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20 Years of CANSA Shavathon Show your support for a cancer survivor

Donate Your Ponytail at Shavathon

FAQs Hair Donations


Cancer patients often undergo chemotherapy. Hair loss is a common side-effect of chemotherapy treatment.

Hair loss can occur when chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body to kill cancer cells and some of these drugs damage hair follicles, causing hair to fall out.

CANSA ponytail donation

Donated by Melissa Kleinhans…

Wig Hire or Purchase

Most CANSA Care Centres have wig-banks that stock synthetic and human hair wigs available to patients. The availability, styles and colours vary at each CANSA Care Centre.

Find a list of regional staff to assist you…

  • purchase synthetic wig: R350
  • donation towards natural hair wig: R350* – this does not include courier fees to clients

*when human hair donations are received, CANSA sends the hair to our dedicated wigmakers who make wigs and return them to CANSA. Your donation enables CANSA to make this possible.

*patient’s income is taken into consideration

If there is no regional stock available at the time, requests for human hair wigs may be directed to Athena Neate aneate@cansa.org.za at CANSA’s Head Office.

Patients who no longer need their wigs are requested to donate their wigs to wig banks at CANSA Care Centres, as wigs are in high demand, and take a long time to make…

Human Hair Wigs

Child Wig Recipient

CANSA’s Kindest Cut campaign: CANSA receives human hair donations (ponytails) in order to make sufficient natural hair wigs for cancer Survivors requesting them.

These wigs are distributed, as requested, to CANSA Care Centres, and given to cancer Survivors who need it most, for a minimum donation of R350*. Ask regional staff responsible to assist you…

*patient’s income is taken into consideration

Special thanks to Tymeless Hair & Wigs for making up wigs for CANSA, and to Fascinations Wigs for training our CANSA staff on wig care…

Video: Wig Making Process

Human Hair Donations – Requirements:

CANSA welcomes all kinds of hair for donation, as wigs cater to the needs of all ethnic groups.

We do accept hair donations at our Shavathons and throughout the year at our Head Office and at local CANSA Care Centres countrywide. Hair donations received are then sent to a natural hair wigmaker.

Please note: CANSA does not have a specific partnership with any hairdressing salons. Please contact a salon of your choice when cutting your hair, in order to remove your ponytail(s) or style your hair… 

  • All hair whether dyed or treated is acceptable. All colours are acceptable, including grey…
  • Ponytail donations ideally should be 25 cm or longer. Shorter hair (not shorter than 15 cm) may be used as a filler…
  • Hair should be clean and dry.
  • When cutting the hair, please bind both ends with an elastic band covered with fabric and place in a zip-lock bag (this preserves it in the best condition while being transported to the wigmaker).
  • Send your hair donation in a zip-lock plastic bag with your name and contact details on it.

Courier or Post Human Hair Donations to CANSA

Post:

  • For Att: Athena Neate
  • CANSA Head Office
  • P.O. Box 2121, Bedfordview 2008

Courier:

  • For Att: Athena Neate
  • Address: 26 Concorde Road West, Bedfordview, Gauteng
  • Email: aneate@cansa.org.za information regarding the collection point, service provider (in Bedfordview) and proof or tracking reference details

Where to Drop off Human Hair Donations

  • at your local CANSA Care Centre (ask regional staff if there are any drop-off points closer to you than the Care Centre)
  • at CANSA’s Head Office: 26 Concorde Road West, Bedfordview, Gauteng

Related Posts

Queries CANSA

Please direct general queries regarding wigs or the donation of human hair to your local CANSA Care Centre, alternately, email: info@cansa.org.za 

38 Comments

  • Laurethe Holnes says:

    Hi. My daughter has cut her hair and wants to donate to CANSA. We stay in Roodepoort. Who can assist. Regards Laurwthe Holmes

    • Debbie @CANSA says:

      Dear Laurethe, please say a big thank you to your daughter for wanting to help a cancer patient feel positive, during cancer treatment. You can call the CANSA Roodepoort Care Centre on 011-768 4342 or 066 4750 149.

  • Sharon Bekker says:

    Good Day,
    I dropped off my mothers Plaited pony tail, 36 cm long at our local Hospice in Middelburg to be forwarded , donated and used for the CANSA Association for a good cause .
    Hair was cut in 2005 when my mother was in her seventies. Hair is a natural beautiful brown colour . She passed away 5 years ago at the age of 86 and I have been keeping the plait saved in a cosmetic bag.
    I trust that the hair will be used to make a wig for A Cancer survivor that will be in need of looking and feeling beautiful 🙂
    Regards
    Sharon.

    • Debbie @CANSA says:

      Thanks so much for this special hair donation Sharon. It is a lovely way to honour your mother’s memory, that her hair can be used to make a cancer patient feel beautiful.

  • Lucille Craddock says:

    Hi everyone

    My name is Lucille Craddock and I am a leukemia survivor. In 2015 on my first round of Chemotherapy my hair began to fall out and continued until there was nothing left. I know the pain of looking into a mirror and its all gone. That is why i want to say thank you for donating your hair to such a good cause. For some hair is just hair, but to a cancer patient it is a whole lot more. Thank you so much.

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