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lora410
August 14th, 2008, 12:39 PM
When I was younger I wanted to grow my hair out and donate to them because I thought it was a good cause. I just heard it advertised that LOL will be in my town this weekend and saying donate your hair etc. I wonder do people who donate know that this hair is being sold? And is it in fact being sold to people instead of given to cancer patients? I am not trying to start anything I was just curious what the real deal is with them.

Gumball
August 14th, 2008, 12:41 PM
From my experience talking to people who've donated to them they didn't know that LoL primarily sold what they got and were really selective on the recipients of the select hair pieces that were actually made.

Beldaran
August 14th, 2008, 12:46 PM
When I was younger I wanted to grow my hair out and donate to them because I thought it was a good cause. I just heard it advertised that LOL will be in my town this weekend and saying donate your hair etc. I wonder do people who donate know that this hair is being sold? And is it in fact being sold to people instead of given to cancer patients? I am not trying to start anything I was just curious what the real deal is with them.

Well that's the funny thing, if you go to their website right now, you can read for yourself that the wigs aren't "given to cancer patients". They're provided free or SOLD (on a sliding scale) to children with Alopecia. That LOL isn't making a bigger fuss about making sure people know what they REALLY do bothers me a lot.

If they really want to help kids with alopecia, why not raise awareness about it instead of letting the public believe the wigs are being giftwrapped and sent to children with cancer?

I won't comment on them selling the hair, as I have yet to see real proof of that. The one time I thought I did see proof, it turns out the person who wrote the article was quoting this very board as their proof.

Juneii
August 14th, 2008, 12:51 PM
that makes me sad, but because LoL isn't trying to hide the fact that they don't donate to cancer patients they can't really get into trouble for it..
would we get into trouble for trying to dispel their customers?

Ursula
August 14th, 2008, 12:54 PM
We don't know that the hair is being sold.

We only know that the numbers don't add up - the number of donations they say they get, the number of donations needed to make a wig, and the number of kids they say they've provided wigs for doesn't match, and based on their numbers, they should have the hair to provide many times more wigs than they actually provide. (They say they sell "unsuitable" hair - but it seems unlikely that 90% of the hair they get is unsuitable for wigs. What do they do with hair that is suitable, but not put to use?)

It's important, when discussing a group like this, to be very precise about what is known. If somone says "they sell the hair" and it turns out that they throw the hair away, then the focus of the story will be that the whistleblower was wrong about the hair being sold, not that the hair is not being used for wigs.

Slug Yoga
August 14th, 2008, 12:58 PM
It's true that LoL is open, on their website and such, about what they do with the hair, but from my experience that is not the public perception at all, and most people's understanding is that they make wigs for kids with cancer.

It would be really cool, lora410, if you could go to the LoL event and check things out! Ask the people there to donate what they think LoL does, talk to the LoL people and see whether they tell you up front that the wigs are for kids with alopecia, or whether they let people keep thinking it's for kids with cancer, only telling the truth when pressed, and so on. I'll bet a publishable article could come out of it.

saracuda
August 14th, 2008, 01:10 PM
My boss' daughter has alopecia, and I'd gladly give her some of my inches if I could guarantee that my hair was going to her, but I don't think they work that way.

Chromis
August 14th, 2008, 01:17 PM
IME, most people do not know and some do not care even when told so. They are just looking for a free haircut or figure it would just go to waste anyhow. I personally find it abhorrent, but there are many views.

Nevermore
August 14th, 2008, 01:31 PM
This is just my two cents, but I think selling one's hair and giving the proceeds to charity (whether that's cancer research or the ASPCA or what have you) is the best way one can use one's hair for charity. LoL has always seemed very dishonest to me, they don't clear up the misconceptions about their organization so people think the wigs are free to kids with cancer and the fact that they're not always clear on what's unsuitable for their wig-making (gray, colored, damaged, too short, so on) so that alot of people donate and their hair never finds its way into a wig for any child.

goatgal
August 14th, 2008, 01:44 PM
If you really want your hair to go to women needing wigs, choose Pantene. They donate wigs to women who are receiving chemo. A friend was undergoing treatment in Oklahoma City and the folks from Pantene gave hair and make-up workshops, with free wigs (human hair) included. It was a real day-maker for my friend. Unfortunately, we lost her a few months later, but the wig really boosted her spirits at the time.

freznow
August 14th, 2008, 01:46 PM
I'd stay WAY CLEAR of that event. You may be able to educate some people, but the general reaction is "You don't know what you're talking about. You offend me!" or at the very least, if you do go, wear your hair up and maybe under a hat!

