Locks of Love

A 2007 'hair donation day' at the American Aviano Air Base in Italy.

Locks of Love is a non-profit charity based in the United States. The organization accepts donations of human hair and money, with the stated intention of making wigs for needy children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition in Canada and the USA.

History

Since the charity began in December 1997, it has provided about 2,000 wigs to recipients for free or a reduced price. To compare, Pantene Beautiful Lengths, started in June 2006, has received 18,000 ponytails^{[citation needed]} and distributed 2,000 wigs^{[citation needed]} to women with cancer.

Locks of Love representatives are frequent guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other daytime television shows, where they provide haircuts to guests and audience members. The organization was formed to help children with several conditions that cause hair loss, including alopecia, burn trauma, and cancer treatment. Some children also choose to sponsor Locks of Love inside of school, and donate their hair as soon as it gets long enough.

Requirements

For recipients:

• Child must be 21 years or younger. (with a parent's permission)
• Child must have long-term or short-term hair loss from alopecia areata (an autoimmune illness), scalp burns, or a similar medical condition

Parent or Guardian must provide:

• Proof of financial need by mailing a copy of the parent/guardian's tax return or state/federal benefits, as well as "any documents that verify extenuating financial circumstances."
• Detailed information about the child's medical diagnosis, including the cause, how permanent or temporary the hair loss is, and who their doctor is. It is suggested that the doctor fax this information to the organization.
• A photo of the child without a hairpiece or hat
• At least two letters of recommendation from a parent, a teacher, a friend, coach, etc. explaining why the child would benefit from a hairpiece

Locks of Love does not provide all hairpieces free of charge. According to its website, prices for human-hair wigs are set on a sliding scale based on the recipient's family income.

For donors:

• Donated hair must be ten inches or longer. (Curly hair can be straightened to meet the requirement.)
• Hair may not be bleached, chemically damaged, or overprocessed; permed or coloured hair is acceptable.
• Hair must be in the form of a clean, dry ponytail or braid. Dreadlocks are not accepted.
• Hair that is less than ten inches or grey is separated from the donations and sold to offset manufacturing costs.

Tax deductions

As the hair is considered to be a body part and is analogous to blood, any hair donations are not tax deductible according to IRS guidelines but financial donations are deductible.

Criticisms

Locks of Love has received criticism for its practice of selling donated hair, rather than using it in wigs as the donors expect. They refer to the hair they sell as "unusable material," but the buyers are using it to make wigs. According to a 2003 report by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, in 2002 alone Locks of Love had raised over $150,000 by selling donated hair and had received another $213,000 in charitable contributions and grants, but, despite receiving enough hair to make over 10,000 hairpieces, provided only 113 human-hair wigs. In 2005, they made $352,401 from "unusable sale materials" which is nearly 40% of their reported income. LoL reports that it receives over 2000 donations of hair through the mail each week and an equal amount from hair salons (it takes 6-10 ponytails to make a wig, according to their website).

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. 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.

The BBB 2010 report currently lists Locks of Love as a reputable charity, as of their evaluation done August 2009.

Notable donors

Gabe Carimi

All American football player (and Chicago Bears first-round draft pick) Gabe Carimi's maternal uncle suffered from leukemia as a child, underwent chemotherapy while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, his uncle died. He was mentioned often in family discussions. Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people." He grew his hair out for 20 months, until it was long enough in 2010 to donate to Locks of Love.

National Hockey League player George Parros has grown his hair long since the start of his professional hockey career, so he can donate it to Locks of Love.

See also

• Little Princesses
• Sofia's Hair 4 Health
• Wigs for Kids
• Pantene Beautiful Lengths
• Zichron Menachem

External links

• Official website

Reports by charity-monitoring groups

• http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/toc/locks-of-love-in-lake-worth-fl-1839 BBB Wise Giving Report: Locks of Love]
• http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/9285.htm Charity Navigator Report: Locks of Love
• http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?npoId=579069 GuideStar Basic Report: Locks of Love (registration required)