Hello, friends!
As what the title suggests, yep, I chopped my hair myself! For some reason, I personally prefer doing my haircut on my own rather than going to the salon, even though I know that it would probably end up uneven (I am no professional, yknow haha). I have been doing this for years now, and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. I don't know. The whole process really gives me a different level of thrill and satisfaction. Haha
I still have my chopped hair with me, but I am planning on donating it to an organization called, Strand Up for Cancer. Their page says that, "Strand Up for Cancer is an MDYMCA Youth Club-sponsored project that gives people a chance to help out the financially disadvantaged women who suffer from long-term hair loss due to chemotherapy." Cool, right?
I first learned that people can donate their hair to organizations that help Cancer patients when I was in my senior year in HS (around 2011). There was this girl from the class next to ours who had a very long hair. Then one day, she showed up in school with a shoulder-length hair. It caught our attention, and I later learned that she apparently donated it. I found it awesome, but thought that it would be so hard for me to grow my hair or to find a place to give my hair to. So I unknowingly forgot about it.
I can no longer recall what triiggered it, but it was around early 2018 when I started looking up for NGOs to donate to, as well as their rules. I first donated my hair to Locks of Love, a program by a Cebu-based NGO. You can read more about my first hair donation experience here.
I felt soooo goood after donating my hair, that I told myself to make this a regular thing already. So since then, I have been extra mindful about my hair. I don't dye it. I don't put just any chemicals on it. I rarely even use electric tools on it now. Haha. Of course, it isn't easy. There were a lot of moments when I was tempted to color my hair or have it permed. Whenever this happens, the thing I always tell myself is that,"You are no longer the only one who owns this hair. You are sharing this with someone else, too." Hehe.
Good thing, my hair grows pretty quickly, so I get to donate every after 2 years. For my second time, I donated it to Hope is in the Hair program under Makati Med Cancer Center. You can read more about it here.
July 2018 
August 2020 
September 2022 Through this movement I decided to take part on, I have learned a few things. Part of those are being more mindful about others and being more selfless. If you think about it, a chopped hair from me could actually be considered unimportant already, and naturally, they could just be thrown out. But for those people who will receive the wigs, my chopped hair could give them a boost of confidence! In this journey, I am not only growing my hair. I am also growing myself as a whole. ❤️
For those who are also considering donating their hair, here are some things to keep in mind:
There is a required hair length. This varies from one organization to another. Some require at least 10" while others need at least 12".
Any hair type is accepted. Whether your hair is straight, wavy, or curly, you are very welcome to donate.. BUT..
Some NGOs accept treated hair, some don't. Hair treatments include hair color, rebond, perm, etc. Some NGOs don't accept these types of hair, not only because these types are less healthy, but also because the chemicals are toxic to cancer patients, and some patients are very sensitive to it. But I heard that these days, some orgs are starting to accept treated hair, as they have developed a different way of making wigs which will make the treated hair not harmful to patients when worn.
These are just some points I learned from experience, but it is always best to check the rules of the NGO you are planning to donate to. Better safe than sorry! Hehe
Thank you for reading until the end!
How about you? Have you tried donating your hair as well? Or are you planning to do so someday?
Stay sane and safe!
Let's spread happiness.
herkeepsake
❤