We’re closing in on summertime, and our hot southern Idaho weather is just around the corner. You or your kids may be ready to whack off the long mane you’ve grown over the winter, but before you let that hair drop onto the floor of your neighborhood beauty salon, think about giving it to kids who can’t grow their own.

        Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children (up to age 21) in the U.S. and Canada. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The hairpieces they provide help restore the confidence and self-esteem of the children—both boys and girls—who receive them.

        In order to make the high-quality hair prostheses they provide, Locks of Love needs real hair—and that’s where you come in. The minimum length of hair needed for a hairpiece is 10 inches from tip to tip, and it takes six to 10 ponytails to make one hairpiece. Anyone can cut your hair as long as you follow these guidelines for donating:

•  Hair must be in a ponytail or braid before it is cut. Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches, and curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.

•  Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable. Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable because of a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing process.

•  Dreadlocks, hair that is swept off of the floor, and hair that is shaved off and not bundled in a ponytail are not usable.

•  Hair must be clean and completely dry before it is mailed to Locks of Love. Once it is dry, place it in a plastic bag and then inside a padded envelope. Write your name and address on a full-size sheet of paper and include it in the envelope. Mail to Locks of Love, 234 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33405.

        To learn more about Locks of Love, visit www.locksoflove.org or call their information line at (888) 896-1588.

Donna Bankhead is a contributing writer from Boise.