Donate Hair: How Long Does Hair Have to be to Donate

Want to donate hair? A client with hair down to her backside recently asked if her hair was long enough to donate. She could donate hair twice. How long does hair have to be to donate it? Well, it depends upon the charity.

Whoop, whoop, happy hump day hotties! Welcome to Ask the Pro Stylist’s Wednesday Q&A where I answer readers’ and clients’ questions. While beautifying a client for her prom, she wanted to donate hair, her very long hair and wondered if it was long enough. Of course the hair donation would occur after the prom. As her hair was down to her derriere, it was indeed long enough, but the donate hair length question is a common one.

I have complied four of the most popular charities to donate hair, however there are others. The average length to donate hair is between 8 to 12 inches. Pantene requires 8 inches, as does CWHL Children With Hair Loss. Locks of Love has a minimum of 10 inches needed to donate hair and Wigs for Kids, 12 inches. Many salons that participate in hair donation programs won’t charge for the haircut, but be sure to ask first. Each organization has its own requirements, so it is advisable to research before you set out to donate hair. Many professional hair care brands have also partnered with hair donation charities, such as Aquage, which has been written about repeatedly in this forum, and a favorite of Ask the Pro Stylist.

If you have a hair, nails or beauty question that you’d like to see featured here, similar to the donate hair query above, please email me at DeirdreAHaggerty@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. Until then, happy styling!