Blueglass
August 14th, 2008, 01:50 PM
Dear lora410, if you would visit the web sit, LOL never states that wigs go to children with cancer. The wigs are for children with perment Alopica. A condition which can be do to genetics, or circumstances such as a burn to the scalp or a sever dog bite. Many people just assume that all hairless children have cancer, but hairloss or a failure to grow hair can accurre for many reasons. This, organization, to be fair, has never claimed to assist children with cancer. That is just a common misconception. It is not the fault of LOL, even if the organization gives me the hebejebe's.

lora410
August 14th, 2008, 01:51 PM
Thanks ladies and my noob self never thought to look up the website. I don't plan to donate my hair. I just heard the commercial and it got the wheels rolling. I would think that they would decline people who's hair they found unsuitable to being with instead of accepting it?

angelthadiva
August 14th, 2008, 02:05 PM
People should do their research prior to making any claims or donations--I'd say this of LoL or any other group...

According to the LoL (http://www.locksoflove.org/faq.html#Aa8) website under FAQ, they DO sell hair they deem unuseable, supposedly the funds from the sale of the unuseable hair is used to offset the manufacturing of the wigs...If your hair doesn't fall within the criteria they deem being "good hair" 10"+, not grey, bleached or dreadlocks...I also wanted to note that, the wigs are free or on a sliding scale based on financial need of the family...Also, these wigs are between $3,500 and $6,000--You can draw your own conclusions.

lora410
August 14th, 2008, 02:18 PM
Thanks everyone I looked at the website which is what I should have just done first. It states the donate for children with semi-permentant hair loss. You have all been great about answering my question without things getting out of hand :)

burns_erin
August 14th, 2008, 02:20 PM
I have personally known two kids with alopecia who got wigs for free. I have also donated my hair (I had to cut for work/school and felt it was better to do something than nothing). That being said, and while the concept is good, I do agree that they are likely not doing all they could to make certain public perception is clear. I went to a LoL affiliated salon and even the stylists there did not know the facts about LoL.

(As a side note-children with cancer get fake hair wigs unless the chemotherapy causes permanent hairloss)

In any event-is this the worst thing you can do with your hair should you cut-NO, but is it the best thing you could do-probably not.

Rapunzelwannabe
August 14th, 2008, 03:13 PM
On the LOL website, it has their financial paperwork available to view, and there is a $1,082,590 excess of funds. That's a lot of unusable hair they sold to 'help offset manufacturing costs' Also, the only time they toss the hair is if it's moldy or not in a ponytail. Although the ponytail can't have been created from hair that fell on the floor after cutting, no matter how long it is.
ETA: And they're asking people to donate for a shear genius episode and do a mass cutting, probably for next season. I swear to God if it gets aired, I'm so boycotting it.

thankyousir74
August 14th, 2008, 03:21 PM
I'd stay WAY CLEAR of that event. You may be able to educate some people, but the general reaction is "You don't know what you're talking about. You offend me!" or at the very least, if you do go, wear your hair up and maybe under a hat!

Very true I wouldn't go anywhere near there. Some people are really insistent that you donate your long hair even if they don't know exactly where the donations go. If you say anything like that to someone who has their heart and mind set on donating their hair, they may get offended and accuse you of things...

heidi w.
August 14th, 2008, 03:32 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html?pagewanted=1&en=188afa9ebe572df0&ei=5090&ex=1346731200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

All of this is researched with interviews with the President of the companies where statistics are being provided. I can vouch for the research because when I was interviewed for this article, I didn't have to tell the journalist a thing: she knew it all already! She knew more than me, and how the system worked. She quoted from reliable sources, and only experientally from me and others.

