Corona Daily 114: Hair We Share

In pandemic times, even those who are struggling financially have one asset that grows every day.

In the lockdown last year, most men and women missed their usual scheduled trip to the hairdresser. Some used the rare opportunity to grow ponytails or long hair. When salons began to open, the risk of exposure prevented people from rushing for a haircut. In the USA and UK, some women with 14 inch braids are now fully vaccinated. They are looking forward to getting rid of their burden, and head to the beach with new summer cuts.

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On Long Island, Suzanne Chimera runs a company called “Hair We Share”. She asks people to donate their long hair. Wigs made of donated hair are given free to adults and children with medical hair loss. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy need wigs. Wigs are expensive everywhere, a good wig with human hair can easily cost between $1000 and $3000. This expense added to the cost of the treatment is an unfair burden on a cancer patient.

Suzanne encourages potential donors to keep growing their hair before donating. In the pandemic, her donor base has increased by 230%. Men ask her how they can donate their wild, unkempt hair. The minimum length for donation is 8 inches long. With eight inches of hair, wig makers end up making a 4-6 inch wig. Majority of those needing wigs are women, who prefer long hair. Many men agreed to wait until their hair was sufficiently long.

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In the pandemic, organizations such as Hair We Share are making compromises, such as accepting grey or highlighted hair. Jerika Nguyen, 28, managed to grow hair till her haunches. Last month, she donated nine inches of her hair to Children With Hair Loss, one of the few charities that accepted her highlighted hair. Jerika compared her experience to blood donation. You give up something knowing you are going to get it back, and what you give up helps the one who receives it.

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Locks of Love, one of the better known charities, tells us that as much as 80% of the hair donated may by unusable for wigs. Many people don’t read the guidelines, and send in hair that is wet, moldy, short, gray, or too processed. This has to be thrown away.

Donors ask if they could see the photo of a person who is wearing the wig made of their hair. Usually the recipients prefer to be anonymous. Even if they allow, the logistics make it difficult to identify which hair is part of which wig. To make a nice, thick wig the manufacturers may look for 20 identical ponytails, each at least eight inches long, and combine these to make a wig.

Paul Frasca, co-founder of Sustainable Salons, in Australia, said hair donations were down almost 70% last year. But a welcome surprise this year is receiving high quality “virgin” long hair coming from men.

In India, at least Hyderabad and Mumbai have hair-wig double donation agencies.

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In China, the wig industry market is booming. USA is China’s largest export destination for wigs. Every time the Trump administration sent stimulus checks to American families, wig exports from China to the USA grew. China prefers to import human hair from India, it is cheaper. And Indians seldom dye their hair, so the quality of hair is good.

In Japan, the demand for men’s wigs has grown nearly three times during the pandemic. While no large scale study is available, wig makers believe the Zoom conferencing is responsible. Japanese men watch themselves endlessly during the Zoom call, feel restless about the image of their crown, and order a nice expensive wig before the next meeting.

Ravi