Kyla has not had any real haircuts her entire life.  She loves her long, blonde hair.  It grows very thick and slightly wavy.  When brushed straight, it came to the small of her back.

Kyla thought that her hair would make a pretty wig for someone who needed it.  I assured her that it would.  Upon her request, I scheduled her a hair appointment.

These are the before and after photographs of Kyla.

Kyla before the hair donation.

Kyla's new hairdo.

Kyla was very happy to donate a foot of her hair; although, she was not planning to make that long of a donation.  She only intended to donate 9 inches.  As the hairdresser began to make the cut, her hair was so thick that the scissors would not cut through.  Eventually, the hair was cut; it was just shorter than originally intended.  Kyla was still pleased with the results.

She immediately noticed how light her hair felt.  The next day I asked her if she liked her haircut.  She replied, “My hair is always untangled!”  Getting her hair completely brushed through was becoming a problem for Kyla.  Now it is very easy to comb through her hair.  It is still long enough to put up in a pony-tail.  It is probably easier now than before because there is so much less hair.

I am very happy that Kyla likes her haircut.  I think that it is very cute.  Most importantly, I am proud that my daughter wanted to give her hair away.  It is a selfless act.

It reminds me of the short story, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry.  It is not a perfect comparison.  Della donates her hair in order to raise funds for her husband’s Christmas gift.  Simultaneously, her husband sells his prized possession so that he may buy his wife a beautiful comb for her hair.  Both characters make sacrifices for someone that they love.

Kyla’s gift was perhaps more special because she gave away her prized possession for a complete stranger.  I wonder what she will think of this classic story.  As I write this article, I have decided to read her “The Gift of the Magi” this week and discuss it with her afterward.

Trying to cut through Kyla's hair.

The process of hair donation is quite simple.  You show up to your appointment with clean and dry hair.  You put your hair in a low pony-tail.  You measure making sure the hair is at least 8 inches long.  You have someone cut your hair.  Then you place the pony-tail in a padded envelope.  Address the envelope and pay for the postage.  It really is that easy.

If you have ever wanted to donate your hair, I encourage you to take the plunge.  Make the appointment.  It is scary; any kind of change is scary.  Just remember, your hair will grow back.  To read all the rules and regulations about hair donation, check out Pantene’s website.

Before I donated my hair, I researched two different organizations.  I chose to donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  This organization requires less hair than other ones.  Most importantly for me, they give the wigs away for free.  The wigs primarily go to women with cancer.

The following are step-by-step photographs of the process.  Your hair has to be clean and dry.  I washed my hair an hour or so before my appointment.

Brushing out my long locks.

Then the hair dresser gathers the hair into a rubber band.  It looks like a low ponytail.  She measures carefully to ensure that the proper length of hair is present.  For Pantene Beautiful Lengths, the minimum requirement is 8 inches of hair.  There is no maximum requirement.  The hair dresser then prepares to cut an inch above the rubber band.

No turning back now!

She asked me, “Are you sure about this?”  I nodded my head.  Then I heard the sound of very sharp scissors slicing through my hair.  “Oh, well.  Hair will grow back,” I thought to myself as I felt her remove most of my hair.  She lifted the pony tail up in the air.  I donated 11 1/2 inches of hair.  She wrapped another rubber band around the middle of the pony tail to secure the hair even more.  I dropped it into a padded envelope already addressed to the organization.

Then she washed my hair so that she could cut and style it more easily.  I flipped through a book of hair styles that she purchased just for me.  There were so many different types and so many different choices.  My cousin had advised me to keep it simple.  And, I heeded his advice.

My New Do

My hair is lightly layered in the back.  I still have side-sweeping bangs.  However in this picture, you cannot really tell.  My hair moves and bounces.  It feels very light.  For the first time, people can see the back of my neck without me putting my hair up.  I think my new haircut is cute.  One thing is for sure; it is certainly different.

I hope that someone special gets to wear my hair.  I hope that it makes her feel better and more self-confident.  I pray that she recovers fully from her illness.  It feels great to make a long donation of hair.

If you have any interest in donating your hair, then check out Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  They have a pdf file you can download with all of the rules and information.  They also have tips to help you grow long, healthy hair so that you can donate.