Donating my hair to Locks for Love

Tera came over Thursday morning to Becca's house to cut our hair.  "Just getting the same cut as last time" I thought...until I saw this cute picture of Sandra Bullock.  The hair cut would be quite a bit shorter but then I thought "Hey, I could donate it again!"  This would be my second time.  Donating my hair helps me cope with the fact that I am chopping all my hair off because I know its going towards a great cause.  Also a short hair cut is the perfect summer thing.  Its light and so healthy...so with an instant decision I went forth and SNIP!

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 "I didn't realize how long you hair really was Liz" was Becca's comment when we pulled it all back to measure.  Yea, its long and boring and unhealthy and I'm just sick of it...need I continue my reasons for wanting something new, fun, and cute

(*don't get me wrong. I have loved my hair long.  You can do so much with it but it was just plumb time for a change for this ragazza!)

 I was nervous but Tera is great!  That's why I came back to her.  I have never gone to just one person but she cut it so perfectly and just how I liked it last time that I'm gonna keep going to her as long as she'll let me.

 Here's the picture Sandra Bullock and what look we were going for...oh yea, and my pony tail ready for donating :)  I hope its enough...it kinda looks a little too short...Did you know that it takes 10 people to donate their hair for just 1 wig to be made!  That's incredible!  They need so much help to make this project possible.  Many hair places will even give you a free cut for donating your hair - of course they style it after they cut it...we are not in Tangled and there's no way one quick whack with a knife can get hair looking that good.

Right after the hair cut I went into work (I'm an elementary music teacher).  In my classroom I decided to start off my lessons "do you like my new hair cut?!" To which the kiddos enthusiastically cheered "YES!" then came the neat part.  I talked to my students about how some people are born without hair or become very sick and all their hair falls out and how hard that must be for them.  "Even girls?" asked a boy.  "Yes, even girls."   I told them about how they can get wigs to help them feel better and that I had cut off my hair so that I could help them make wigs for these people.  I told them how it takes 10 people to donate just to make 1 wig and they thought that was so much, which it is!  "That means 100 people need to cut off their hair to make 10 wigs!" A little boy said completely shocked (look at my little brilliant Math star).  One of the little girls in my class shared how her mom has cancer and has no hair. "My Mommy loves to play with my hair because she doesn't have any hair of her own to play with."  How neat to be able to talk about this with my classes and help them see just one little way that we can make an impact in someone else's life.

I found this statement on the Locks of Love webpage:

 Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.

 And here it is, my locks for those sweet little children.  I taught a girl in Las Vegas during my student teaching whose hair started falling out.  It was so hard for her.  I am grateful that we have groups like these set up to help people feel confident and pretty again.  Cause we can't lie, how our hair looks makes such a huge difference to us!

Haha, I was fine up until Tera started texturing my hair and I saw all these tuffs of hair coming off my head...kinda freaked out on the inside...and a little on the outside too.  I reminded myself how amazing she is and the fear quickly went away.   

I went up stairs to style it, followed by Becca who helped teach me how to rat it a little...she's gonna have to teach me all her tricks because I'm a bit new at this.  But with Becca's help it came together nicely and I'm crazy about it.  I'll have to add a picture when it's all done and cutely styled.  I LOVE my new hair cut!  It feels so great!  I think the tiny little pony tail I have now is so stinkin' cute and I even like the bangs.

Now I'm ready for summer!