Locks of Love, Inc.

Children must apply to Locks of Love in order to be considered for a hairpiece. Application includes a nomination form, photo of the child without a hairpiece, doctor's diagnosis, most recent tax return, essay about the child nominated, and two letters of recommendation. In order to get a replacement hairpiece, each applicant must re-apply with Locks of Love. The Board of Directors reviews the completed file for consideration. The President of the Board recommends approvals. Recipients begin the production process in their homes by making a plaster mold of the child's head. Locks of Love provides the molding materials via UPS. These include an instructional video, a water-transfer pen, aprons, plaster strips and a hair ring, from which the child can choose his or her new hair color. From this mold, a fit cap is produced to check the vacuum seal. Once the fit cap is approved, the actual hairpiece is assembled by hand. The entire process takes approximately four months. Locks of Love depends on monetary donations from private foundations and the general public to cover the costs of production and shipping for these hairpieces. The organization receives ponytails  through the mail, which allows us to reduce our production costs. The target population for this program is children 21 and under suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Qualifying diagnoses include the following: alopecia areata (totalis and universalis), severe burns to the scalp, radiation treatment to the brain stem as a treatment for cancer, loose anagen syndrome, etc.