All italics are quoted text from the linked article, above.


How much is donated?
At the headquarters of Locks of Love in Lake Worth, Fla., the hair deluge — up to 2,000 individual donations a week — can be daunting for the small staff of six employees and 10 to 15 volunteers.

“We created this monster because people get so much from it,” said Madonna Coffman, the president of Locks of Love. “They get the attention. They get a warm and fuzzy feeling. They feel they’re going to help a child.”

I've read estimates by partner companies that as much as 3000-5000 donations come in in one week. Look at how many hair pieces they've made in all these years of existence on LoL website.


Do they sell hair?
Even hair that survives the winnowing may not go to the gravely ill, but may be sold to help pay for charities’ organizational costs.

In fact, all three of the children’s charities sell excess hair — in particular, the short and the gray — to commercial wig makers to defray costs. According to its tax returns, Locks of Love made $1.9 million from hair sales from 2001 to 2006, and took in another $3.4 million in donations. Besides paying for wigs, the money goes for overhead and other costs, including grants for alopecia research.

LoL website clearly states it sells hair that is deemed unsuitable for a wig. Question is where. The old President of LoL is now a for-profit wig business in CA.

Taylormade is allowed to sell hair left over too....or are they stuffing those golf balls??? um, if so much hair is donated, and hair isn't suitable for a wig....it gets tossed. but obviously there's plenty of suitable hair too, that can't be used (see below the quote from Taylormade)

NO, MOST DONORS HAVE NO IDEA THIS ISN'T FOR CANCER, NOR THAT THEIR HAIR MORE THAN LIKELY WILL BE THROWN AWAY. THEY ALSO HAVE NO IDEA THAT LoL HAS RECEIVED PLENTY -- RATHER TOO MUCH HAIR -- AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW FEW WIGS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN MADE, NOR THAT NOT ALL WIGS ARE SUPPLIED TO ALOPECIA SUFFERERS FOR FREE! PLUS MANY WHO DO THE CUTTING DO NOT KNOW THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DONATING IN TERMS OF THE HAIR'S CONDITION. (No dreadlocks, for example)

Do they throw away hair?
But although charities have been highly effective at stirring the passions of donors, they have been less successful at finding a use for the mountains of hair sent to them as a result. As much as 80 percent of the hair donated to Locks of Love, the best known of the charities, is unusable for its wigs, the group says. Many people are unaware of the hair donation guidelines and send in hair that is gray, wet or moldy, too short, or too processed, some of which is immediately thrown away. Even hair that survives the winnowing may not go to the gravely ill, but may be sold to help pay for charities’ organizational costs.

Locks of Love sends the best of the hair it receives to a wig manufacturer, Taylormade Hair Replacement in Millbrae, Calif., which weeds through the selection still further, rejecting up to half.

“We hate throwing it away but ultimately we have to clear the place out,” said Greg Taylor, the president and owner of Taylormade. “There is a disparity between the hundreds and hundreds of braids and ponytails and the number of hairpieces we’ve produced.”

Perhaps they would be less adamant if they could visit Ms. Coffman in the Locks of Love office in Florida. Every day the hanks of hair arrive, filling some 10 postal bins, representing the best intentions of donors, but so much of it destined for the trash.

“A check would be easier for me,” Ms. Coffman said. “But would the donors get out of it what they do? No.”

FYI, Taylormade is a golf company, and very well known. (What the article doesn't show is that Taylormade sends the kept hair on to Indonesia for the pieces to be made. How much is labor in Indonesia? How much is that wig valued at? It says so on LoL website!)


Mr. Taylor sells the wigs wholesale to Locks of Love for less than $1,000. Since the charity began in December 1997, it has provided about 2,000 wigs to recipients for free or a reduced price. -- what was that price value of a wig again? reference LoL website

SKIDDING TO A HALT. What were those numbers again? let's see, 1997...2000 wigs .... how many donations per week? What year is this? 2007...(when the article came out)

Who does LoL serve?
The group makes clear in its literature and on its Web site that most of the wig recipients are not children with cancer. Rather, they are children who suffer from alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that destroys follicles and results in hair loss. About 2 percent of the population, including half a million children, are estimated to have alopecia.

