How to Donate to Locks of Love

Co-authored by Matt King

Last Updated: March 1, 2023 Approved

Donating your hair after a major cut is a way to provide a great deal of help to people in need. One of the most popular hair donation charities, Locks of Love, is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 who suffer from long-term medical hair loss. Once you have double-checked your hair’s eligibility, sending a donation to Locks of Love is as simple as putting your hair up in a ponytail, getting a quick trim, and shipping it off in the right envelope.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cutting Your Hair for Donation

1
Start with unbleached, loose hair that's at least 10 inches (25 cm) long. In order to create hairpieces, Locks of Love has a few limitations on the kind of hair they accept. Among these are bleached hair, which interferes with manufacturing, and dreadlocks, which cannot be combed in the manufacturing process.^{[1]
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- Locks of Love accepts grey hair, permed hair, and colored (but not bleached) hair.
- Hair that has been bleached in the past and has fully grown back can be accepted by LoL.
- If your hair is layered, you should measure by the longest layer, and if you have curly hair, you can pull it straight in order to reach the limit.
2
Be aware that unfit hairs are sold to meet the organization's budget. Grey hairs and strands that are too short are typically sold in order to reduce the operating cost for a non-profit like Locks of Love.^{[2]
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- If you are upset by this practice, you may wish to find an alternative organization.
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Cut your hair at home if you feel comfortable. If you have a friend or family member who knows how to trim hair, you can simply sit in a chair at home and have them make the cut. So long as you feel comfortable with this, it is the easiest way to donate your hair.^{[3]
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- One downside to this is that your friend or family member may not be able to give you a new, shorter haircut right after cutting off the ponytail.
4
Go to a hair salon or barber for a professional cut. Some hair salons do free donation cuts, while others charge normally or refuse to do donations. Check with your preferred hair salon to see if they will help you cut your hair for Locks of Love.^{[4]
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- Try a few different salons if one tells you they don't do donation cuts.
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Shower and dry your hair before having it cut. Hair donated to Locks of Love must be fully dry and clean in order to be accepted. You should use shampoo and conditioner as you normally would, in order to remove imperfections and soften the hair.^{[5]
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- Ask your hairdresser not to wet your hair before cutting if you go to a salon.^{[6]
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6
Put your hair up into a ponytail or braid. Use a ponytail holder to tightly wrap around the highest point you plan to cut, or braid your hair right up to that point. If your hair is particularly long, put a second ponytail holder on the lower half of the ponytail.^{[7]
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- Hair that has been cut outside of a ponytail, including hair swept off of the floor, is not usable.
- If you are shaving your head, be sure to put the hair into multiple ponytails and cut them off before shaving.
- It also helps to tie off the bottom and middle of the hair with 2 more ponytail holders as well.
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Cut your hair above the ponytail holder or braid. Once your hair is up, the hair simply needs to be trimmed just above the ponytail or braids, so that the holder does not slip off. A standard pair of scissors is all you need to make this cut.
- Hair that was cut off in the past is usable so long as it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
- Make sure that you cut straight across.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Submitting Your Donation

1
Fill out the Hair Donation Form from LoL. This form can be found on the Locks of Love website. While it is not necessary for a hair donation, it allows you to receive an acknowledgement of your donation from the organization via mail or email.^{[8]
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- The form can be downloaded from https://locksoflove.org/get-involved/.
- If you would like an acknowledgement but can’t access the form, simply write your name and mailing address or email address and include it with your shipment to Locks of Love.
2
Place the hair in a plastic bag. Use a small plastic bag or sleeve to hold the braids or ponytail. You must keep the hair stored in a plastic bag during the shipping process so that it stays together and is easy for the Locks of Love volunteers to remove and sort.^{[9]
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3
Mail your hair donation to Locks of Love. The donation address listed on the LoL website is 234 Southern Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701. You should double check that you are mailing your donation to the right place by looking on the Locks of Love page.^{[10]
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- Ship your donation in a padded US Postal Service Envelope. In order to protect the hair as it is in transit, you should purchase a padded envelope online or at your local post office.^{[11]
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