Hair

I've decided to donate my hair, but before I can, I need to spend a few months growing more of it.  It is currently at armpit length.  I've been itching to lose some inches; it's heavy and I don't do anything with it. However, I think I'm not likely to let it grow this long again, so if I'm ever going to donate my hair, now is the time. In order to for me to have enough hair to donate and still have a style I like, I need to grow about three more inches, which should take about six months. I will need a bit of patience, so I'm posting about it here. This way, my commitment feels official and I will be less likely to change my mind.

I haven't chosen the recipient of my donation, but I am leaning toward Locks of Love. Based on  my research, I feel they will make the best use of my hair. This is specifically because I have some layers and their website specifically indicates that's okay, because they sell the shorter hair to offset their costs. I have actually learned a bit in researching the different organizations, and I've made a chart for comparison of the different organizations (below). I was particularly wowed by Matter of Trust, which uses donated hair in a completely unexpected way.

Program	Who benefits?	Requirements	Link to website
Pantene Beautiful Lengths	American Cancer Society	Min Length: 8 inches No bleach, permanent dye, or chemical treatment, no more than 5% grey	http://tiny.cc/lxpr4
Wigs For Kids/ Childhood Leukemia Found-ation	Children under 18 with hair loss due to burns, chemo/ radiation alopecia, or other medical reason	Min Length: 12 inches Hair cannot be permed, color-treated, or highlighted	http://tiny.cc/l6u0x
Locks of Love	Financially disadvantaged children in the US and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.	Min Length: 10 inches Colored or permed okay but no bleach, layered hair okay if longest is 10 inches	http://tiny.cc/kj25u
Children with Hair Loss	Children with any form of medically related hair loss	Min Length: 8 inches Non-chemically treated preferred but any hair accepted	http://tiny.cc/ydtfe
Matter of Trust	The environment: used to clean up oil spills	Min length: none Any type of hair from the head is okay	http://tiny.cc/puank

This week has been busy because Matt has relations in town, but we have a fun weekend ahead so hopefully that will just provide more material for blogging!