Jonathan Thomas (J.D.) met all the requirements. “Minimum of 8 inches long, freshly washed and completely dry, and wavy/curly hair texture,” according to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program guidelines posted on their website. This is requested of the people who donate their hair, “to make the most beautiful, realistic and durable wigs.”

People took notice when 22-year-old Thomas cut his hair. He had been growing his hair out for the past 10 months to meet the minimum length criteria. It was not his original plan to donate his hair. Thomas said it started out as just avoiding a haircut.  But when women were began complimenting his locks, he kept it growing.

“If people are going to enjoy my hair so much I am going to grow it out so someone else can enjoy it,” Thomas said.

Thomas came across the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Program while he was online. Pantene’s program inspires and invites people to “Make the kindest cut of all,” and to “donate their healthy hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments,” according to Pantene’s Beautiful Length’s website. Thomas has not been personally affected by anyone he knows who has cancer. Locks of Love is another well-known organization that accepts hair donations however their minimum hair length requirement is 10 inches.

Thomas’s long hair took about twenty minutes every day to maintain and keep in good condition. High standards are kept by Pantene:

“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.”

Thomas followed the suggestions made by Pantene such as, “Use a conditioner after every wash to help keep hair moisturized and protected against damage.” Thomas used the salon products made by Matrix (called Biolage) which also included a leave in conditioner.

As the months passed by, Thomas’ mom even had hair envy as his hair grew longer and curlier than hers. She started asking Thomas if and when he was going to get it cut. When his hair reached the minimum 8 inches requirement, Thomas went into his local Walmart salon for a $15 hair wash, shampoo and cut.

The hair stylist that cut Thomas’s hair repeatedly asked him if he was, “sure he wanted to cut off all his hair.” She too admired the excellent quality of his locks. Thomas assured the stylist that he did and explained that he hoped to help by donating his hair. The stylist followed Pantene’s instructions for a successful donation as stated on the website, “Create a ponytail with an elastic band. Ensure the band is tight around the hair to keep the hair together after cutting.”After Thomas’s hair cut he was able to easily mail his donation to the address provided by the website: http://www.pantene.com/en-us/beautiful-lengths-cause/Pages/default.aspx.

Thomas said his head felt a lot better after getting his haircut. He is glad to have less upkeep on his new hairdo and is back to using just “head and shoulders.”

Thomas is unsure about his future plans to donate again.

“It depends on what’s going on with my career, if my job requires short hair or if I am doing freelance work and able to have long hair,” Thomas said.