Getting a haircut? Consider donating your locks
If you have long hair and you’re set on cutting it, you may want to consider donating your tresses to organizations that provide free wigs for cancer patients.
This practice gained traction at the tail end of the pandemic, when more business establishments were allowed to operate, including hair salons, and so people finally got a haircut. Then a call for donations circulated on social media, announcing that cut hair can still be used for a good cause.
At least three organizations remain active in receiving hair donations all-year round: Makati Medical Center’s Cancer Center, Hair for Hope, and Strand Up for Cancer. They share the basic requirements with a few exceptions such as the minimum length of hair.
MakatiMed’s Cancer Center accepts hair donations that are at least 9 inches long. Hair that has not been chemically treated is preferred, but rebonded or colored hair can still be accepted as long as it’s not heavily damaged.
Donors are advised to tie their hair in a ponytail before having it cut. The hair is then placed in a resealable plastic bag along with the owner’s name, contact number, and email address.
Hair donations can be brought to MakatiMed’s Cancer Center on the first floor of the hospital’s Tower 1 on Amorsolo Street in Legaspi Village, Makati City. (Call tel. 88888-999 local 7102 for more information.)
Personal experience
When I made my first hair donation in February 2021, I deemed it unwise to bring it or have it delivered to MakatiMed as there was still the pandemic. Hospitals then were only open for medical concerns and other essentials.
I decided to send my hair donation to Hair for Hope, an advocacy initiated by Heads by volu-Med Salon and the European Hair Factor, Inc. I brought a tape measure so the hairstylist in my neighborhood salon could cut my locks at the required length of 12 inches.
Today, Hair for Hope only accepts hair donations at least 14 inches or 35 centimeters long. The hair still has to be neatly tied or braided before placed in a plastic bag with the donor’s name, email address, and social media account name. The plastic bag has to be sealed before it is brought or sent to Heads by volu-Med Salon in Makati City or European Hair Factory Inc.’s offices in Laguna. (Visit Hair for Hope’s Facebook page for the full details.)
A certificate of donation can be requested via email, but I already felt rewarded by the thought of its possible beneficiary. In fact, I made another donation just last January. This time, I went to the Manila Downtown YMCA in Binondo, because its youth club runs Strand Up for Cancer.
In a chat with staffer Venus May Alinsod, I learned that the organization accepts hair donations starting at 10 inches long. It’s all right if the tresses have been chemically treated or have many white strands because their wig maker has a way of processing different types of hair. The donation just has to be dry and kept in a nonplastic container, like paper or an eco-bag, as they also follow earth-friendly practices.
To show their gratitude for the donation, the group behind Strand Up for Cancer gives souvenir items that they also make, like caps and tote bags. I got a wooden cutlery set with a cloth casing.
Beneficiaries
“We have collected more than 2,500 hair donations and were able to create more than 230 wigs,” says Eliana Ong in an email interview. The vice president for community development of the Manila Downtown YMCA Youth Club adds that Strand Up for Cancer was started in 2017 by the group’s former vice president and other project heads.
“One of the most memorable experiences I had was when we went to a cancer fair where we were able to talk to a lot of cancer patients who shared their stories,” she recalls.
“A lot of them were shocked and thankful that we were giving wigs for free. They really appreciated it, and some would also tear up. They shared their struggles and hardships with hospital care, transportation, and treatment.”
Aside from Strand Up for Cancer, Ong says the Youth Club runs other worthy causes spread out through its eight departments. The one in charge of environmental development, for instance, creates projects and initiatives aimed at teaching the members how to take better care of the environment.
For 2025, the projects are Green Starts From Within (GSFW) and Treety of Hope. She explains that GSFW is an internal project that encourages the Manila Downtown YMCA and its members to reduce and monitor their waste by promoting environmental initiatives.
An example is BYOBUB, or “Bring your own Baunans, Utensils, and Bottles,” which encourages members to bring their own reusable items whenever there are projects in the Manila Downtown YMCA.
The Treety of Hope project is an internal project that gives the members the opportunity to plant trees. In November 2024, they went to the La Mesa Dam EcoPark for the project.
