When I was 17 years old I had the opportunity to donate my hair for the first time. I’ve made a promise with myself, that if I was approved in college I would donate my hair for somebody that really needed. This haircut not just changed my look, which had been for a long time compound of wicks that goes until the waist, but marked a new phase of my life. This new phase showed me how changes are good – and can get even better when we are helping someone.
Photo: Isabela Frasinelli
If you are in doubt of donating your hair or never have thought of doing it, this is the right post to inspire you. I had the pleasure to talk with female Cásper Líbero students that have passed through this experience and shared all the good sides of donating their hair.
Just like me, Journalism student Amanda Ravelli donated her hair when she entered in college. She believed that her hair, which once was like her identity, was not combining with this new phase of her life and it was something that she wanted to leave behind. Amanda also said that her first motivation for the donation itself was that she would like to help somebody in some way.
Since she didn’t have any attachments to her hair, the only thoughts that were restraining this will were the non-approval of her mother, who said that her face would stay very round. However, one day she decided to go to the hairstylist and cut her hair without anyone knowing. This confidence resulted in 30 to 35 centimeters donated that opened new doors to this new path of her life and personality.
Photo: Amanda Ravelli
Marina Forghieri, Public Relations’ student, always had a good relation with her hair, so she never made any chemical procedures or dyed it. However, she told me one thing that I’m sure many girls pass through: dryness! Since she never had much patience to take care of it, cutting a considerable length and donating it was a great idea. Now she has less 15 centimeters and a hair that she’s trying to take better care.
The institution that she donated was Rapunzel Solidária, an organization with no economic purposes that receives donations from all Brazil and the world. They transform all the hair into beautiful wigs and deliver to kids, young people and adults that are in treatment of cancer and other diseases, like Alopecia, that causes hair loss.
Photo: Marina Forghieri
And since we’re talking about hair, here’s something the Journalism student Leticia Rodrigues is passionate about. She said that her hair is the thing that she loved the most. And here is someone who is not afraid to change her passion: Leticia has already dyed her hair of many colors and donated her hair twice! Since her hair grows really fast, she prefers to donate it rather than just throw in the while there are so many people that need it. Both times that Leticia donated her hair – reaching 35 centimeters in the second time – it was to the Institution Cabelegria, that helps children with cancer.
Photo: Leticia Rodrigues
But it’s not everyone that has a good relation with their hair. Because of her weight, the Radio, TV and Internet student, Lydia Scatolin, used her hair to hide herself, especially the size of her arms. Her haircut came as a self-acceptance about her body. When she stopped to care about it, she had the courage to cut her hair, that in her perspective it was a burden at that time. Besides the self-acceptance, helping other people also incentivated her to donate 30 centimeters of her hair. The institution that she donated her hair is called Organization of Riverside Victims of Motor Accidents and has a really good purpose. They help women victims of scalping they are prone due to the unsafe boat engines.
Photo: Lydia Scatolin
And now that I’m sure you are at least a little bit inspired, here’s some requirements and tips if you want to donate your hair:
- You need to have at least 10 cm of hair to donate for most places, just check the minimum that each institution accepts for donation. However, there are no limits! You can donate as much as you want!
- Be careful that the cut wires don’t touch the floor
- You can’t have any hair disease
- Keep the hair dry and clean in a plastic bag until you donate it
- Notify the hairdresser that you want to donate the hair, because you need to cut it already tied with elastic or braided
- The donated hair can have chemistry or be dyed
- Any kind of hair can be donated! Straight, curly, wavy, fuzzy… everything is accepted
- And, to finalize, here are some places that you can donate: Cabealegria, Instituto Mário Penna, Organização Dos Ribeirinhos Vítimas De Acidente De Motor, Rapunzel Solidária