But many alopecia sufferers seem unaware that they are the group’s main priority; only about 10 apply for a wig each week, Ms. Coffman said. Many donors, too, seem ignorant or only partly aware of the group’s focus. Maggie Varney, a hairdresser and owner of a salon in St. Clair Shores, Mich., said she was shocked to learn that hair she collected from her clients and sent to Locks of Love was not used for wigs for children with cancer.

Hope this helps answer questions,
heidi w.

heidi w.
August 14th, 2008, 03:42 PM
And here's the companion article to the article quoted above. It explains the different hair charities, their goals and who they serve so people can make better informed decisions.

The journalist tried to be as fair as possible and allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions and decisions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06lockside.html?_r=1&ref=fashion&oref=slogin

heidi w.

heidi w.
August 14th, 2008, 03:45 PM
Those standing in line at the donation location, I don't recommend trying to educate, unless they're good friends that you know. If that is the case, try approaching privately and just hand them the article, and leave it to them.

Really, though, I find it's best to stay out of it.

I have no problem with those who want to donate if they're fully informed. But most of the public is not FULLY informed regarding LoL.

heidi w.

embee
August 14th, 2008, 03:58 PM
Last week I went to a political meeting. The speaker explained why he looked different from his earlier photos - that he'd cut his hair. Why? He'd grown it out for LoL, because his *wife* had cancer. And now his hair was short again.

I kept my mouth shut. He was so happy to have "done something".

I'd rather give some money towards finding a cure. Or, as one member here, join the bonemarrow bank. Now that's the Real Deal.

Bene
August 14th, 2008, 04:15 PM
a couple of years back, my boss' wife had asked me if i were going to donate to LoL... and i told her no. she started up with the whole "why not? it's for a good cause"



her heart was in the right place. but the truth is, even IF the hair were going to cancer kids, i still wouldn't give it up. and it makes me less inclined to give to cancer kids if ppl keep insisting on it.

Blueglass
August 14th, 2008, 08:29 PM
Cancer or otherwise, I'm sure hairloss is difficult for children or anyone, no matter the reason. Damage, Locks of Love, Beautiful lengths, cancer, brain surgery, scalping, scalp burns, religious rituals, alopecia for hereditary reasons, it's all hair loss, and its all a dehibilitating condition. Hopefully we can learn to clone hair soon grow it in a lab for transplant, so that will help in some cases. People will not need wigs. We will not think about these things.

Darkhorse1
August 14th, 2008, 08:57 PM
I did extensive research on this since people kept prodding me to cut my hair for LoL.

Factors are:
1. Wigs are for patients with alopecia, not cancer. You must qualify for a wig, and if your hair will grow back, you don't get a wig. (for free)
2. Hair donated needs to be split free, chemical free, dye free, gray free---damaged hair, colored hair, sun bleached hair cannot be accepted. This is why they are targeting young kids. My hair dresser said that many donations end up in the garbage because the hair is unusable.
3. Fact--yes, LoL does sell the hair they get. If it's unusable, they sell it to places that make extensions. The money goes to the 'upkeep' of the organization. To me, that seems really fishy. Fact. Super long hair can get up to two grand on ebay.

Basically, I read that someone stated something that made sense. If you want to help people with cancer. Cut your hair/sell it and donate that money to cancer research.

Just read an article on a four year old who donated ten inches of her hair. Hair like hers would sell for quite a lot as it's pure, no splits and strong. Hopefully it makes its way to LoL, not ebay/someone's pocket :(

CurlyOne
August 14th, 2008, 09:51 PM
:( LoL gives me the creeps. Luckily I haven't had anyone come up and give me that whole "You should donate!" speech but if it happens I like to think I will be able to deal with it and give them a little information back.


