Pantene Beautiful Lengths

UPDATE 11/10/15!
Pantene is now doing an #8or8 Challenge.  Donate $8 or 8 inches of hair! I love that you can donate with only 8 inches.  My hair has grown back so fast..it's almost as long as the picture above before I cut it.  Maybe I'll donate again?  If you decide to donate...DO YOUR RESEARCH! Pantene Beautiful Lengths was the perfect fit for me.  Find what works for you!

1/11/14
I've always liked the idea of donating hair to help those struggling with cancer.  I've also always liked my hair long.  Recently, I contemplated a medium length style and a friend suggested donating my hair.  I did some research to find out how much you had to donate, and that's when I first discovered the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program.  In all honesty, it first appealed to me because it requires a minimum of 8 inches to be donated where as other companies required 10 or 12 inches.  The more research I did, the more I liked the Pantene program

Pantene Beautiful Lengths - The same Pantene that sells hair products teamed up with American Cancer Society to support women experiencing hair loss to due cancer.  They require a minimum of 8 inches. They do not accept hair that is more than 5% grey, or hair that has been dyed, bleached, or chemically treated.  Vegetable dyes, rinses, and semi-permanent colors are acceptable. Their wigs are donated (not ever sold).  They have given thousands of wings to the American Cancer Society wig banks.

Locks of Love - This was the only company I had heard of prior to researching hair donation.  I was really surprised by what I found.  In addition to articles like this (read the article, the video is a different story), I discovered that Locks of Love not only SELLS their wings, but they SELL a lot of the hair that is donated. If grey or color treated or too short hair comes in, they sell it to offset manufacturing costs.  One important question is who gets this hair? Are they selling to companies that use child labor? The questions raised in the article above makes me more hesitant to donate.  Their website says their wigs are for financial disadvantaged children in the US and Canada under 21 who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.  The families are charged on a sliding scale based on their income.  Colored hair is accepted, but if it is colored OVER bleached hair it will be sold.  Grey hair will be sold. They require a minimum of 10 inches.

Wigs for Kids - They provide free "hair replacement systems" to kids suffering from hair loss "due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families. They require a minimum of 12 inches and do not accept chemically processed hair.  Grey hair is acceptable.  

Based on what I found, if your goal is to support children specifically, Wigs for Kids is probably your best bet. If you're wanting to support cancer patients, Pantene may be the way to go.  I ended up donating to Pantene, and my donation ended up being almost 12 inches.  I feel great about my donation and the cause I supported! If you have any questions, feel free to post them below and I'll do my best to answer them!