Your hair will come in handy

The following column was originally published in 2013.

Dear Annie: I am a breast cancer survivor and want to donate my hair.

My hairdresser told me that while dyed hair is OK, totally bleached-out hair is not. Also, my hair is more than five per cent grey, so Locks of Love won’t use it.

Do you know of any organization that will?

Anita

Dear Anita: We have good news. According to Pantene Beautiful Lengths (pantene.com/beautifullengths), it takes at least eight to 15 ponytails to make a wig. For a realistic-looking wig with consistent colour, all of these ponytails must be dyed the same shade.

But grey hair, as well as some chemically treated or permanently coloured hair, does not absorb dye at the same rate as other types.

However, some grey hair is usable. Try the World of Wigs Corinne Fund at worldofwigs.com.

Also, Locks of Love (locksoflove.org) now accepts grey hair donations, as does Wigs for Kids (wigsforkids.org), both of which use the hair to offset costs.

Dear Annie: I hope it’s not too late to reply to “Uncomfortable Daughter-in-law,” whose mother-in-law wants to be called “Mom.”

The writer should explain that she has a very special relationship with her own mother and wouldn’t want to call her mother-in-law by the same name.

However, it is important that she have a name just for her, to recognize how special she is.

Perhaps it could be “Mama Smith” or “Mama S.” or some other term of endearment that means something to the two of them.

Because of numerous grandparents, my daughterin-law devised the name “Cookie Grandma” to distinguish me from the other grandmas in her children’s lives. (A cookie is one of my favourite desserts.)

It works, and it is a sweet and respectful way of dealing with this. Arcadia, Calif.