. Sounds like yours qualifies. And they will need the hair in a ponytail or braid -- the site says they can't use floor sweepings.

[magid.livejournal.com]

*nod*

I checked the site, and the appointment is with one of the salons on their list, so everything should be fine. The woman on the phone went over the requirements, and said that I could get a blunt cut (free) or more of a styled cut (for half the stylist's rate, ie $25-$40). I have no clue what I'll look like with either (it's been a while, and I've changed some since the last time it was short), so I've opted for free. Of course, if it looks horrible, I figure I can still get it changed.

Beware of Locks of Love

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

I was watching Queer Eye with K last week, and the guys were cutting some fellow's long hair and donating it to Locks of Love. K immediately started ripping on Locks of Love. Apparently, they don't use the hair donations for cancer patients. They make some wigs/hairpieces for children who suffer from a specific condition (and I can't remember the name of the condition). They receive far more hair than they can use, so they store the other hair in a warehouse, often for years, or sell their hair to wig makers for profit. They have been reported to the BBB and are or have been investigated for violation of their non-profit status.

Anyhow, this is hearsay from K through a friend of hers who lost a relative to cancer and had negative experiences with Locks of Love. I'm just passing this on as a heads-up. Maybe this bit of hearsay is all wrong, but you might want to look into this a bit deeper before you give your spare hair to them.

Re: Beware of Locks of Love

[magid.livejournal.com]

According to their website, they provide wigs for kids under 18 with long-term medical hair loss. How they define that, I don't know.

This site says that they meet all but one of their criteria for charities, the one about sending back financial forms. However, Guidestar had their last 5 or 6 years of tax forms, and the most recent year looked reasonably ok, given that I'm not a tax lawyer or an accountant.

They say upfront that any gray hair will be sold, and some of mine is. I don't mind if they store it for a while (perhaps waiting for a kid who wants hair like mine?). And it's not like I'd be using the hair for anything else, really. I could get less cut off, but it's a renewable resource.