In very rare cases children suffer from complete hair loss very suddenly and quickly. The medical term for this disease which often happens to children is alopecia areata. It is in fact an auto-immune disease and the body rids itself of the hair as a malfunctioning response. It means that all hair all over the body and not just on the scalp is shed.  You can be treated by specialist doctors for mild cases but severe cases mean complete baldness which can be very distressing for young kids as well as adults.

An American Organisation called Locks for Love deals with the problem of acute alopecia aretea by collecting real donated hair and making wigs and hairpieces for children. They collect hair from all over the United States and it get sent to professional hairpiece makers.

The guidelines say that donated hair should be 10 inches long and even permed or dyed hair can be used provided it is not damaged. It is better that the donated hair is plaited or in a pony tail and of a constant length so that it can be used effectively.

Locks of Love encourages hairdressers to tell their clients about the organisation so that if they are going to cut say more than eight inches off they can suggest to the person that they might like to donate their hair to a child who has lost theirs. Locks of Love also puts up adverts in schools especially where there are girls to encouarge more donations.

Locks of Love helps hundreds of children regain confidence and live normal lives every year.