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Your Complete Guide on Where and How to Donate Hair

Want to donate your hair? Here is what you need to know.

One of my 1001 bucket list goals was to donate my hair to Locks of Love. However, after researching more, I discovered a lot of negative buzz around Locks of Love.

The main complaint I saw was how they don’t always provide free hair wigs to patients but charge on a sliding scale.

I get that it costs money to make wigs and the administrative costs to run a non-profit, but I also wanted to see my other options. I’m a maximizer >>> satisficer.

When it came down to the cut, I had Viola (my hairstylist and now friend!) from Spencer Malay do it during our long layover in Atlanta! They already knew the drill, so easy peasy.

Where and How to Donate HairPin

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Last Updated: February 9, 2024

How to Donate Hair & What You Need to Know

  • Your hair must be clean and dry.
  • Take care of your hair. Never overbrush. Use a wide toothcomb after showering.
  • Your hair can be layered, but the shortest length must meet its minimum requirement.
  • Cut hair using a rubber band. Leave it in a ponytail or braid. No clippings.
  • You can tie your hair into at least four to six sections for a more generous donation. You can lose up to 4 inches of hair when pulled into one single ponytail.
  • Most prefer non-chemically treated hair, but some accept treated hair in good condition.
  • Most can’t accept hair that was cut years ago.
  • Pull your hair straight to get an accurate length if it is curly.
  • Don’t assume that all organizations provide free hair wigs to patients.
  • Place hair in a ziplock bag and send it in an outer envelope.
  • It takes 10 to 12 ponytails to create a wig.
  • Human hair wigs aren’t the first choice for those undergoing chemotherapy because the wigs have to be made to order and can take up to 2 months. Most cancer patients need a wig sooner than that. Also, synthetic hair options have improved to have a natural feel and are now preferred.
  • Most human hair wig donations go to patients with long-term hair loss (for example, alopecia).

I decided I wanted my hair to go to Pantene because women need some love too!

See More: 51 Beautiful Random Acts of Kindness Ideas You Should Try

Your Complete Guide on Where to Donate Hair

1. Wigs 4 Kids

  • Request 10 inches or more (but will take as short as 7 inches).
  • No colored or chemically damaged hair.

Address: Wigs 4 Kids / 30126 Harper Ave / St. Clair Shores MI 48082

2. Children with Hair Loss

  • Minimum of 8 inches or more (they especially need hair longer than 12 inches).
  • They give human hair replacements to children at no cost.
  • Will take chemically treated hair in good condition.
  • Gray hair is accepted.

Address: Children With Hair Loss / 12776 Dixie Hwy / S. Rockwood MI 48179

3. Wigs for Kids

  • Minimum of 12 inches or more (encourage 14+ inches).
  • No chemically treated, gray hair, or dreadlocks
  • You can sponsor a child.
  • Wigs for Kids never charges the families receiving these custom Hair Replacement Systems.

Address: Wigs for Kids – Hair Donation / 24231 Center Ridge Rd. / Westlake OH 44145

4. Chair Lifetime

  • Minimum of 14 inches or more.
  • Offer all services free of charge to families in need.

Address: Chai Lifeline / Attention: Hair Donations / 151 West 30th Street, Floor 3  / New York, NY 10001

5. 360 Hair

  • Minimum of 12 inches or more.
  • Accepts colored and gray hair.
  • They provide free wigs for cancer patients 19 years and under.
  • Use 2-4 rubber bands to keep the hair together.

Address: 360 Hair Inc. (Hair Donations) / Unit #400 / 5954 200th St / Langley BC, Canada V3A 1N3

6. Matter of Trust Clean Wave Program

  • Minimum 3 inches or more (Some sites say they accept any length).
  • Can be dyed, permed, gray, etc.
  • Does not need to be bundled in a ponytail or braid.
  • They collect hair clippings and other waste fiber donations and produce hair mats and “booms” (sausage shape) to clean contaminated waterways and storm drains.
  • Matter of Trust does not accept unsolicited deliveries.
  • They will email you an address to ship to (contact: [email protected]).
  • Watch this video to learn more.

7. World of Wigs

  • You can also sell your hair here for $3-$5 per oz if it passes the Industry Standard Qualifications.
  • Minimum of 16 inches or more.
  • Accepts Gray Hair.
  • You can specify the recipient or your hair.

