In fourth grade, I donated my hair to Locks of Love. There was some miscommunication between my stylist and I, but long story short, I ended up with a short haircut I hated. After that I never cut more than a few inches from my hair at a time. By my sophomore year of college, I had hair down to my hips and I was getting tired of it. I realized I was hiding behind my hair, using it like a security blanket. It was a hassle to wash, dry, and style. It was a big deal for me to do so much as brush it and wear it down. I wore it in a french braid practically every day. I will say though, I got a lot of compliments on my braids.
I had been thinking about cutting my hair for about a year before I did it. I wanted to cut it after I got my braces off. (yay for braces in college). I held onto my long hair for a little while longer and tried to appreciate it, but I realized I was more afraid of the change than I was actually in love with my hair.
I knew that I was going to donate my hair again when I was ready for a big change. I had so much, it seemed wasteful not to donate it. And realistically, there are people who need it more than me. My favorite teacher in high school was a cancer survivor and a friend of my family. I saw her fight and lose her hair and I read her blog post about how much that truly meant to her. It broke my heart to read these thoughts from someone I knew personally. I saw her come to school with her wig and eventually, with her own hair. In fourth grade, I didn’t have much of a reason for donating other than that it seemed like a nice thing to do, but donating as an adult, I was able to appreciate the reality of it much more.
Over Christmas break I went back to my parents’ house and I decided it was time to bite the bullet, so to speak. I had my girlfriends help me pick out a photo to take to the hairdresser and I prepared myself to go. I was getting excited about it.
I was referred to Wigs for Kids instead of Locks of Love this time around and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s considering donating. Many of the companies that accept donated hair sell the wigs once they are made, but Wigs for Kids gives them for free to anyone who qualifies.
I think my hairdresser, Sara, was more distraught over cutting my hair than I was. Hairdressers loved my hair; it was crazy long with very little damage because I never styled it and it had never been colored. When I sat in the chair, Sara asked me if I was sure about making the cut and she said if I was going to cry, she wasn’t going to do it. I told her I was sure. And I didn’t cry.
Since the scissors touched my hair, I never had a regret about cutting it. Selfishly, because it was time for a change and now I have a haircut I love. I feel like a grown-up now and I am so much more confident, now that I’m not hiding behind two feet of hair. Not-so-selfishly, because I know it went to someone who not only needed it more than me, but appreciated it much more too.