I’ve had long hair ever since I can remember.  It’s not that I didn’t want to try new hair styles or current lock trends (because I remember I also went through the long-back phase some years back), it’s just that I was never that much interested in my hair as I am interested in reading magazines or books or going out on an outdoor adventure.  I am quite lucky that I have straight jet-black hair.  I can curl and do as many styles I want whatever the occasion calls for.  When I have a bad hair day, I would just make it into a bun with my trusted wooden chopsticks.

My hair grooming regimen was never complicated. It was just shampoo and conditioner daily and a trimming every two months. Occasionally, I would indulge on hair treatments from respected salons or I just do it myself at home if I have time to spare. Despite this un-meticulous routine, I would get comments from friends and acquaintances about how beautiful my hair is - long, thick, and always easy to manage.  And for that, I am most grateful for my genes.

But after countless years of wearing my hair long, I figured it’s right about time for a new do.  Besides, the long El Niño season really made me want to cut my hair myself because of the uncomfortable heat.  And then I thought of what I would do with my chopped off hair.  I’ve heard of organizations accepting hair donations a long time ago so I started surfing the net - and I found what I was looking for.

Locks of Love (www.locksoflove.org) is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. It meets a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by the organization have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses they provide help to restore the children’s self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

I had hoped to find a local organization. Unfortunately, none was listed.  Nevertheless, I didn’t want my hair to go to waste so I went on with my original plan.  With the help of Salon de Manila’s hair stylist Cristina Antonio, who incidentally used to be an employee of this publication, we secured the guidelines for the organization’s acceptable donations.

To donate hair, the minimum length needed for a hairpiece is 10 inches measured from tip to tip.  It should be pony-tailed or braided previous to cutting.  It is also important to know that colored or permed hair is acceptable as well as layered hair so long as the longest is 10 inches.  As for curly hair, it may be pulled straight to measure the minimum length.  Hair must be clean and completely dry before it is mailed in.  Place the pony tail or braid inside a plastic bag, and then inside of a padded envelope.

Meanwhile, I now sport a shoulder-grazing new do which many said made me look younger.  Cutting my hair short was only difficult at the first snip of the scissors.  It was like forcing yourself to let go of something as precious as a treasured sneakers that you’ve outgrown.  But after I’ve mailed my hair and as I wait for the confirmation from Locks of Love, I realize somewhere in the other side of the earth, a child could be smiling because of this rare gift.  Besides, it’s just hair and I can always grow it long again.