Many of you have heard that there is a shortage of human hair which drives up the cost of human hair wigs. Its a simple matter of the business equation of supply and demand. In years past, wig makers have gotten hair from many sources, including nun’s and monks, who grew out their hair , cut it and donated it for a small fee to help bring income into the monastery or church.Hair for profit so to speak . In fact, many of the monks in Europe still do it which is how they fund things.
However, I sat down with Aj’s Wigs Wig master and asked him Why do we have a shortage? after all, cancer is on the rise, and wig makers and wig companies are having to go outside the United States to find good quality hair which again, drives up the price. Bob simply said, "because unless cancer has touched their lives, people just don’t think about it any more." Mother, father, sister, brother, Aunt or Uncle, BFF or anyone who they care about, we as humans always care about what affects our circle of life.
It’s not because we don’t care, it’s just something that doesn’t affect us. But what if your mother came home one day and sat down with the family and said, Guys, i've got breast cancer. I guarantee you would go to the nearest salon to donate your hair.
To make a Human Hair wig, it takes 7-10 pony tails. Imagine, basically, it takes 3-5 people’s heads of hair to make just one wig…. JUST ONE WIG. The length has to be 10-12 inches from the nape of the neck. Now, if your hair is that long(basically slightly past the bra area to mid-back length), we know it is traumatic to cut your hair from long to medium\short, but think of how traumatic it can be to be told….You have cancer or, you have alopecia and by the way, for alopecia, there is no cure and you will never again have hair.
Most people who have long hair don’t get their hair trimmed but once a year, and sometimes even that can be traumatic. AJ's Wigs receives calls everyday asking us, when the economy is bad, how much money will we give them for their hair? Our response to this "Low blow" question is, nothing, but we will cut your hair for free and donate it. Normally, we hear a click then dial tone. But sometimes we hear, "can I make an appointment as id like to donate my hair"? Once that person enters AJ's Wigs door, that person it treated like a queen or king as they are putting the emotions of others above their own. They are treated with a long scalp massage, a great haircut/new style, free hair care products and anything else we can give them as we know, that they have made a traumatic decision, an emotional decision . We do it ALL for nothing, as all salons should do who are worth their salt(another one of my Grandmother's sayings)
Any Salon who would charge you for your hair cut when you are donating your hair, hang up as every salon know’s that you have not made this decision lightly.Greed over humanity is never a good thing.
But why are we so attached to very long hair? Hair that no one see’s because most people with hair that long always ponytail it or tie it up. The only answer is, that hair is an emotion (which is Aj’s Wigs slogan) and hair is one of the only things in life we can control. But, Hair is hair, and unless you have Cancer/alopecia\or normal hair loss, it will always grow back, and giving up your long hair, although emotional, will allow someone else who doesn’t have a choice to once again, have a smile on their face.
One client came in a few weeks ago with hair almost to her tailbone, and when asked if she knew of someone with cancer, she said no, but that she had gone to her local hospital to visit the cancer ward. She stated that she came away after seeing so many without hair, and asked herself this. "what right do i have to feel so attached to something when other’s don’t have a choice especially when i can grow it again" I thought, Wow, what a great idea for someone who is one the edge of making this emotional decision to part with one’s hair. Go to your local oncologist of hospital cancer ward and talk to someone who has lost all their hair to discover the real emotion of totally losing your hair.
So, ladies and gentleman, grow your hair out, make sure you trim it every 6-8 weeks to keep it in great condition, and in 11 to 15 months, you can give someone not only a chance to have hair, but the confidence we get from looking our best. Get your friends together and encourage them to do the same, because one day, you might hear the words from your doctor, "Im sorry to report, that you have cancer.