Losing hair is a common natural thing. Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day, but with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp. As people age, hair tends to gradually thin. However, there are also other causes for hair loss, such as hormonal factors, medical conditions and mediations. For the people who lose their hair due to these other causes, there are several organizations that make wigs. Locks of Love is a non-profit charity that accepts donations of human hair and money with the stated intention of making wigs for Canadian and American people with medical conditions that have caused them to lose their hair. Junior Alisia Hassler donated her hair for the first time two years ago to Locks of Love. She donated 12 inches, and will donate again once her hair grows long enough.
“Each individual is important in the big picture. I encourage everyone with any hair they aren’t using to donate it to a good cause: building confidence,” Hassler said.
Hair loss may not seem like a big deal, but just like other important things, it is easy to not realize they are important until they are gone. Junior Avery Farrar donated 15 inches (a full two gallon zip lock bag) for the first time four years ago.
“As a girl, I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to not only lose your health but your hair as well. I’m healthy, and my hair grows and will continue to. They need the hair a lot more than I do. Instead of constant haircuts, I can help some people out,” Farrar said.
A person’s hairstyle puts them in a self-selected class and offers others some real information about them. The way a person’s hair looks says something about them. It is a part of their personality.
“[Having hair] helps give back confidence. [Having hair is] one of the little things we forget [that] is often lost with cancer. Wigs are very expensive and often unaffordable along with chemo and hospital bills,” Farrar said.
It is easy to think of hair as just a thing that can grow back and is not very essential. However, when a person is sick, it may be extremely hard to grow it back. It takes a while, and it may not be as healthy as it was before. Shereci Cook, a breast cancer survivor, lost all of her hair due to chemo therapy, and is very grateful for her wig.
“Getting a wig meant a lot, because I always fix my hair and I always hairspray it. It is very important to me.” Cook said.
Like Cook, D.K. Bequepte, another breast cancer survivor, is also very happy with her wig. Wearing wigs has made her confident again.
“I felt strange when I first put the wig on. They gave me a red wig, and I thought that was better than nothing! When I came home, my husband liked it, and it made me feel good. People would tap me on the shoulder and tell me I had beautiful hair. They didn’t know it was a wig,” Bequepte said.
Bequepte appreciates hair donations. She believes it is a great cause and helps the people who have lost it regain courage.
“[Having a wig is] a good thing. My nephew had long hair when he was in high school. He cut it off and donated it to Locks of Love,” Bequepte said.
Hair plays a very big role and symbolizes out physical and mental states. It also shows the vitality of the person, according to the condition of the hair. The way a person styles their hair, the length, the color; it says something about that person. Their hair gives you a sense of who they are.