Donnette

Despite the good that the people behind the charity Locks of Love intend there have been controversial accusations about the selling of donated human hair. The most unfortunate thing is that when people donate their hair for charity they want to feel assured that his or her donation is going directly to benefit the cause. It has been confirmed, however, according to the Better Business Bureaus Wise Giving Alliance Report that the Locks of Love organization has committed no crimes. All that Locks of Love does seems to be completely charitable, and any selling of hair wigs well within their rights.

The standards of a non-profit organization have been met by Locks of Love therefore, there should be no sour impressions of the charity. Locks of Love does a lot of good for a lot of children in need. Sometimes, depending on a familys income, the wigs that are sold by the Locks of Love organization are sold on a sliding scale. This assures that the child will be able to purchase a wig at a much less expensive cost.

Here are a few of the requirements that Locks of Love maintains for both human hair donors and hair piece recipients:

The following are the requirements for eligible recipients of hair wigs:

Because Locks of Love caters especially to children in need: the recipient must be eighteen years of age or younger. Wigs are made for burn victims or victims with similar medical conditions especially because in these circumstances the hair will not grow.

Surprisingly enough, some chemotherapy patients are excluded from the top priority considerations of the Locks of Love organization. This is only because a chemotherapy patients hair loss is not considered a permanent condition. The donor, (or rather, his or her parent or guardian) must provide proof that he or she has financial needs. Two letters of recommendation are required, as well as a photo and an essay.

Then there are specific guidelines for donors, of course, as well:

Locks of Love accepts hair donations from virtually anyone of any race the length and condition of the hair that is donated is the more important consideration. Firstly, the hair donated must be a minimum of ten inches long. It is advised that a person donate more inches than that, if possible. Longer wigs bring bright smiles to the young girls out there who do not have the option of growing it out.

Any hair donated to Locks of Love can not be bleached, colored or otherwise chemically damaged. It can not be over processed hair: meaning that the hair is damaged or weakened because of poor care. People who use a lot of hairspray, and other products, hot blow dryers, curling irons etc. can develop so much damage that their hair will be unusable for donation.

Some people are not born with hair that is strong enough, usually because it is too thin, to be used as human hair wigs.

Donated hair can not be gray or otherwise unsuitable for children in accordance with the standards of the Locks of Love organization.

Having been cleared of the accusations that the Locks of Love organizations faced, the Locks of Love remains a very popular charity. It has been determined that the organization has met all of the twenty Better Business Bureaus Standards for Charity Accountability. Nonetheless, there is no way for someone to know if his or her hair will be sold or donated and that is bothersome to many people who would otherwise donate without hesitation. Looking further into the details of the Locks of Love organization may help to persuade people to continue to contribute to the cause.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her articles on wigs, please visit africanamericanwigs.net, supplier of high quality African American Front Lace Wigs and Human Hair Wigs