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“People don’t realize how much hair you really do need,” Cartier said, especially “by the time you cut the split ends off, and by the time you tie a knot in it.” It can take five to six donations to make one wig. Wigs & Wishes requires a minimum of 12 inches, while Pink Heart Funds requires 13 inches to meet the demand for longer wigs. Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan can take donations as short as seven inches to make short wigs that many boys prefer, but at least 10 inches is requested. “Do you want a child to have a wig made out of extremely damaged hair?”ĭifferent nonprofits have different requirements for donating hair, so it’s crucial to read all the instructions before you cut.įor instance, the minimum length to donate can vary widely.

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Nicely, a stylist for over 40 years, sees “a lot” of donated ponytails full of split ends, which unfortunately cannot be made into wigs. Regular trimming may sound counterintuitive at first, but he says breakage will happen anyway. Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids also recommends using high-quality dryers and tools, regular brushing and limiting exposure to heat damage.īut most important of all is keeping your ends trimmed – at least an eighth to a quarter inch every four to six weeks, according to Cartier. Cartier, a stylist for nearly three decades, recommends using a sulfate-free shampoo, “good” conditioner, and heat protectant for regular haircare. If you’re interested in donating your hair, proper maintenance is the first step. “They look in the mirror and they recognize the person looking back at them.”

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“I don’t care what age you are – I get 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds that come in here, and I put those wigs on them and their smile and their heart just brightens up,” said Varney, who makes free custom wigs or hairpieces for every child. Slightly more than half of the children she serves have been diagnosed with cancer, while the rest have lost hair from alopecia, trichotillomania, lupus, blood disorders and dog bites. The need – and the hope that hair provides – keeps Varney working seven days a week. His location near many large oncology centers on the East Coast keeps him busy: On top of his regular client schedule, he also takes care of six to 10 cancer patients daily at his salon. “We’re definitely helping more people than ever before,” he said, adding that Wigs & Wishes is shipping about 50 wigs a day across the country and beyond. “The need is there – doesn’t matter how bad Covid is,” she said.Ĭartier agrees. A cancer survivor herself, Nicely understands the urgency even during a global crisis. “Covid-19 put a halt across the entire world, but the one thing it didn’t stop was cancer,” said Nicely, whose nonprofit makes free wigs for children with hair loss disorders and gives free wigs and breast prosthetics to women with cancer.

And that’s a good thing, they say, since so many still need the help.

“We’re getting 15-, 16-inch ponytails, which is fabulous, because most of the young girls that want wigs want long wigs,” she said.Įven as the coronavirus pandemic enters its 10th month in the United States, the nonprofit founders report a welcome but endless stream of emails, calls and mail from interested donors. “I’ve had many of them say to me, ‘I would never have thought of this if it wasn’t for Covid,’” Varney told CNN.Īnd longer waits between cuts are turning into highly coveted longer donations, according to JoAn Nicely, founder of Pink Heart Funds in Mississippi.

Maggie Varney, founder of Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, says the extra ponytails and braids have been “one of the rainbows in the storm.” This year set a new record amount of donations – 487 – for Sparrow Hospital’s annual hair donation drive, many coming from first-time donors in new demographics such as boys and adults. “We get donations every day and it’s never enough, so this is definitely a silver lining for us.” “Listen, there’s never enough hair,” said stylist Martino Cartier, founder of the New Jersey-based Wigs & Wishes, which makes free wigs for people with cancer. As people stay home and skip the salon or barbershop, some hair-focused non-profits are seeing one bright spot in the pandemic: more donated hair going to those who need it.

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