My first hair donation was in my early twenties. The trigger was when a certain friend told me, “I cut off my long hair and donated it.” I was amazed—there was such an activity. Even before I became a minimalist, I was homebound. I felt I had finally found a legitimate excuse for rarely going to the hairdresser, and I slapped my knee in excitement.
That said, at that time, I had a long history of long hair (because it grows without me noticing), and I didn’t dare to go short all at once. So I cut only the stipulated 15 cm, now deceased, and went from long hair above the chest to a bob. I repeated small donations twice, and then, for about two years, I settled into a short-to-bob hairstyle.
↑ November 2018. I will explain why I am holding a giant naked Barbie doll if I have the chance.
Then came studying abroad (I was too scared to go to a local hair salon), returning home, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years passed without nonessential outings, and before I knew it, the ends of my hair had reached my waist. At that time, I still had the energy to curl my hair before going out, so I thoroughly enjoyed having long hair. Feeling that it was about the right time, in January 2023, I went to a hairdresser after a long time and asked them to cut as much as possible. The length cut was 40 cm. The result was a bold mash-up. Unfortunately, no clear photo remains, but I still vividly remember the sense of liberation on the day of the cut.
However, maintaining short hair turned out to be surprisingly labor-intensive. Around this time, I concluded that black hair suits my skin texture and skin tone, and I gradually stopped coloring it. I lost my reason to go to a hairdresser. I still went to a kind store five minutes on foot from home for bangs trimming for 3.5 dollars, but even that became troublesome, and eventually I bought thinning scissors online. For the past two years, I have been maintaining my bangs myself. As for the back hair, I only rely on professionals once every six months to a year, and I have settled into that style.
Then came August 2025. One day, I suddenly realized: after going to the bathroom to take a shower, washing my hair and body, drying them, and finishing, more than an hour had passed. I had reached my limit. Defeated by heat and effort, I decided to donate my hair again. I found a participating store nearby and, on my first visit, had a 35 cm cut. I made sure to have before and after photos taken, and this time I could get an objective perspective.
The first thing I noticed was my first-ever gray hair (!).
It had finally come. I hadn’t noticed it at the maintenance in April, but in the photos it was visible. Probably it had existed before. After checking at home, I found at least two strands. Honestly, it was shocking, but it can’t be helped. I will consider it as one of my growth rings.
Next, I noticed a change in hair texture.
Even though I had no color or perm, completely natural hair (“virgin hair,” as it is called), it felt slightly firmer before. Now it has become somewhat finer, but that is also the natural flow.
And above all, the comfort of short hair is exceptional.
Shampooing is instant, and a hair dryer is almost unnecessary. Recently, I have established an exercise habit, so even when I sweat, showering is no longer a bother. Rather, the ease of washing it immediately gives me a sense of happiness. Therefore, whether I will do hair donation next time is undecided. The 35-dollar cut fee makes me dizzy, but long hair is somewhat tiring now. It’s a dilemma. As a side note, the “henna color” I had decided to try when I found gray hair was approaching its turn. If I go through with it, I will report again, so please look forward to it.
P.S. This is what the cut hair looked like (I should have taken it on a slightly nicer piece of paper). I wrapped it in a bag and sent it from the post office to the designated address.
In Japan, it seems that the only organization doing this is Jadac, but when I researched, similar activities exist around the world, so for those planning to take the plunge from long hair, I highly recommend checking it out.