My hair is gone!

If you aren’t already aware of Pantene Beautiful Lengths, I will now proceed to make you aware :)

 

In October 2011, I cut off [most of] my hair for the first time. I had let it grow out the longest it had ever been and I was so deeply in love with it.

 

Until it was too long to wear up in a bun.

 

And until I went to exercise and it got in the way.

 

And until I went to the beach and it was a tangled frizzy mess.

And…

You get the picture.

I wanted to cut it, but I had never thought I would cut off over nine inches. It would be a big adjustment, but I figured that if I was going to cut off five, I could go ahead and cut the minimum length requirement to donate my hair, which is eight inches.

I thoroughly did my homework, spending many hours reading articles, blogs, and analyzing websites. I chose to give my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Unlike Locks of Love, the wigs they make with your hair go to cancer patients for free. That’s right, free. This is a huge burden lifted, as these wigs can cost thousands of dollars. And Pantene Beautiful Lengths allows women to receive these wigs, not just children with Alopecia Disease, which make up most of the recipients of Locks of Love. Oh, and they don’t sell the extra hair they have on hand or can’t use like Locks of Love. Yes, sell your hair; the hair that you love so much and had a hard time parting with. I’m sure that Locks of Love is a very noble organization and I do not mean to trash talk it by any means, I just feel that Pantene Beautiful Lengths was the best option for what I wanted to do with my hair.

 

Fast forward a year and a few months and my hair had grown back almost to its original length. I was back where I was before, being annoyed with such long thick curly hair. I called my favorite hair stylist, Dawn, to make an appointment to get it chopped off. She offered to cut it for free since it was for such a worthy cause. Three days later, eight inches were cut off the front part and ten inches off the back. I wanted my hair shorter this time, just above shoulder length, and I’m actually quite happy about how it turned out.

The best part of this whole experience is knowing that I’ve made a difference in the life of a woman in need. I’ve never had cancer, but I know many beautiful women and men who have. It’s a very difficult experience to endure, especially for women who lose their hair and sometimes along with it, their sense of femininity.

If you have just eight inches of hair (not permanently dyed or more than 5% gray), please consider donating it to a woman in need. You have no idea how great you will feel and how great the recipient will feel :)

If this post inspired you, you can send your hair (clean, dry and in a ponytail holder, placed in a Ziploc bag and in a padded envelope) to:

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Attn: 192-123
20770 Westwood Dr
Strongsville, OH 44149

 

PS- If you would like acknowledgement for your hair donation, be sure to include a piece of paper with your name and address inside the Ziploc bag with your hair.