Locks of Love

I've cut it short, I've dyed it red, brown and blonde. I've teased it, straightened it. I've pinned it, curled it, burned it (oops), highlighted it, pulled it and let it be. My hair has been through quite a bit in my 26 years on earth. But its always grown back, on my head and some other places of my body I wish it wouldn't... But if its one thing this life has taught me (with some very trying lessons) its not to take anything for granted. There are some children who would give all they could just to have a head-full of "normal" hair. Children who have been through far worse than 'a bad hair day'. Children who want to go outside and play with their friends, and not be stared at and labeled "different".

Locks of Love is organization that provides self confidence to those children that find themselves facing adversity in a dark time in their lives... "Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada [under age 21] suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet 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 cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers."

The website states that *anyone* can donate hair. There are a few guidelines, the biggest one being that bleached hair (aka highlighted) is unacceptable, as it reacts with the chemicals that they use to treat the donated hair. Hair is used from men and women, young and old, all colors and races.

The next time you go to have your coif did, why not consider donating it to a child that could use a little boost? Maybe cut it a little shorter than you originally considered. The minimum length is 10 inches, tip to tip. How great would it be to encourage your daughter that can grow hair overnight to donate her ponytail to a boy or girl that can't grow it themselves? Was something ever done for you that was really wonderful? Is it time to 'pay it forward'? :)