Hair donation: how does it work?

Hair donation works great. If you donate hair, a cancer patient will dream of living a new life and getting a new life. What if you take advantage of a haircut to make a donation that will allow the making of a wig for people with cancer? Instructions for use with the Solid'hair association. 

Contents

1. Wigs and cancer: too much out-of-pocket payment

2. How do I donate hair?

Wig and cancer: too much out-of-Pocket Payment

pocket Social security reimburses 350 euros if the cost of the wig does not exceed 699€, knowing that those with natural hair and a substantial length are the most expensive (700 euros minimum in general). The rest to be paid for by the patient (€449) remains significant… A substantial sum, all the more so for people in precarious situations.

In France, there are mainly two associations that collect locks of hair from individuals or with partner hairdressers to make wigs with natural hair and allow patients to have them at a more affordable price: Fake Hair Don't Care and Solid Hair. The creator of the latter, Sophie Bouxirot explains the concept to us.

It is by being aware of this economic reality for patients that in 2015, Sophie Bouxirot wanted to create the Solidhair association. The goal? Collect locks of hair from individuals and hairdressers, sell them to wig makers, and devote the profits to subsidizing patients (up to 450 euros) in difficulty. An original idea that also appealed to Carla Morris, owner of a hair salon in Paris. With a long experience in associations, this dynamic and committed young woman quickly became a partner and sponsor of the association. "Contrary to what some people often imagine, we did not have a cancer patient in our entourage. It was from a simple impulse of the heart that this association was created", emphasizes Carla Morris.

 

2 | How to donate hair?

With nearly 400,000 new people affected each year, cancer remains the leading cause of premature death in France. While most health care is generally well covered, some costs remain poorly reimbursed. This is particularly the case for the purchase of wigs for women and men with cancer whose treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy causes heavy side effects such as hair loss. A physical consequence that plays, among other things, on morale and self-esteem and comes on top of the fact that we have to face a serious illness.  

 

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How to donate hair?

Sick people (regardless of the type of cancer) can benefit from the help offered, provided they meet the criteria defined by the association: not to exceed the ceiling of 1000 euros in income for a single person, for example ( the admission criteria are specified on the association's website). Once the grant application form has been submitted, the association then sends the funds. “If the headquarters of the association is in Paris, almost all of the grant applications come from the provinces without anyone knowing why”, says Carla Morris. 

Hair donation: which associations in France? 

• Solid hair  (minimum length accepted 30 cm)

• Fake Hair don't Care (minimum length 10 cm) 

If you wish to participate in the activity of the association, you can of course donate hair that you have cut yourself or at a hairdresser, provided that certain collection criteria are met. "We accept natural locks with a minimum length of 30 cm. It is therefore useless to send shorter hair", explains Carla Morris. Brown, blond, gray... the hair can be of all shades, provided it is natural, that is to say not colored and not highlighted. They must also not have undergone any treatment or manipulation likely to have altered their natural quality (straightening, curling, perming, etc.).hair is offered to Capillum, which then recycles it. If your hair meets these length criteria, you can send your lock directly to the association.

Another possibility: have your hair cut in one of Solidhair's partner's hairdressing salons. (There are more than 1000 at present scattered throughout France). A useful precision: hairdressers do not always offer a reduction on the price of the cut. And if you have short, colored hair or if you don't want to cut a single strand of your mane, nothing prevents you from making a direct financial donation (tax-deductible) to the association which is also developing thanks to sponsorship.