Locks of Love

A Popular Charity Under Scrutiny

Locks of Love. You may have heard them mentioned during the group-hair makeovers on Oprah or other popular talk shows and might have even considered donating your hair to their cause. Maybe you’ve even talked your daughter into cutting off two years worth of growth to Locks of Love. After all, who doesn’t feel selfish after hearing about the kids without hair who could use your tresses to make them feel normal. How much is your head of hair worth? Well, if several who have analyzed LOL’s business practices correctly, to Locks of Love, it might be worth just under four dollars.

If you have ever donated to Locks of Love, your heart was definitely in the right place, but many are beginning to question this charity for instances that seem a bit dishonest. First and foremost, Locks of Love does not make free wigs for children with cancer. Most of the children who benefit for their real human hair wigs, which can cost the recipient (based on income) are typically patients with alopecia or scalp damage.

The common plea by advocates of Locks of Love has often been “Don’t you want to help cancer victims.” Lock of Love themselves indicate that cancer victims, who typically benefit from a synthetic wig, are in most cases disqualified from being recipients of Locks of Love prosthetics. Though Locks of Love do state this on their website, on television programs and calls to donate, they do not correct the exuberance and excitement of donors who believe their sacrifice will be used for such a purpose.

The wigs provided for children meeting qualifications are not free. They are billed prior to manufacture on Locks of Love’s sliding scale. That is right, they do not receive the prosthetic wig free of charge in many cases, due to the costs of creating such a wig and the income of that particular child’s family. They do get the wigs, which often cost up to $3,000 to manufacture, at a fraction of the regular price. For some reason, these wigs often need repaired and that also costs the charity.