Address: World of Wigs / 2305 E 17th Street / Santa Ana, CA 92705

Note: Sometimes they have a surplus of hair, so double check their website for what they are looking for.

8. Pantene Beautiful Lengths (No Longer Accepting Donations)

  • Minimum of 8 inches or more.
  • They give free real-hair wigs for women with cancer.
  • Cannot be more than 5% gray.
  • No permed or treated hair with permanent color.

Address: Pantene Beautiful Lengths / Attn: 192-123 / 806 SE 18th Ave / Grand Rapids MN 55744

Note: No longer accepting donations.

pantene hair donationPin

9. Locks of Love

  • Minimum of 10 inches or more.
  • They purchase custom prostheses and provide them free of charge to recipients.
  • Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
  • No bleached hair or dreadlocks.
  • Gray hair is accepted and sold to offset manufacturing costs.

Address: Locks of Love / 234 Southern Blvd / West Palm Beach FL 33405-2701

See More: Why I Would Never Donate My Hair to Locks of Love

10. Angel Hair FOundation

  • Gives hair for free to children.
  • Not currently taking donations and working on existing inventory.

Note: They are currently not accepting donations at this time.

What Happens When You Donate Your Hair

Have you ever considered donating your hair? Why or why not?

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.

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This Post Has 40 Comments

  1. Sree

    Any suggestions for hair donation in Canada

  2. Linda Larson

    Is there no place that makes wigs for older women? I have beautiful long grey (almost white) hair and get compliments about it all the time and have decided to cut it. Need to know soon, as it is Monday, and I will be cutting it Thursday morning. My hair dresser doesn’t know of any place that takes the gray hair.

    1. jacob

      I’m not sure! We’ll let you know if we find a spot.

  3. Bananaz4lifegirl

    I donated to Wigs for Kids. Locks of Love does charge for hair that is not ‘acceptable’- like grey hair, shorter hair, or hair they don’t like. My friend donated her hair that completely met the requirements, was silky, smooth, and healthy, without a single grey hair, and they sold her hair to a random buyer. I don’t completely trust Locks of Love……..
    Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest common word in the world in the common dictionary. It’s 45 letters, 19 syllables. It’s a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust. Sorry, I love random facts!

    1. Linda

      I just called Fantastic Sam’s in Atascadero CA and the gal said LOCKs OF LOVE does charge the recipients….maybe salon’s need to be aware if that’s not the case?

      1. Julie Thomas

        They don’t charge but do sell what they can’t use to offset their expenses. I heard they charged after I donated the 1st time. I’m ready to do it again so I have done a lot of research. That’d what I keep finding.

  4. Teri

    Your information about Locks of Love isn’t true. They absolutely DO provide wigs to children, free of charge. From their website: “Locks of Love is not a manufacturer of any type of hair replacement system or hair care product. As a charity and strictly a charity, we purchase the custom prostheses we provide free of charge to our recipients. ” I hope you’ll correct this mis-information. Thanks!

    1. Esther JuLee

      Hi Teri. Thanks for the update. We wrote the post several years ago, and at the time they did charge on a sliding scale. We’ll have it updated ASAP. Thanks again!

  5. Caroline

    Thank you for this fantastic article! The link to Children With Hair Loss is broken – please update it to http://childrenwithhairloss.us/
    After visiting the CWHL site, we’ve decided to donate to them. My 6 year old daughter and I will be sending ours together <3 : ) We wouldn't have known about the organization had it not been for your blog post. Thanks so much! We feel good about our decision.

  6. Caroline

    Thank you for this fantastic article! Please update your link to Children With Hair Loss (yours is broken!). I first concluded the organization was defunct, however, after some googling, I found it is going strong with a big event in LA 2019. They provide the wigs free, and a visit to their site in conjunction with your LoL expose has made CWHL our first choice. This is their home page: http://childrenwithhairloss.us/ Thank you! My 6 year old daughter and I will be sending ours together :) <3

    1. Esther JuLee

      Thanks so much, Caroline. So glad you found this helpful. Will be fixing that ASAP. :)

  7. Helen

    Pantene is no longer accepting hair after Dec 31, 2018.

