To shave my head for charity?

[Topaz25]

I'm seriously considering shaving my long hair off for charity. As well as collecting sponsorship for a cancer charity, I would also donate the hair to The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children that have sadly lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

Has anyone done anything like this? Were you happy with the result or did you regret it? Any tips?

Would you think it was weird if a friend did this? My DH thinks it is weird and is concerned what our colleagues will think. I think they will see my commitment to fundraising as a positive thing and anyway I could wear a wig to work. I think he is also worried that he won't find me attractive bald. I think it's just hair and it will grow back!

So WIBU to shave my head for charity?

Thank you.

shave it !! buzz cuts are soo nice i did mine last year it cured my dandruff and i have the most awesome hair of my life its so thick and healthy. and its a great cause too wish id have thought of donating mine to charity

I have shaved my head a couple of times just because I suit it and I like the ease of not having to think about my hair. Never had long enough hair to donate.

I don't know what to think about this sponsored shaved head malarkey. To me it's a bit strange, but if you donate your hair - fantastic. IMO, no need to go fully shaven, if you don't so desire. I think that, for some reason, I don't like sponsored runs or things like that either. Volunteering is great, if you only have the time. Otherwise, just quietly donate money yourself.

Brokenhearted I'm slightly the same. I set up standing orders to my 3 favourite charities when I started my first full time job in 1983. They've been increased over the years but are still in place.

There really isn't a week goes by without someone in the office asking for sponsorship and that's not counting the office's corporate responsibility official charity (which happens to be a charity, for very personal but slightly odd reasons, I don't particularly want to support)

So sorry OP I wouldn't sponsor you. I've already felt obliged to sponsor work colleagues £40 this month (and again one wasn't a cause I particularly care about) on top of the charities I support.

Thank you stickemup but I didn't look that good. That photo was taken in a very dark room!

My hair is now just past pixie cut stage and could really do with a tidy up in my neck, as I fear i'll be supporting a mullet soon...

broken I very much doubt I'd have raised £1600 selling cakes now would I?

I've just had terrible news that makes this even more important for me. My mum called to tell me my gran was diagnosed with leukemia today. The outlook isn't good because of her age. Although she is 92 it's still a shock because she is so strong and independent. When I'm over the shock I definitely want to do something positive by fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Care.

Depends on your intentions, couldn't you just get it cut short and donate it? That would be lovely and not so drastic. I had therapy years ago for a life threatening illness that made my hair fall out.

I have to be honest, i would Not have felt solidarity just because someone shaved their head for me. THEY didn't have my life threatening illness, nor would I ever wanted them to! My hair loss was by afar the least of my problems. Whilst this is how I felt maybe others are comforted by it. Honestly I'm not very religious but the nicest thing anyone did for me when I was sick was to tell me they prayed with me with their little kids at night. I was SO touched they would do that for me.

I did some number of years ago in Oz, they do shave for a cure over there yearly and I raised several thousand $. It was totally fine and I think I quite suited it! My head always felt damp though, I think it was just cold . It's hair, it grows back

Xpost. Ssorry about your gran

Two of my friends here in Oz did shave for a cure too. As it is a well known annual event here lots of people get involved, a lot colour their hair instead of shave. I had brain surgery a couple of years ago that left me with a half shaved head that had to be evened up when I got out of hospital. I was very much...it's only hair, chop the rest off, it will grow back. Although I felt that way at the time I still had moments when I was so totally over it as it grew back. My only words of warning are to be prepared to go through those akward lengths when it just won't do anything useful & is impossible to control particularly if you want to grow out the length again & not stick with a short style. I would say it is your hair & you have to live with the results so it is completely up to you if you want to do it

Yay! Go for it!

The original OP is not supporting a cancer sufferer or even a cancer charity.

Sorry but you are mistaken Suefla62, the OP says in her opening paragraph,
"I'm seriously considering shaving my long hair off for charity. As well as collecting sponsorship for a cancer charity, I would also donate the hair to The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children that have sadly lost their own hair through cancer treatment." "

It's up to you but I can't understand actually wanting a shaved head - I lost the front of my hair 3 years ago due to epilepsy medication changes and it was mortifying.

I wore wigs and scarves but I hated it. Thankfully it has grown back now and it's quite thick.

Some tips: If you want to wear a wig to work remember they are very itchy; also it's quite worrying when it's windy! Fake hair wigs are cheaper and look just as good as real hair ones.

Scarves are useful especially silk ones. But I felt self conscious in them because I felt that people might think I was religious.

I still managed to get asked out and to date when I lost my hair so I must have still looked attractive luckily. I just didn't feel attractive.

I got my wig on the NHS, looked fine but I mostly just wear Seasalt Handybands now. DD is 9 months and is prone to yanking them off! Her hair is longer than mine.

Looking back I should have got all my hair cut short because I had long hair at the back and none at the front - but what I used to do if I didn't wear a wig or scarf was to tie the long hair into a bun and cover up the front with a bandana or wide hairband.. it was fine until one day at work a consultant asked me ''what's that thing on your head'' (meaning the bandana) I told him I'd lost part of my hair and he was really annoyed with himself.

Going back to the OP; I think YANBU if you really want to shave your head; personally I don't understand it but it's an individual choice after all.

Best to do it if you've got the kind of hair that grows back easily, but I imagine it will feel weird after having long hair.
And you may get funny looks / lots of questions - people might think you actually have lost your hair through cancer or alopecia.

I had half my hair shaved off for emergency brain surgery and the other half a few days later. I was too busy trying not to die to care about my hair. I've let it grow back although I find having hair difficult now. I wouldn't have felt supported if any of my friends had shaved their hair off. Losing my hair marks the scariest part of my life and it deeply affected my children.
Cut your hair off and donate it, that's a helpful and useful thing to do :-)

I did the same last November. Money went to help for heroes and a children's hospice and the hair went to the princess trust. All I can say is I loved it. Very very odd but also very liberating. I've not had short hair since I was three but now it's growing back I love the short hair. Jumping in the shower and just washing it is amazing. Much better than using the dryer and straightening irons. The only downside for me was that as it was winter my head was freezing.

"sorry about your gran"
Thank you, HerRoyalNotness
It's difficult because I feel I can't do anything to help at the moment. She lives 2 hours away, my uncle is with her and my mum is going to see her at the weekend, my mum has said she thinks too many visitors will crowd her at the moment so I'm going later, maybe next week.

I have decided to definitely go ahead with the head shave because it is giving me something positive to focus on now. I will be fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support. Thank you to everyone who left supportive messages. I only posted here to get opinions and advice but some lovely people have offered to sponsor me, which I didn't expect! Thank you, here is the link to my JustGiving page if you would like to donate:
www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Lamb-Head-Shave

I did it last year. And had a winge on MN when I did it. This year's street party has just happened and there was a bit of chat and joking about the head-shaving and whether or not to do it again, but it sort of didn't happen - because last year was from long plait to no4 crop I was saying, this year if they top the money you can take it right down to the canvas. Not entirely sorry it didn't happen given that I have a job interview next week and I remain a bit unconvinced that it's the best way to fundraise. But then I'm not sure what actually is.

If your're going for it OP, good luck. It's only hair and it grows back.

(BTW I didn't donate mine in the end as the Little Princess Trust didn't want it - too much grey in it.)