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In 1997, a longtime sufferer of alopecia areata founded the now popular charity Locks of Love to provide children who suffer from hair loss due to medical conditions with high-quality wigs and hairpieces. And since at least 2005, Internet-based rumors have circulated claiming that the vast majority of hair donated to Locks of Love is resold to make commercially-vended wigs, that the charity provides very few free hairpieces relative to the volume of hair donated each year, and that most of those wigs aren't made actually available to children with cancer. Many critics have claimed that children lucky enough to receive wigs were charged exorbitant prices and made to endure a rigorous screening process: Before examining such rumors, we have to consider the scope of a charity like Locks of Love. Hair donation charities have a primary function of raising money and providing hairpieces to people who suffer from chronic hair loss, but their secondary purpose is rather unique: while contributing to most other charities requires available cash, Locks of Love enables anyone who can grow healthy hair to contribute. Because of the relatively low barrier to participation, Locks of Love and similar charitable entities remain popular among children and youth groups seeking to engage in good works. While hair donation is a particularly accessible form of charitable service, the ease of contributing has triggered skepticism and the fear that well-intentioned kids are being hooked and crooked for their good deeds. In the March 2015 Facebook post quoted above, the author claimed that Locks of Love only used a third of donated hair to craft wigs and sold the remaining two thirds to commercial hairpiece makers. Locks of Love themselves say that as much as 80% of donated hair isn't used to make hairpieces directly, but according to that organization and the wigmaker with whom they work, most donated hair cannot be used because it does not meet the necessary criteria for making hairpieces: The interview quoted above (which took place in 2007) made mention of the sale of hair to keep the charity running. However, such an admission is not necessarily suspect. As explained earlier, the charity functions in part to convert a resource nearly all can provide (hair) into a usable product for children in need. If that need is aided by selling some donated hair to fund manufacturing costs and the charity's organizational needs, the charity's primary goal (acquiring and providing hairpieces to children) is still being served. Locks of Love's web site addresses the matter of wig costs to recipients, noting that hairpieces are provided free to families who lack the means to purchase them. For others, the hairpieces are available on a sliding scale of prices depending upon their ability to pay: We provide hairpieces and repairs free of charge or on a sliding scale based on the financial need of those responsible for the children. Also at issue is the matter of who the primary recipients of wigs are. One aspect of rumor states that children with cancer were not primary candidates for Locks of Love, another thing the charity itself has frequently explained: While those looking to donate hair may prefer their donations help cancer sufferers, Locks of Love was founded by and operates primarily for sufferers of alopecia. This focus of the group does not constitute any subterfuge or lie by omission, as some rumors insinuated. The Locks of Love FAQ also addresses the sale of hair: Earlier rumors about Locks of Love claimed that the organization failed to account for a vast quantity of donated hair: However, a number of factors were elided in that report. The value of donated hair when applied to actual hairpieces provided to children relied on a projection, not actual processing and manufacturing costs. Also, Locks of Love must account for their incoming and outgoing expenses each year in tax filings. If the group truly trafficked heavily in black market hair, significant discrepancies would arise in their accounting books. Despite the organization's admitted lack of record-keeping in respect to hair received (for which there is no clear monetary value), any significant revenues from the sale of hair would have appeared on their ledgers as income. The charity auditing page Charity Navigator rates Locks of Love favorably, with a total score of 92.7 points out of 100. On the aspect of accountability Locks of Love scored 92 out of 100, with more than 92% of the charity's expenses allocated to program costs. Less than 7% of expenses went to administrative costs and salaries, and CEO Linda Borum's most recently listed salary (for fiscal year 2015) was a modest $64,866.
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