should i donate my hair or sell it?

Question

i've been growing my hair since i was 9 (i'm now 13) and my hair is past my bottom. im wondering if i should donate my hair or sell it when i cut it . Hair goes for a lot of money(for hair like mine as much as $1000!) but a lot of people say i should donate it to locks of love, which would be a very noble thing to do. I could really use the money, but...
any suggestions?

Answer 1

Do whatever feels right. If you sell your hair and get a lot of money (if you don't need it all), you can also donate some of it to locks of love. maybe calling Locks of Love and getting their feedback would be a good thing, too. Good luck with your decision.

ok. look at this I just found this site about the pros and cons of Locks of Love. Just goes to show that you should never enter into things blindly...

"This is something I posted on my xanga…I’m transfering bits and pieces here, but I won’t make you read the whole thing.
Okay, rant post here. I want to make sure everyone knows that LOCKS OF LOVE is an UNRELIABLE organization!!! Countless little girls and young women chop their tresses to give to this ‘nonprofit organization.’ This is a waste of perfectly good, pretty hair. Your hair needs to stay where it belongs- on your head!

Locks of Love is advertized as a non-profit organization that makes hairpieces for children who have lost their hair due to cancer or other illnesses. Sadly, LoL’s actions aren’t in keeping with its message.
Let me elaborate:
Taken from LocksofLove.com:
“Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18 years and younger suffering from long-term medical hair loss. We meed a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cute. The prostheses we provide help to restore self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.”

Now, what they say is that they ask for donations of hair, which they then process and give away to kids who need it. Correct? Ah. Now let’s look at the actual statistics: (taken from a long hair site):
A little math using information from LoL’s own website and the BBB:
LoL receives about 2000 donations per week, by mail.
That’s 104,000 per year.
Let’s say that only half of that is usable for wigs.(Or use another fraction, if you desire.)
That’s 52,000 per year.
It takes 6-10 ponytails to make a wig.
Ok, let’s say each one takes 10.
That’s potentially 5200 wigs per year.
Now, in fiscal year 2002, how many wigs did LoL provide?

113.

Let’s take this a little farther….

Let’s say it takes 10 donated ponytails to make one wig. They made 113 wigs in 2002.

113 wigs x 10 ponytails each = 1130 total ponytails used to make wigs in 2002.

They received 2000 ponytail donations per week, which is 104,000 per year.

That means that Locks of Love only uses 1% of the ponytails donated by good meaning people. You only have one chance out of 100 that your donated hair will go directly into a wig for a child.

Now. Go to www.locksoflove.com and take a look at their wigs. Not very good quality, are they? No. And the kids don’t get them free, either.
Want to know what Locks of Love does with all the rest of their hair? They sell it. This ‘non-profit’ organization sells the hair they recieve as human hair extensions, mostly to celebrities who like to change their length on a whim. Not very honest, are they?

And look at this (from the Better Business Bureaus group):

11: Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

In response to the Alliance’s request for a copy of LoL’s financial statements, LoL submitted a copy of its Independent Accountant’s Compilation Report for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2002. To meet this Standard, an organization with total annual income of over $250,000 should have, available on request, financial statements that have been audited.

In addition, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance requested, but did not receive, complete information on LoL’s finances, and therefore, is unable to verify LoL’s compliance with the following Standard for Charitable Accountability: 14.

Also from the BBB:

Source of Funds
Contributions 194,398
Hair sales 150,719
Grants 18,991
Interest income 7,858
Program income 2,474
Gain on investment sales 103

Total Income $374,543

http://www.give.org/reports/care2_dyn.asp?733

As if that’s not enough, people are constantly pressured into donating their hair, convinced they’re doing the right thing. And not only by Locks of Love reps, but by regular people who are misled. I can testify. I haven’t cut my hair in six years, and now I’ve got tailbone length, thick brown hair. I’ve been working hard at keeping it in good condition, because long hair looks awful when it’s ratty. But some people, sadly, take healthy long hair to mean an automatic donation. I’ve had…I think five or six people tell me over the past few years that I ought to cut my hair. “You know, Hannah, you really should cut your hair for Locks of Love.” Yeah, well, you know what? When you donate a kidney, I’ll donate my hair. You’ve got two of them, it’s really selfish for you to keep them both.
People get this insane idea that it’s selfish to keep long hair. They’re so misinformed! That’s why I’m making this post…at least my friends can be informed. Please guys, never tell someone they should donate to Locks of Love. It’s much, much better to donate money to the cancer research funds. Even cut off your hair and sell it to donate the money. Anything.

Please don’t get me wrong, though. I can’t critisize anyone who HAS donated. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s a very kind and considerate thing to do, especially since most people don’t know where it’s going. Just wanted to clarify."

Answer 2

I'd donate it. However, if your family needs the money, selling could help- then you could keep what you really need and donate the rest of the money to Locks of Love (they take money too I think). Or, since you have so much hair you could donate most and sell some.

Answer 3

i think that you should donate it... when i was younger my mom made me grow out my hair real long and then get a super short hair cut.. we donated it. i was about 5 then and every 2 years or so i do the same thing.. when u sell it it doesnt feel as right cause ur getting paid.. but if you donate it, ur giving it to people less fortunate.. maybe a kid with cancer or w.e.. your doing something for the good of someone else not just the profit ur gonna make

Answer 4

Donate it! Locks Of Love is a great program, and it will give the chance for someone who cant be as lucky to have hair. The hair can be made into wigs and then can be recieved by cancer and AIDS victims and others who arent so lucky. There are a ton of ways you can get money, but who would you feel better giving it to? A person who has no choice over having hair or not, or someone who just wants more and can buy it?

Answer 5

If you _needed_ the money, I doubt you'd be asking. So. Donate it.

"...and then I donated it to cancer patients" will make a much better story both the next day at school, and in twenty years, than "I sold it." Selling hair is a bit too O. Henry* impoverished for most people, I should think.


*http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."
Down rippled the brown cascade.
"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.
"Give it to me quick," said Della.

Not a pleasant scene.

Also, if you need a treat for yourself, I bet you could find a way to get a super-nice haircut for free when you finally go to get it cut. Hmm. "Beginning January 2006 the Salon Page will no longer be accessible on this site," says Locks of Love, but I'm sure you could call them or similar.

Answer 6

Donate it because you'll feel happy knowing that you've helped someone in need. In addition, that'll be good karma. Sooner or later something good will happen to you. Money can be received some other time but donating hair is like one chance every 4+ years. Donating is the way to go.

Answer 7

Donate

Answer 8

You're only 13 now so I say donate it, then grow it again. When you are 16 or 18 you can sell it and buy something you really want, like a car!!

Answer 9

Locks of Love is a scam. They sell most of the hair they receive. You can sell your hair at: http://hairbuyer.com

Answer 10

I think that you should donate it, because there are kids that cant grow hair or have lost their hair and would really appreciate it.

Answer 11

Donate is the best other people need it.