Today I sent an unusual letter - a padded envelope filled with my hair! I sent it to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, which collects donated hair to make wigs for women with cancer.
I donated my hair for the first time in June 2010, (12 inches!) and that time I sent it to Locks of Love. They said that they would send a written confirmation that they received my hair, but they didn't, so this time I decided to go with the Pantene campaign.
(You can see the photos of today's cut on my facebook profile here).
I had been wanting to donate again, and decided that the end of the year was the perfect time to do it. It resonates with the spirit of giving that permeates the holiday season, and also connects with my desire to reinvent myself in the new year and let go of anything that's dragging me down or not serving me. Not that my hair was doing that, necessarily - but I do feel a LOT lighter after the cut!
To make the cut, you need the ponytail to be at least 8 inches - mine was about 9. The stylist Andrea did a great job of turning my cut into a nice short bob. She did a great job - and it was the first time she cut my hair!
I went straight from the salon (Charmed on Cedros, Solana Beach) to the post office. I stood in a long line, lots of people sending packages for the holidays - I bet I was the only one mailing an envelope full of hair! :-) It makes for an interesting "My Year of Letters" post - mailing a letter to Pantene with my hair (there was actually a letter too - I had to include my mailing address in order to receive a written confirmation that they received it. I also wrote "Here's my hair - I hope it makes a nice wig!").
I realize that the donation is a very small contribution - it takes about 6 ponytails to make one wig - but it's at least something I can do for a worthy cause. And something that is personally satisfying - I got a nice new cut out of it, which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't had the inspiration from the campaign.
If you have long hair, I recommend giving it a try - it's liberating!
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