| By :
Mark Etinger
A public non-profit organization, Locks of Love is a United States-based association that accepts donations of human hair for wigs. While they accept financial donations as well, the typically accepted public view of Locks of Love is that they take human hair wigs and give them to children who have lost their hair due to chemo-therapy. However, those more familiar with the practices of Locks of Love realize the public perception of the organization isn't exactly correct. On their website, Locks of Love states that the majority of their "recipients are financially disadvantaged children, age 21 and under, suffering from long-term medical hair loss." For some inexplicable reason, a high number of people familiar with Locks of Love think the organization was created to get cancer wigs to children; in actuality, Locks of Love was created to assist those with alopecia, a form of hair loss. While the majority of commentary about Locks of Love is positive, there have been some noticeable criticisms of the public non-profit organization. The most noticeable is that the organization often sells donated hair, rather than using it for a human hair wig like the donor is told. The hair that is sold is described as "unusable material," but this term has gone under fire because the people that are buying it are using for wigs. For example, a 2003 report from the Better Business Bureau stated Locks of Love raised over $150,000 by selling donated hair. Clients who donate their own hair think it's going to a human hair wig, when in actuality there is a very high chance that the hair was actually sold. However, the non-profit uses this money to further help their cause, and one can only hope that individuals who make human hair donations can be satisfied knowing their donations did in fact help, rather than to be so selfish as to regret ever donating because the donation didn't go exactly where they expected. However, in 2008 the Better Business Bureau stated Locks of Love did not meet their standards for charity accountability, since the non-profit failed to accurately report the charity's expenses. Things have changed since then, and currently the BBB lists Locks of Love as a reputable charity. Locks of Love is very lenient on the hair they will accept, taking hair that is colored or permed, or even human hair that was cut months or years ago (just so long as it had been stored in a braid or ponytail). They will not, however, accept dreadlocks or bleached hair, because of a chemical reaction that occurs during the human hair wig manufacturing process. Other organizations that specialize in assisting children with medical conditions that cause hair loss include Little Princesses, Sofia's Hair 4 Health, Wigs for Kids, Pantene Beautiful Lengths, and Zichron Menachem.
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