July 10, 2008

Curious Hairy George What can be creatively done with about half a metre of hair?

For various reasons I've decided to chop my hair short. This will leave me with a piece of hair almost 50cms long and almost all of the same length. Should I keep it to make a wig out of when I'm old? Make it into strings to hang necklaces from? Make paint brushes out of it? Suggestions?

  • * Note - I should mention that the hair has been dyed several times so I'm not able to donate it and the current colour is black/dark brown.
  • Knit outfits with which to torment Riot for the rest of his life. Or just y-fronts.
  • or donate it to homeless birds.
  • maybe strengthen each strand with epoxy and weave wicker furniture?
  • *knows what to send es el queso for Christmas now*
  • Re-enact Rapunzel?
  • Locks of Love: Donate Your Hair. Kids who have long term hair loss due to illness can have wigs made from your hair. I would suggest this is a better use than most.
  • Oh I didn't see the note about it having been coloured. nvm
  • You could find an avant-garde fashion designer who wants to trim his Spring line with it. This group makes authentic Victorian-style hair mourning jewelry and decorations with the stuff. Sentimental fool that I am, I'd probably save it in a trunk like Violet Hunter, and leave it to the kids when I go.
  • Hang it down from inside your skirt / trousers to give the impression of being au naturelle to the max.
  • Ideas
  • Just a coupla thoughts--I've worn hair jewelry and it can be kinda itchy against the skin, especially if it's old. Which wouldn't be an issue if it were framed. When my great-grandmother had her long locks shorn around 1900, she reused it by having someone, probably a wigmaker, make an ingenious hairband by braiding it and adding a piece of elastic. This could then be used to dress up her new, shorter style. Your hair could be colored back to a shade near your natural shade if you chose to do this sort of thing. That said, I think kitfisto's idea shows some real style, plus it could be a real conversation starter/ender.
  • I'd braid it, and leave most of the braid hanging out of the trunk of your car.
  • Donate your locks (irregardless of having been dyed or not) to artist Gu Wenda?
  • How am I the first person to suggest a fake beard? Well, I guess that was kind of kitfisto's, but seriously, no one reads his comments, right?
  • SMT! Dude! I saw that guy's stuff a couple of years ago at the Albright Knox! He'd made a Great Wall of China out of blocks of hair. Great stuff, if totally creepy...
  • I love you nickdanger
  • Capt! Yeah, I have been intrigued by his work. Imagine if one of those "hair blocks" caught on fire! PS - headed to the Brooklyn Brewery this weekend; shall lift a tall cold one in your honor!
  • You bastard! The liquor stores around here have stopped carrying Brooklyn Lager. My indignation is limitless. So, yeah. Enjoy your beer. I imagine that their IPA would go down quite nicely at this time of year... *sulks*
  • Well I chopped it off. It's sitting next to me looking like a sleeping pet....
  • Oooh, can I pet it? Pictures please!
  • Well I chopped it off. It's sitting next to me looking like a sleeping pet.... - Lorena Bobbit
  • well gomi, it's too bad you can't donate it. I chopped about 8 inches off (lorena bobbit??) earlier this year and was able to donate to Locks of Love. in the bay area there is a program using human hair to create matts for cleaning oil spills in the ocean. my hair salon always donates their clippings to this project. I have no idea if there might be anything like it in Japan.... barring that, you can make lots of Victorian lovers tokens :)
  • I'm so lazy: hair matts Victorian hair jewelry
  • Canada Hair Cloth finally closed, so you can't sell it to them...
  • Locks Of Love WILL take hair that has been colored. However, they will NOT take hair that has been bleached, lightened, or highlighted. The same is true for most other hair donation/selling sites. Here's a classifieds site where you can post an ad to sell your hair. My favorite part is the sold hair page, where you can see how much $$ people got from their hair. (With pics!) I finally got off the hair coloring bandwagon last year, after 20 years of dyeing/bleaching/swearing/leaving splotches in the bathroom sink. I'm growing this batch out to donate to Locks Of Love. Should be ready for the cut in about another year or so. After that, maybe I'll start selling it!
  • mechagrue, I greatly admire the idea of growing your hair out just to donate. I'm even feeling a bit inspired! I am presently growing out my natural color after 15 years of being "on the bottle" and my hair grows ridiculously fast.... I donated a red wig earlier this year, maybe I'll make a blonde one now :)
  • Big change, good for you, gomi. Hope you're happy and feel light as air. No real suggestions on what to do--although I like the idea of half to clean up oil spills and half to make diamonds--use in a tiara to wear with your new haircut. At least keep a little bit in a braid to reminisce over--takes a long time to grow hair that long!
  • Does Mr. Gomi have a watch fob?
  • A tiny sock monkey. Fill it with hair. And use a bit of it on the outside, so it's a hairy critter.
  • A famous scene of women wearing false beards....
  • Similar to kinakeet: I knew a lady to had her hair sewn onto a clip (I want to say it was a banana clip, but you could go with whatever you'd like) and then she could clip it in and pretend that she still had long hair whenever she liked. Sort of like her very own personal clip on hair extensions.
  • Hang it on the wall.