Just read an article on a four year old who donated ten inches of her hair. Hair like hers would sell for quite a lot as it's pure, no splits and strong. Hopefully it makes its way to LoL, not ebay/someone's pocket
That also creeps me out. If you look on ebay, hair that came from children always goes for a higher price, some people just like to have hair. shudder:

Sofoulee
August 14th, 2008, 10:36 PM
Wow, that's a lot of information and research Heidi, bravo.

Darkhorse1
August 14th, 2008, 11:03 PM
Heidi--that's the stuff I found online. My hair dresser said they all got a booklet that was HUGE to advise those who wanted to donate. She said most people/hair dressers never read the booklet, but she did.

Yep, if you look at how much hair goes for on ebay, it's frightening. Human hair is a very lucrative business. A friend of mine had very long hair and wanted a change, so she cut it and sold it for two grand to some guy off ebay. She didn't want to know what he did with it. The money went towards her debt.

Tressie
August 14th, 2008, 11:48 PM
Thanks for the info! Beautiful hair photos by the way!:o Thanks for sharing!

bex487
August 15th, 2008, 08:31 AM
I also suggest not "educating" people at the event. What it comes down to is this:

People feel good about making a contribution. Why ruin it for them? Personally, if I had made up my mind to donate my hair, giving it to a child with alopecia instead of a child with cancer would make me feel just as good.

Being helpful might just backlash on you, if people feel like you're putting down a good deed.

Oskimosa
August 15th, 2008, 09:50 AM
This is what I personally found on the LoL faqs:


Q. What are some of the medical conditions of the children you help?
A. Most of our recipients suffer from alopecia areata. Others have experienced hair loss from radiation therapy and chemotherapy, severe burns or trauma, and various other genetic and dermatological conditions.

Chemotherapy is cancer treatment, right? In my short search, I didn't see someplace else where they said they DIDN'T give to cancer patients. But that's neither here nor there, it is just misleading and I don't think they care.

Sadly, neither do most people I talk to. In fact, they think I'm lying or just whistful for my locks when I tell them the truth about their little operation. Some people just say "it doesn't matter, your heart was in the right place." I, on the other hand, lost 10 inches of beautiful blonde wavy virgin hair to their so-called charity. I figured I should hand it to someone who needed it more than I did.

I used to think that maybe one day I'd be walking through a toy store or a mall or down the street and that I might see a cheerful little girl with hair that looked the way mine used to, and that I might wonder if I had been the one to put the smile on her face and make her feel more like a normal kid. But I guess the only person who will ever see my hair must be Oscar the Grouch... (or anyone else who lives in a trash can.) I wish I could take it back, but shame on me for not researching but only listening to all the other people who had donated before me.

truepeacenik
August 15th, 2008, 09:57 AM
Now that I have some grey at full length, I can duck the LoL comments.
I have one volunteer who does this over and over.
She's so happy about it, that I can't bring myself to tell her, and she's volunteering so rarely that I can't get her when she's off her donation high. And her hair is 80 percent grey.
I'd love to get her the list of options. I should just design a card to hand out!

Blueglass
August 15th, 2008, 11:30 AM
Well, bex487 I'd be pretty livid if I latter learned that I may have cut for a no good reason, if true. Makes me feel a little safer to have highlights now, so me not tasty goody, we hope.

lora410
August 15th, 2008, 07:21 PM
Thanks everyone. It makes me feel less guilty about not donating my hiar. It is a shame most ends up in the trash. Heidi thank you so much for the in depth information and all you other ladies as well :flowers:

longhairedfairy
August 15th, 2008, 07:30 PM
lora410, you should NEVER feel guilty just because you don't donate the same thing/in the same way as someone else.

emeraldfaery
August 15th, 2008, 08:13 PM
I wish someone had come up to me and told me about LOL before I cut my first 10 inches off. My FFA (Future Farmers of America) club was doing a mass hair donation, trying to get as much as possible, and I was so inspired that I cut my beautiful, virgin, tailbone length hair. It made me feel good at the time and I actually took 12 more inches off and sent it to LOL on my own about a year later. I wanted to see how short hair would feel since I hadn't had short hair my whole life practically. I regret it now! And if someone had told me that LOL sold most of the hair...wow my hair would be almost to my knees. *sigh* You live and learn.