Pantene Beautiful Lengths Challenge

Welcome to my Challenge! I've made a pact with myself to grow my hair out and, for the second time, donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Visit here- for tips on hair care, what you need to know before donating and all sorts of fun hair related posts.

Why donate-Hair loss is something women fighting cancer shouldn't have to worry about.

A recent study revealed that nearly 60 percent of women consider hair loss the most dreaded side effect they face when undergoing chemotherapy. Real-hair wigs can cost as much as $1200 and are often only partially covered by health insurance. 

Pantene donates real hair wigs for free through select American Cancer Society wig banks across the country.


So are you up for the Challenge?

XOXO

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What you need to know before donating your hair-
The following information is straight from Pantene's website...

• Donated hair must be a minimum of 8 inches long (measure hair from just above the elastic band of the ponytail to the ends).
• Wavy/curly hair texture is fine—you may straighten hair to measure.
• Hair should be freshly washed and completely dry, without any styling products.
• Hair may be colored with vegetable dyes, rinses and semi-permanent dyes. 
• Hair cannot be bleached, permanently colored or chemically treated.
• Hair may not be more than 5 percent gray.

Here's why:
It takes at least six ponytails to make a Pantene Beautiful Lengths wig; in general, each ponytail comes from a different person and is a different color. Even though some hair colors may look similar, including gray hair, each is completely unique.

For a realistic-looking wig that has consistent color throughout, donated ponytails must be processed and then dyed to the same shade. It is critical for each ponytail to absorb dyes at the same rate in order to create wigs of consistent, natural-looking color.

Gray hair, as well as some chemically-treated or permanently-colored hair, does not absorb dye at the same rate as other types of hair. It is much harder to color and, once colored, fades more quickly.

Most permanently-colored hair, once it is processed and re-colored, is too fragile and breakable under the rigorous processing required during the production of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths wig.

In appreciation of the sacrifice that a hair donation requires, Pantene Beautiful Lengths only accepts hair it knows can be used for its intended purposes.

For more information visit Pantene.com
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Saturday, June 12, 2010

You may or may not know this, but I have naturally wavy/curly hair. Some days I straighten it and some days I let it go crazy. Either way, I try to treat my hair with care, which means only shampooing two to three times a week, and using only conditioner to clean my hair on the days in between. My other huge hair care secret is taking a daily multi-vitamin. I swear it makes my hair grow faster and stronger and let's not forget the amazing things it does for the rest of your body.

So here's my little guide on how I style my wavy hair.

Step 1: Clean your hair. If you're going to use shampoo, first put conditioner on your ends for protection and only shampoo your scalp. If you're going to use only conditioner, really work it into your scalp focusing on your hairline, temples, crown and neck.

Step 2: Lightly towel dry hair by grabbing different sections of your hair and carefully squeezing. Try not to squeeze up because this will ruffle the hair cuticle causing it to frizz.

Step 3: Use leave in conditioner to protect the hair before gently combing into place. How you set your hair when it's wet, is how it will dry.

Step 4: In the same way that you towel dried your hair, apply hair gel, focusing on not disturbing the waves/curls.

Step 5: Air dry or if you're in a rush, use a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer. Make sure the settings are on low for both speed and temperature.

Overall, it's pretty easy. Even if you don't have wavy/curly hair, you can create some movement by letting your hair dry naturally and the less you expose your hair to harsh treatment, the more healthy and beautiful it will be. Also, if you have bangs and want a more polished look, blow dry just your bangs using a paddle brush.

If you have any further questions, email me or formspring me.


I've created a special Pantene Beautiful Lengths Challenge (PBLC) page where you can find the facts you need to donate, plus all my PBLC posts will be in one place.

Happy Saturday!

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Sunday, May 16, 2010-
Since I've been growing my hair out, I've decided to go all the way and grow it so long that I can donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

So here's a starting photo of my hair now. I want it to grow so long that the ends are past the bottom of the photo. I'm thinking it will take me about a year to a year and a half. Luckily, my hair grows really fast.

About once a month, I plan on posting new hair photos, along with tips for growing healthy hair.



I actually donated my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths back in July 2008. Here's a photo showing how long it was before the cut.

The two ten inch ponytails that I donated.

Anyone else up for the challenge? I know it seems time consuming and scary, but it really is so amazing to be able to help women who have lost their hair due to cancer. I have several women in my family who have survived the struggles of breast cancer and had to lose their hair during the treatments. So to me, it's a very personal cause.

For more information, please check out the Pantene Beautiful Lengths blog.

XOXO

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