| Original Publication Date: September 2000 |
September 30, 2000
Locks Of Love - Am I Being Selfish?
Question
Dear Karen,
You seem like such a nice person from
everything I have seen you write at HairBoutique.com. I have a
problem and I am feeling really terrible about it. I also have read
that you are a professional women in your 40s and have very long
hair.
I have naturally dark blonde hair to my
knees. It is thick and healthy and I take very good care of
it. In fact, I want to tell you that I think HairBoutique.com
has the best long hair tips and styles and information that I have
ever seen anywhere. Other sites advertise that they have long
hair styling information, but nothing even close to what you
offer.
At any rate, I am 45 and a lawyer in the
South. My sister told me that I look too old with long hair
and that I don't look professional enough. She said that I
need to cut my hair at least to collar length.
I have resisted all of her comments until about
2 weeks ago. She gave me an article about a charity group in
Florida that is called Locks Of Love. The article mentions
that this charity takes donations of long hair for children that are
suffering from diseases that have rendered them bald.
My sister told me that I should be a good
person and donate my hair and that it is time for me to improve my
professional image. Quite frankly Karen, I don't want to do
this because I love my hair.
I did a search on Locks of Love on your site
and did not find anything. I know that you donate to breast
cancer and believe in charities but I am wondering if you have any
information on Locks of Love and if you think I am being selfish for
wanting to keep my hair.
Thanks.
Jayne
Answer
Dear Jayne,
First let me thank you for the nice things you said about
HairBoutique.com. We do try very hard to provide as much
information about hair of all types, lengths and for all types of
people. Yes, I do have a soft spot for long hair because I
have very long hair that I have been growing for years. You
are right, I am President/CEO of a software company in addition to
running HairBoutique.com.
I mostly wear my hair down below my waist and it doesn't seem to
matter. My business customers seem most concerned with the
software that my company manufacturers and less concerned about my
hair length.
You letter makes me sad because I get so many that are
similar. So many women with long hair are pushed, prodded and
bullied into cutting their hair by a variety of "well
meaning" friends, relatives and associates. I could go on
for quite some time about this but will cut to the chase and tell
you to listen only to your heart about your hair. It is YOUR
hair. It is your body and your life. Do what makes you
feel best about you.
You are correct, I do not purposely have any information on
HairBoutique.com about the Locks of Love organization. I do
not personally believe that Locks of Love is completely open with
the public about how they run their organization. Yes, I
believe strongly in charitable causes. HairBoutique.com and my
other company, T&S Software have both donated as much as they
could afford to the breast cancer cause. HairBoutique.com is
currently sponsoring Tricia Brown in her 60 mile Avon walk in
October. We have donated 10% of the profits from our store
during May and are doing so again in September.
It is my personal opinion that there are still a lot of unknowns
about Locks of Love. One thing that concerns me personally is
that even though a very large number of people send their hair to
Locks of Love every year, only a very small percentage of that hair
is reportedly used on wigs for children. What happens to the
rest of that hair? It is hard to say and I don't believe that
the Locks of Love organization has fully disclosed enough of what
they do with the "leftover" hair to be satisfied with
their answers.
I encourage people to do what they believe is right but I also
encourage people to research the facts before they make a donation
of any sort whether it be hair or money. So many people
believe that they are donating their beloved hair to a cause and
that it will become a wig for a hairless child when that may not
even be close to the reality. Since the Locks of Love organization
does not disclose as much information as I believe they should, it
is hard to really know what happens to hair that is not used for
wigs for children.
I have gotten several emails over the past 3 years from people
who have accused me of being selfish for not considering donating my
hair to Locks of Love. I tell people who try to bully me
into donating my hair that I generously give to worthy charities
that I believe are honest and addressing a cause that is close to my
heart.
Tell your sister that you will make a financial donation in her
name to any charity that she would like and to back off about your
hair. It is your hair. You grew it and it is yours to
enjoy.
I wish the very best.
Karen
PS. Portia de Rossi plays an attorney on Ally McBeal and
looks stunning in a variety of buns. Check it out.
September 22, 2000
Use Of Hair sticks?
Question
Dear Karen,
WOW. I am amazed at the beautiful
Mei Fa
hair sticks that you have started carrying in your Marketplace. I
would love to wear the sticks but I don't have long hair like
you. My hair is only to the top of my bra strap. Any
suggestions on how to get my hair to grow faster so I can own a lovely
pair of those sticks?
Janie
Answer
Dear Janie,
Hair sticks can be worn EITHER as a functional hair tool OR as purely
decoration. Many people are not aware of the fact that over 75%
of all hair stick wearers are not using the sticks to hold their hair
in place. They are only using the sticks as decoration for their
hairstyles.
One thing I should point out about the Shelley Pryor Gallery that
was designed around
hair sticks. None of the styles
that Shelley created for our model Jill used the sticks as either
functional anchors or as types of pins.
Because Jill had very thick hair the sticks would not hold Jill's
hair in place. Shelley had to use blonde colored hair pins to
keep Jill's gorgeous blonde hair in place. Once Shelley got the
hair style the way she wanted, she used the hair sticks as
decorations. They looked stunning.
Jill only has hair that is bra length and this was the first time
she realized that she could wear hair sticks without using them to hold
her hair in place. She was thrilled. In fact, even though
HairBoutique.com offered to pay Jill for her hair modeling work, she
choose to take two sets of lacquer hair sticks in trade
instead. Two of the sets in Jill's hair for many of the photos
are now her prize possessions and she loves them.
As far as making your hair grow faster, there are not
secrets. Hair, when it is healthy, will grow at approximately
1/2 to 1 inch per month. A lot depends on your biological
composition. Taking hair vitamins like
HairTopia will help encourage
healthy hair which then can grow to its maximum potential.
Best wishes,
Karen
By submitting your question, you grant full permission to HairBoutique.com to publish it. Due to the volume of mail we receive, Karen regrets that she cannot respond to every question personally. To AskKaren questions please read Before You Contact Us Tips and then send send e-mail to: askkaren@hairboutique.com
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