Growing Hair for Wigs: My Journey with the Little Princess Trust

Over the last decade, I’ve been growing and donating my hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that creates wigs for children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. It’s something close to my heart, but it’s not always been an easy journey!

I’ve been asked a lot about the process recently, so I thought I’d share some of the most common questions (with my honest answers!).

• How long does it take to grow a wig?
  It usually takes me around 2–3 years between donations. The minimum length the charity accepts is 10 inches, but I aim for 12 so that the wigs can be made a little longer. My last haircut was in February 2023.

• Do you have a hair care routine to keep it healthy?
  Nothing fancy! I wash my hair every 3–4 days, let it dry naturally when I can, and brush it morning and night. I only use satin hair ties to help prevent breakage, and I try to eat well, which I think makes a difference.

• Do you use a specific shampoo or conditioner?
  Yes, because I have seborrheic dermatitis, I stick to The Body Shop’s ginger shampoo, which works best for me. I’ll sometimes use a leave-in conditioner or heat protection spray if I straighten my hair, but it’s naturally poker straight, so I don’t often need to.

• Do you prefer long or short hair?
  Honestly, somewhere in between! When it’s super long, it drives me mad! It gets caught in collars or ends up trapped under me when I sleep. It also takes ages to wash and dry (dividing it up into four layers for each at its longest length). When it’s short, it’s much easier to manage, but I do miss being able to style it more or tie it back for running.

• How do you trust who’s doing the cut?
  I’ve been going to the same wonderful stylist, Yvonne at Lime Salon, for the past few donations. She completely understands my style, what I want to achieve, and that I don’t want to walk out of the salon feeling frumpy!

• Did you ever consider giving up?
  Yes! Especially this time. It’s been the hardest grow-out yet. I didn’t like my hair at lots of stages, and I went through some stressful times personally, which led to hair loss and frizzy regrowth (think Einstein vibes!). For a while, I thought I might not be able to donate because of greys, but thankfully, the Little Princess Trust now accepts hair in any natural colour, and even a small amount of grey is allowed.

• What motivates you most about donating?
  For me, it’s simple, because my hair grows back. That might sound easy enough for me to say, but for so many people it’s not that straightforward. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is to lose your hair. Cancer treatments, autoimmune disorders, stress… There are many reasons it can happen, but the feelings of identity loss, lack of confidence, and no self-worth are common threads for anyone who goes through it. Now imagine that for a child… If my long locks are enough to give them a chance to feel confident again and more like themselves, then they can have it. All of it.

• Do you think this will be your last donation?
  Possibly, at least for a while. It’s been a whole decade of not fully choosing my hairstyle, and not always liking it, now I’d love the freedom to find a cut that really suits me. My hair has also slowed down in growth, so the process is taking longer and longer each time.

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Growing and donating my hair has been an experience; it’s definitely a unique ‘something you didn’t know about me’ topic at networking events! Knowing that my hair could help a child feel more like themselves during an incredibly tough time makes it totally worthwhile. If you’ve ever thought about having a big hair change and have enough to donate, I really encourage you to check out the Little Princess Trust. Every cut truly makes a difference.

Farewell hair, go and live it up with someone else and make them smile again.