Why donate your hair
01
You can help make a wig for someone in cancer treatment
When you donate your hair for wigs, every strand has the power to make change. Your donation can be turned into a wig for someone going through cancer treatment, helping them feel more confident and supported during a challenging time.02
You can help clean up our oceans
Instead of sending your locks to landfill, donating your hair for cancer can mean even more by helping not just Australians with blood cancer, but the planet too. Any hair not used for wigs can be recycled into hair booms to help clean up our oceans.
Where to donate your hair
We’ve teamed up with Sustainable Salons to recycle your hair for Australians with cancer.
Sustainable Salons has a network of more than 1,400 salons that can help shave, cut or colour your hair in the World’s Greatest Shave. They help collect ponytail hair donations and hair clippings so they can be recycled for wigs and hair booms.
Can't make it to a salon?
You can also post your ponytails directly. Place the hair in a zip lock bag and send to:
World’s Greatest Shave Ponytails
c/o Sustainable Salons
GPO Box 322
SYDNEY NSW 2001
How to cut your hair for donation
Ready to donate your hair for wigs? We’re glad to hear it! If your ponytail is a minimum of 20cm long, follow these four easy steps to give your hair a second life.
01
Prepare your hair before you cut or shave
Section your clean and dry hair into multiple ponytails and secure each one with an elastic band about 1–2cm below where you’ll cut. Plait each ponytail and tie it tightly at the end – this helps keep your hair neat and donation-ready.
02
Measure your ponytail
For the best results, aim for ponytails that are 36cm or longer. Uncoloured hair is especially valuable as it makes the highest-quality wigs, but all ponytails 20cm+ are welcome and appreciated.
03
Cut and bag your hair
Now for the fun part! With a friend or hairdresser’s help, cut 1–2cm above the top elastic. Place each ponytail carefully in a clean, dry zip-lock bag – make sure it’s completely sealed before posting.
04
Post it off
Place ponytails in a zip lock bag and mail in a postage envelope to:
World’s Greatest Shave Ponytails
c/o Sustainable Salons
GPO BOX 322 SYDNEY, NSW 2001
FAQS
All you need to know about cutting and donating hair for cancer!
How do I donate hair?
Ponytails that are a minimum of 20cm long can be donated to help create a wig. If your hair is shorter than 20cm, you can also donate it to make hair booms that help soak up oil spills in our oceans.
How do you go about it? Make sure the hair is dry, then section it and secure each ponytail with a hair tie. Then plait each ponytail, tie it tightly at the bottom and cut 1-2cm above the hair tie. Place the hair in a zip lock bag and send to:
World’s Greatest Shave Ponytails
c/o Sustainable Salons
GPO Box 322
SYDNEY NSW 2001
If you’re getting a professional to cut your hair, try to head to a ‘Sustainable Salon’. These salons take care of donating your hair to help make a wig for Australians experiencing medically induced hair loss, including people with blood cancer.
Whether you’re cutting your hair at a Sustainable Salon, another hairdresser or are getting a mate to do it – print off this ponytail donation kit, which has all the info you’ll need on the day.
Where can I find my nearest Sustainable Salon?
To find your nearest Sustainable Salon, take a look at the salon locator.
Can you donate coloured hair?
Yes! Sustainable Salons accepts chemically treated and coloured ponytail donations that are a minimum of 20cm long.
How long does your hair have to be to donate?
Yes, ponytails must be a minimum of 20cm in length to be able to be transformed into a charitable wig.
Hair less than 20cm in length? We can still transform your hair clippings into floating hair booms to mop up oil spills in our oceans.
Dry hair clippings and ponytails shorter than 20cm must be placed in a separate zip lock bag and posted to:
World’s Greatest Shave Ponytails
c/o Sustainable Salons
GPO Box 322
SYDNEY NSW 2001
What happens when I donate my hair for cancer?
When you donate hair to Sustainable Salons, it’s sent directly to wigmakers and made into charitable wigs for Australians experiencing medically induced hair loss.
Or, if it’s not long enough, the hair is transformed into compost or even into floating hair booms which absorb oil spills at sea.
