Wigs For Kids with the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation

In need of a post-lockdown make over?
Looking for a new look or to mix things up, or just been thinking about taking the chop? If you feel like this could be you than you may like to consider the option of donating your hair.
 

Did you know that in Australia every year over 4000 ponytails are needed to meet the demand of making wigs for individuals experiencing medically-induced hair loss? These donations are collected by a variety of charities and are then either turned into charitable wigs by independent wigmakers or sold to wigmakers, which funds a range of important programs. Many of these organisations therefore rely on generous donations from the public to run and fund them. Without donors this demand can simply not be met.

Recently, I decided that the time had come and that I would cut off my long locks that I had been diligently growing for the past eight years! Not wanting them to go to waste, I decided to look into hair donation to see if my hair could be put to good use. Overall I found the process to be relatively simple and very rewarding. It certainly adds an element of excitement knowing that your hair will be going to someone in need where it can make a difference!

So, if you think you might be interested, how can you go about donating your hair?

In Australia there are a number of organisations and/or charities that accept hair donations, however there are a couple of requirements that do need to be met.  The charity that I chose to donate to was AAAF, or the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation.

The Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation provides support for people effected by Alopecia Areata.  Alopecia Areata is an auto-immune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks their hair follicles, which results in hair loss. The effect can range from a single patch to total loss of the body’s hair. It is estimated that the condition will effect approximately 2% of the population at some point during their lives’. Sometimes it resolves its own, however the condition can also be lifelong, and there is no known cure. The foundation supports individuals and their families who are living with the Alopecia Areata through offering access to support resources, fundraising and financially supporting research, increasing awareness, and their Wigs For Kids Program, which provides grants to children under eighteen to assist with the cost of purchasing wigs.

AAAF is not the only charitable organisation that accepts hair donations. Some others in Australia include Variety Children’s Charity and Sustainable Salons Australia. Both AAAF and Variety offer the opportunity to fundraise through their organisations throughout the donation process, however this is entirely optional. Even without fundraising your hair donation is still vitally important and valued.

There are, unfortunately, some restrictions in place on hair to be donated. Most organisations have a minimum length of around 36cm. Additionally, they usually require hair to be free from any colouring/dye or bleaching (Sustainable Salons will, however, accept hair donations of 20cm or greater and in some cases coloured or dyed hair). Different organisations also have varying policy regarding grey hair and ‘salt and pepper’ grey, so it is best to check the organisation’s information first if you think this may apply to you.

Personally, I am really glad that I decided to cut and donate my hair, and to anyone who might have hair that fits the length and other requirements who is thinking about a new style, I would very much recommend the experience. I love my new haircut, and while sure, I occasionally miss my long locks, whenever this is the case just knowing that they have gone on to hopefully put a smile on someone else’s face makes me smile in return, making it totally worth it!

If you are interested in donating your hair or making a financial donation to the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation (AAAF) than you can visit their website at: https://aaaf.org.au/donate-hair/ 

Other organisations also accepting hair donations are available at: 

Variety Children’s Charity: https://hairwithheart.variety.org.au/ 

Sustainable Salons Australia: https://sustainablesalons.org/ponytaildonations/