  8. Laurel Tucker

    Thanks so much for posting a lot of organizations, along with their donation requirements. You did the legwork for us. Happy travels!

  9. Linda Hansen

    I have a long braid of hair that was cut years ago……..it’s from my grandmother and it’s 36” long……I received her stuff from my mom. Can it be used for any wigs for patients at all, or should I just throw it away???

  10. Timothy Hoffman

    Hello, I have been growing my hair out to meet the 10″ requirement. I am about to get it cut. I did not know gray hair was not acceptable by some. Where can I donate a 10″ gray ponytail?

    1. jacob

      a friend of ours says you can donate to Pantene

      1. Kathy B.

        Most don’t accept grey hair.

  11. Bunty

    Hello.. i am bunty from India (mumbai)
    i have 10 to 15 inchs long hairs..Naturally Smooth, straight,silky & healthy hairs. .
    I have to sell for need urgent money but i cant find any buyers.. so i decided to donate.
    Please contact on 9821906938.
    Thank you.

  12. Yin

    Some of the parts of my hair I was planning to donate are dyed from a few years ago but it is has faded quite a bit (and the color was a slightly lighter shade than my natural hair color..)

    I wanted to ask for your opinion where I should donate my hair. I was thinking of Pantene but I’m afraid they won’t accept it due to the slight color difference.

    1. Yin

      I’d like to also mention that my hair was dyed with drugstore hair dye so I don’t think it’s permanent..

  13. Pam Parker

    Do Chai Lifetime accept gray hair?

  14. SWECHCHHA TAMANG

    I have my hair permanent straight. Can I donate my hair?

    1. Esther JuLee

      I’m not 100% certain but I think a straight perm would also fall under permed hair. Each place varies but there are a few places that do take treated hair as long as it’s in good condition.

  15. DONALD vEALE

    I am a 64 year old male with long gray hair and have been hunting for someone to donate to. Most want hair for kids. I am sure there are men and women of a certian age would love a wig that has gray in it.
    I am having a major surgery and will be cutting off about 10 inches of my hair to make it easier to deal with while I am down.
    Please give me some guidance.. who doesn’t charge people? Who takes gray? help

    1. Esther JuLee

      Hi Donald. It looks like many of these places accept gray hair and also provide free wigs for their patients. Locks of Love specifically says they charge on a sliding scale. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

    2. Jerri N Curless

      Did you find a place that will use your hair for free wigs?

  16. Ludivine

    Thank you ! Very Helpful! I really want to donate my very long and healthy but bleached hair and thanks to you I know this is possible :)

    1. Esther JuLee

      I’m glad you found this helpful! It’s a wonderful thing you are doing. :)

    2. Tel

      have you found a place to donate your bleached hair? if you did how was the process?

      i am currently doing research and finding very few places that takes bleached hair.

  17. Maria

    I cut 12 inches and would very much like to donate my hair.

    1. anil

      madam u can cut your hair yourself madam . if u wish please send it to our organization in courier india here many kids are suffering with cancer please if u can we will wait for your help

    1. Esther JuLee

      Hi Liz. I’m so happy to hear you found this helpful. Thanks for linking to our post. Your hair looks great btw!

      1. Liz

        Thanks so much! :)

  18. Allison

    I really want to donate my hair. Its been awhile since I had my haircut and my hair is too long now and I want to donate my hair for a cause. I know that not all girls are blessed with healthy and long hair and I want to share my blessings. I think I can also donate it on the nearest salon that we have here which is http://www.HighDefinitionHair.com . You may want to add them on your list too. You should also talk to Nicole, she’s really accomodating.

    1. Esther JuLee

      Let me know what you end up doing! :) Mine is getting really long again too. I think a lot of salons will take hair donations too, but they usually send it off to one of these organizations. Where is HighDefHair located? We wanted the list to be easy access to anyone in the US.

      1. Allison

        Hi There! It is located in 1312 9th street NW in DC. My friend told me that they do accept hair donations. I will try to get in touch with them this morning. :)

  19. sadie

    i want to donate my hair but have my hair dresser cut it sadie

    1. Esther JuLee

      You can absolutely do that! The photos of me here are with mine in Atlanta.. and she’s the only person I let touch my hair haha

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