Why Long Hair?

I’ve recently discovered how delightful hairsticks can be for putting up my hair. No elastic to pull my hair, and they hold really well.

The challenge, however, can be in keeping the hairsticks from pulling painfully tight. For many styles, a single hairstick will hold the whole thing up. A second can tighten things up even further, but that can be the problem. Too tight means you might break or strain your hair; not exactly good when you’re going for length. (There is more where this came from … )

Pantene is a brand I’ve used for years. My usual routine with shampoos is to rotate brands regularly, as my hair seems to prefer this. However, I’ve found that my hair likes Pantene better than average, and I can go through a couple bottles without switching brands without feeling a buildup.

Right now I use Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal, and I’m still not showing any signs of buildup well into my second bottle.

Some people look at the ingredient list and don’t like what they see. Many people with long hair prefer to avoid the aluminum sulfate (a fairly harsh cleanser) Pantene often uses for cleaning as well as the silicone products they use in their conditioners. I haven’t been investigating these things for long, but certainly haven’t had a problem. (There is more where this came from … )

If you have long hair, you have probably heard of Locks of Love, a charity which accepts donations of hair for wigs. You may have even been told by friends and relatives that you should cut your hair and give it to them. But is this really a good idea?

Locks of Love’s publicity certainly makes it sound good. You hear about wigs being made for children with cancer. However, most recipients actually have permanent hair loss caused by alopecia areata. Obviously very sad too, but I suspect cancer is mentioned because it pulls more at the heart strings.

I’ve also found some question about what they really do with all the hair that has been donated. Their site states that they receive 2000 donations of hair through the mail every week, and make 1000 hairpieces. It’s not quite clear to me if the number of hairpieces is total since they opened or annual production.

So where is the rest of the hair going? (There is more where this came from … )