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For so long I have been frustrated with the inability to grow my hair out. About 6 months ago I came across Pantene Pro-V's new product, Beautiful Lengths lengthening shampoo and conditioner. I figured it probably would not work but I have liked their products in the past so I bought it anyway. About 4 months after using the shampoo and conditioner my hair began to grow like a weed! Now, 6 months later my hair is 2 feet and some odd inches long.
I would love to donate my hair soon, but I am having trouble deciding between the Locks of Love and Pantene's Beautiful Length's program. I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight or advice on which to choose and why.
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Reading all these posts has really conflicted me. My 3 year old just said good bye to her 11" of hair today and we initially were going to donate to LOL. Then I heard about Pantene. So I researched it and found this thread. Backstory. I have alopecia and have been wearing a wig for about 15 years. I lost my hair at 13 and had no idea about LOL back then. My parents couldn't afford a wig for me so I had to face the riducule, teasing, self-esteem killing teen years with patches of hair somewhat disguised. Still. To his day I cannot afford a nice human hair wig. I know cancer can be deadly, heck, there is a high chance I'll have breast cancer because my thick immediate family history so don't think I am comparing the two. But frankly, nobody feels bad for the poor bald used to be amazingly beautiful redhead who will never have hair again.
July 12, 2014 - 12:51pmThis Comment
I feel for you! Next week I go to donate another 12 inches of hair. I started donating at the age of 18 and here I am now 57 years old with gray hair and still doing it. Next weeks donation will make a total of 112 inches (give or take a few inches) that I have donated. I used to donate only to LOL until I found out (about 20 years ago)how poorly managed the organization is. Anyway, I do care and I wish you all the best. I bet you're still beautiful!
August 19, 2014 - 8:09pmThis Comment
I will most likely be donating 8 inches of my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths tomorrow and I had to make the same decision. The mane reason I chose Pantene is the length requirements. Pantene only requires 8" minimum of hair whereas LOL requires 10". Another reason is that Pantene donates to woman fighting cancer whereas LOL donates to many people fighting alopecia areata and other hair-loss condition, not just cancer. I have lost 2 relatives to cancer and my best friends mom suffered breast cancer twice. I have no connection to another hair-loss condition.
March 26, 2014 - 2:14pmThis Comment
My 14 year old daughter has donated over 44 inches of hair to Locks of Love, in four hair donations. She NEVER received a thank you card or anything verifying they recieved the hair. She just cut her hair, for the 5th time, another 14 inches and the hairdresser suggest BL. I am mailing out her donation today. I work at a cancer facility and would like to see the wigs go to cancer survivors, free of charge. I never knew LOL sold their wigs.
March 3, 2014 - 3:37pmThis Comment
Before accusing them, you should look at the facts. They don't sell the wigs. They provide most of them free of charge, with families who are financially well-off paying some of the cost... some. LoL will send a thank-you or acknowledgement if you include your address and the printout with the hair. Otherwise, it's a simple donation. Check your facts, first. I hope Pantene is successful in their endeavor, but would like to think they are not the ones spreading the ugly rumors.
March 21, 2014 - 10:30pmThis Comment
I have donated to LoL once & BL twice. The 2nd donation to BL I didn't bother with the paper work inside the package, I just threw the zip lock bag of hair into a mail pouch & sent it off. BL sent the thank you note to the name on the return address label. (so my Dad with thinning hair got a thank you note)
July 13, 2014 - 3:57pmIf you read the details both companies will sell hair they can not use to help pay for the manufacturing of the wigs.
My biggest deciding factor in where to donate was LoL gives to children where BL gives to adults. Since I am an adult I chose to give for other adults. My daughter is thinking of donating in the fall & I will probably suggest LoL since she is a child & the donation would go to another child.
Either way it is for a good cause & you should be proud of yourself for doing so. I often say "God can't make me mostly grey because then I can't donate my hair" (yes I know some places will still take it, but I don't want the grey :)
This Comment
I plan to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths this month. I have heard negative things about LOL, but my main reason for choosing Pantene is that I am donating in honor of my sister in law who is battling ovarian cancer. LOL does not focus on cancer. I can't think of the name of the illness right now, but it is not cancer. My goal is to donate to benefit women like my sister in law that are facing cancer. A lot of the other organizations give to children but do not give to grown women. They are good organizations but they do not fit my need.
December 2, 2013 - 8:29amThis Comment
A lot of people complain about Locks of Love selling gray hair or unusable hair to compensate for their expenses, but I'm surprised that everyone fails to understand how a business operates, non-profit or not. Making wigs out of real hair takes labor and materials. Do you know how to make a wig? Because I sure as hell don't. It requires research and expertise.
Who is able to spend all that time making wigs and making sure that the hair does not fall out from the wig (especially for active kids)? The people who work to make the wigs still needs to eat, to sleep, to have transportation, to have clothes, etc. There are full-time employees who work for the company full-time, who also need a place to eat and sleep. Not to mention that, but the buildings they operate in and whatnot. So WHO is going to pay for all of that? You think that money is just going to fall from the sky?
The reason that Pantene seems more successful in the way they run their program is because they are a for-profit organization with a not-for-profit cause. Pantene is able to fund Beautiful Locks as needed. Locks of Love, however, is a non-profit organization to begin with. That being said, LoL does its best to reduce the cost of wigs for families. However, there is only so much that can be done without going bankrupt and not being able to help at all.
October 16, 2012 - 7:16pmThis Comment
I donated my hair to Locks of Love three years ago,when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. I received a thank you card from them, but how or if my hair was used, I don't know. My husband passed away two years ago and I'm now active in Relay for Life and my local American Cancer Society. Next week at our Relay For Life event, we'll be cutting hair to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, because the wigs go directly to our local ACS chapter. It's a much better choice for me.
May 30, 2012 - 8:52amThis Comment
I have donated to LOL 4 times and have not recieved any conformation they had recieved my donations. I cut 12 inches off about 3 years ago and have not sent it in yet because I had heard rumors of the wigs not being free to the kids. I just cut off 18 inches and have been looking to see who would benefit the most. After reading everyones comments I think since I have 2 donations I am going to split it and send to LOL and Pantene. I just hope and pray that both will go to help someone who really needs it and doesn't get discarded. I can and will countinue to cut and donate my hair and I do it to honor my family members that I have lost to cancer and my little cousin who has survived.
March 5, 2012 - 8:14amThis Comment