Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that makes wigs for children suffering from hair loss as a result of various systemic conditions including cancer and alopecia. I heard about the organization many years ago when I was graduating from high school; and I wanted to help, but back then the criteria to donate was pretty strict. During those days, my hair was anything but healthy; it was dyed and fried to be exact.
Years passed; and I forgot all about it (terrible, I know). Then a few years ago, out of the blue, my hair stylist Taylor asked if I had ever considered donating my hair. She explained how newer technology made it possible for processed hair to be donated. Unfortunately, my hair laid in heaps at her feet. I decided right then that I would re-grow my hair out & donate it by my 30th birthday. We decided that I would only see Taylor every 6-8 weeks for necessary trims to keep my mane healthy. Forward two years later to my 30th birthday. Technically, my 30th birthday plus a week, but we’re going to overlook that little detail.
I chopped 12 inches of hair off!!! The picture doesn’t do the haircut justice because it’s taken at different angles & distances, but trust me there is a whole lot of hair gone. Before the donation, my hair was brushing my waist and now it’s barely dusting my shoulders. The haircut, despite what my friends & colleagues think, does not look good on me. There is so much I still need to get used to – the lightness (was my hair really that heavy?) and the feeling of air on my neck (was it always this cold in Philadelphia?) – but that’s okay. My hair will grow back; it always does. It’s something these little girls are without; and something I took for granted. Before all of this, I never realized the extent to which hair – the length, color, and style – can make someone feel about themselves. I get it now. Now that my hair is the shortest it has ever been. Now that I’m forced outside of my comfort zone. Somehow, knowing that my hair will help some little girl feel just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside far outweighs a bad haircut, any day.
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