This doesn't mean you snip off a small section and drop it into a donation box at your local Hungry Jacks, though I'm sure people dropping hair all over their counters would thrill them. No, it's a little more special than that.
It's part of Beautiful Lengths, a program created by Pantene, of which I am ambassador, which encourages girls and women (we've had 6 year-olds donate!) to cut off and donate their hair to be made into a real-hair wig for women undergoing cancer treatment. These wigs cost thousands of dollars, making them prohibitive for many women, which is why Beautiful Lengths wants to provide them for free.
It takes six ponytails to make one real hair wig, which is why I am asking, with gorgeous, wet Puss-in-Boots eyes if you can possibly donate your glorious ponytail, to do it. It can be coloured with semi-permanent dye, but not permanent dye or bleach, and we need 20cm of it. All of the requirements are here.
For those who have undergone cancer treatment, or know a dame who has, you will know that nothing can come close to a hair that moves, looks and behaves like (“is”) real hair. But it’s also psychological – hair shapes how we feel about ourselves. And having a wig that feels and looks like your old hair when you have lost it can be a huge boost to confidence during a very shitty time.
Beautiful Lengths has partnered with the wonderful Look Good… Feel Better, a national community service program that hosts workshops for women with cancer to help them (using makeup and skincare products donated by cosmetic companies) restore their appearance during treatment, to distribute the wigs all over Australia. If you know of any women undergoing treatment who have not already been to a workshop, please encourage them to go along, because they are outstanding.
2012 is the first year of Beautiful Lengths in Australia, and we need to make a good impression. And by 'good impression' I mean, 'donate a heck load of hair to make these wigs to show the yanks we mean business when it comes to helping out our sisters and sassing chic short hair.'
Naomi Watts and Barney Martin are the other Beautiful Lengths ambassadors, and myself and Barney are hosting a live event tomorrow morning, November 12, at Martin Place, Sydney CBD at 8am.
If you're feeling charitable and like you could do with a fantastic hair cut and a sweet goody bag, register here and COME ALONG!
You can also host your own donation party, or, if like me your hair isn't up to scratch because you were super blonde a few months ago, you can make a pledge, or keep growing your hair to donate once you reach the required length. (While we're doing a lot of publicity around this week, the campaign is actually evergreen, and you can snip off your ponytail any time and send it in.)
... Three cheers/snips for Beautiful Lengths!
