What really happens when you donate your hair?
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to donated hair, get ready to be inspired. Donations sent to the non-profit organization, ‘Wigs for Kids‘ provide deserving children with a beautiful head of hair and confidence for days. In a video made by As/Is, we get the behind-the-scenes look at the process that goes into creating a wig from natural hair.
Hanna’s hair donation.
In a viral YouTube video, a young woman named Hanna decides it’s time to chop her locks. She heads to the salon with a few nerves and a lot of happy energy. “I am in a hair salon and I’m about to cut off 12 inches of my hair and donate it to Wigs for Kids. Feeling nervous but mostly very excited.” – Hanna told As/Is
Bridget waits for her new wig.
In the video, a little girl named Bridget is waiting to be fitted with her very own wig. Bridget suffers from Alopecia, which has caused her to lose her hair. She is beyond happy on this special day.
Hanna is ready for the big moment!
She is about to cut off 12 inches of hair! Hanna is a boss right now.
Go Hanna!
Hanna survived the haircut and is excited to have it sent out to ‘Wigs for Kids.’ “So I cut this off my head and now it’s going to go into a wig. I hope that my hair can help create a wig that is given to a girl that can give her confidence and make her feel beautiful.” – Hanna told As/Is.
What happens now?
Hanna’s hair is sent to Wigs for Kids where it will be included in a wig to make a young child feel themselves again.
The donated hair is sorted.
Hair of all colors and textures is donated to Wigs for Kids. It gets sorted depending on the color and any hair that doesn’t quite meet the company’s donation specifications is filtered out.
The usable hair gets the seal of approval.
After sorting and filtering, the donated hair is sent to a wig manufacturer. At this stage, the hair is brushed and shorter pieces are discarded. The ponytails are sewn together to create the full wig. The wig is now dipped into a chemical bath.
It’s time to create a gorgeous wig.
This stage of the process is all about the individual wig owner. Every head is a different shape so the wig needs to be fitted and shaped to fit perfectly. The colors are also blended together to give the wig a more natural look.
The wig is finished and ready to bring a smile to a child’s face.
The hairdresser asks Bridget if she is excited to get a new hairpiece. She smiles and says “yes!”
“She hasn’t sat still all morning” – Bridget’s mom tells As/If
She goes on to say, “It might not seem like a lot in the big scheme of things, but to a little girl it means a whole lot so I really have to thank the people who donated.” – As/If
Bridget gets her wig.
As the cheery little girl sits in the salon chair, the excitement and anticipation in her eyes are contagious. She sees her wig for the first time and looks at it adoringly. She holds it close to her with a huge smile on her face.
Bridget looks overjoyed and ready to face the world.
Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1981.
The company was created after Certified Cosmetic therapist, Jeffrey Paul, realized there was a great need to bring realistic wigs to children suffering from hair loss. “When Children lose their hair, they don’t just suffer physically. The change in their appearance can drastically undermine their self-image and sabotage their self-esteem.” – Jeffrey Paul .
“They won’t come off on the baseball field or in the playground,” he adds. “Kids can count on them. And because kids look just the way they did before, they feel better about themselves. They look in the mirror and their eyes light up. To see that light in their eyes … that’s priceless.” – Jeffrey Paul
The wigs are at no cost for families.
To learn more about hair donation or to get involved, visit, http://www.wigsforkids.org
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