Making the Cut

Before I left for Uganda I went in for my yearly haircut*. When I was chatting with the hairstylist about what to do with it, I was uncertain as to whether or not I wanted to chop it all off or leave it long. She (thankfully) persuaded me to keep it long, as it would be much easier to manage** for the six and a half months I would be away... in the heat. And, as I've pretty much already alluded to, this was a smart decision. My hair was tied back almost every day, much to the disappointment of my colleague, Matilda***.

Well, those six and a half months have now passed, and with no plans to be going very far, it was time. So, last week, I revisited the same stylist, and my uber long locks were quickly cut away. And this:

transitioned into this:

BUT they weren't just scooped up and thrown away. It turns out, much to my surprise, my hair was over 10 inches long. This meant I could donate a significant portion of what was being cut.

Many of you might recognize a U.S.-based organization by the name of Locks of Love. I had donated my hair in the past to this group, but it turns out, they are a for-profit organization. Even though they are a registered not-for-profit, there seems to be some major discrepancies between their donations and financial records****. Luckily, though, my stylist recommended an alternative, one that isn't in it for the money, but one that also took me a bit by surprise - Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program.

Unlike Locks of Love, Pantene provides a postage-paid***** envelope label, which makes the donation process super simple. Then comes the too-complicated-for-for-my-brain process of turning freshly chopped locks into wigs for women with cancer. And once again, unlike the other organization, Pantene's program provides these wigs at no-cost. Additionally, hair donated from Canadian's goes to the Canadian Cancer Society, while in the United States, it goes to its American counterpart.

So, here's hoping the remnants of the longest hair I've ever grown is put to good use. I have no idea how successful the program is, nor do I have any reason to promote it, other than just as a point of interest. But, if there is no cost for the recipient, and I'm not in need of my unwanted hair, what is there to lose?

-the Orange Canadian

*Seriously - who can afford/justify $40+ for hair every 6 weeks?!
**Low maintenance hair works for me! 
***Did I do better this time? I gave you a shout-out!
****See: Huffington Post, Forbes, or just do a quick Google search for more information on this. 
*****Provided by our own Canada Post (for Canadian donations)