With St. Baldrick's season in full-swing, it's important to know where your hair donations are going. Dumbledore has just the facts, ma'am.
Why I Don't Support Locks of Love
Okay, I've been meaning to write this post for a couple of years, but it seems like someone has always just cut their hair and donated it to Locks of Love, and I really didn't want to offend anyone, or make them feel bad.
Buck up, Dumbledore. Tell 'em how you feel.
I love the idea of donating your hair to a charity. It's something so meaningful -- you're donating a part of yourself! And we girls, well, we've been raised on this notion. It's Della in Gift of the Magi and Jo in Little Women. It's putting someone else before your own vanity. It's lovely.
My problem with Locks of Love is that I think most people who donate are doing it under false assumptions:
a) Their hair will be used to make a wig
b) Their hair will be used to make a wig for a child with cancer
c) Their hair will be used to make a wig for a child with cancer, donating it to them for free
Now then:
a) Chances are good that your hair is either sold to a wigmaker or thrown away. (I read somewhere, but sorry, can't remember the source, that most American hair isn't good for wigs because we wash it all the time, use hairdryers, etc.)
b) The primary purpose of Locks of Love is children with alopecia. They donate their wigs to children with permanent hairloss, not the temporary loss caused by chemotherapy.
c) Not necessarily. For many, they are sold on a sliding-fee basis. One sends in an application, tax returns, medical diagnosis and two letters of recommendation.
Unlike some, I don't consider Locks of Love to be a scam. If you donated, you did a good thing. Children with alopecia deserve something that will make them feel more normal. (Although, maybe it's the Universalist in me, but I have an issue with requiring two letters of recommendation just for something to feel like you're a normal kid. But that's me.)
My problem is that there is a wide chasm between what people think Locks of Love does and the reality. Verisimilitude! This is one case where you can "blame the media" who don't even do the most basic investigation -- I mean, most of this information is on Locks of Love's own website. But the media continue to promote misinformation, such as in this article:
1) Donate it to Wigs for Kids.
2) To donate it for an adult going through chemo, donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths.
3) Best yet: Sell it and donate the proceeds to CureSearch.
Buck up, Dumbledore. Tell 'em how you feel.
I love the idea of donating your hair to a charity. It's something so meaningful -- you're donating a part of yourself! And we girls, well, we've been raised on this notion. It's Della in Gift of the Magi and Jo in Little Women. It's putting someone else before your own vanity. It's lovely.
My problem with Locks of Love is that I think most people who donate are doing it under false assumptions:
a) Their hair will be used to make a wig
b) Their hair will be used to make a wig for a child with cancer
c) Their hair will be used to make a wig for a child with cancer, donating it to them for free
Now then:
a) Chances are good that your hair is either sold to a wigmaker or thrown away. (I read somewhere, but sorry, can't remember the source, that most American hair isn't good for wigs because we wash it all the time, use hairdryers, etc.)
b) The primary purpose of Locks of Love is children with alopecia. They donate their wigs to children with permanent hairloss, not the temporary loss caused by chemotherapy.
c) Not necessarily. For many, they are sold on a sliding-fee basis. One sends in an application, tax returns, medical diagnosis and two letters of recommendation.
Unlike some, I don't consider Locks of Love to be a scam. If you donated, you did a good thing. Children with alopecia deserve something that will make them feel more normal. (Although, maybe it's the Universalist in me, but I have an issue with requiring two letters of recommendation just for something to feel like you're a normal kid. But that's me.)
My problem is that there is a wide chasm between what people think Locks of Love does and the reality. Verisimilitude! This is one case where you can "blame the media" who don't even do the most basic investigation -- I mean, most of this information is on Locks of Love's own website. But the media continue to promote misinformation, such as in this article:
"...he and several members of their Unitarian congregation decided to grow their hair for Locks of Love. The nonprofit organization provides wigs for children who lose their hair during chemotherapy."So, if you have long hair and you specifically want to help kids with cancer, what to do? Well, I have some answers.
1) Donate it to Wigs for Kids.
2) To donate it for an adult going through chemo, donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths.
3) Best yet: Sell it and donate the proceeds to CureSearch.
I was very shocked when I found this out myself years ago when I went to donate 23" of red hair. Great job guys! Always enjoy the education you bring:)
ReplyDeleteWell nothing against children with cancer, but the fact remains that children with alopecia do have a permanent hair loss condition. Their hair won't ever come back. Cancer sucks - no doubt about it, and death is a real possibility, but they are no more deserving of a wig simply because they have cancer.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes - my child has faced chemo for a type of benign brain tumor (but a brain tumor is still a brain tumor, and due to her genetic condition it may come back at any point in life).
A better organization would support both children who loose their hair to alopecia and to Chemo - because ALL Children deserve to look and feel normal.
- oh and one more thing you should understand about my daughter - she has severe epilepsy. She is profoundly delayed, and often wear a helmet to protect her from falls.
I agree that children with alopecia are definitely deserving of a wig to "feel normal!" I think Dumbledore's message was more for the people who donate to this particular program in the name of pediatric cancer, especially when so many St. Baldrick's events donate hair to LOL with the assumption it is going to the cancer kids. I can't speak for her, but I think she just wanted everyone to be aware of where the hair goes. (Kind of like the American Cancer Society, people donate to it in the name of kids because there is a child on their donation page, but in reality a slim amount goes to children's research.)
ReplyDeleteNo offense to anyone who has a condition in which they have lost their hair; we want wigs for everyone! I think Dumbledore is just providing some resources for people who specifically want to donate their hair to help children with cancer. Maybe one of the 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave?
Hi there Keri. Thank you for your feedback in regards to the situation of children afflicted with alopecia. Our goal at Red Dye #48 is to bring to light that if someone's desire is to give a free wig to a kid with cancer, Locks of Love does not do that, at all.
ReplyDeleteThey don't even give free wigs to kids with alopecia, most have to pay.
Our main objections with Locks of Love are the marketing used (pamphlets covered with bald kids in hospital settings, kids that look like they have cancer) and the purposeful lack of public correction by LOL about what they really do. They are thriving off of the misconceptions of tender hearted people.
Our goal was to inform people so that they could take that knowledge and make their own decision. I whole heartedly wish Locks of Love just did what the public thinks they do, give free wigs to any child who doesn't have hair, either permanently or temporarily; but, since they don't, we believe people should know the truth.