Hair Selling: Creepy or Money Maker?
I did it. It’s gone. 30 whole inches of it.
I’m not nervous…
How in the world did I even have that much to cut?! It blows my mind. But… Then I remember two years without a haircut preceded by 10 years of alternating growing and cutting… And it seems reasonable. But still. That was a lot of inches.
And yes. I sold it. I could have donated it. I feel like I did in part because I sold it to someone who will use it to help people so…. Kinda? But I did make money.
Honestly I think that was the final factor that got me to get over my fear of losing it. Long hair has been my identity for like… way too long. Isn’t it weird how your hair becomes part of your personality?
I’m rambling again. Sorry my TLDR friends. Without further ado the wrap up.
I sold it. It took about 6 months before I found someone I was ok to sell to but I’m glad I was patient. There were some legit people and then there were also some… Interesting sorts. I wasn’t interested in selling to them. I made a decent couple hundred. And it made cutting my hair that I had loved worth it. But I also love the new do so I think it was a win win. I definitely learned some things though. Now for the long comments.
First thing I learned: Hair is not just used to make wigs, though that is a major field. People like wigs made out of real hair. They style, they sit better and I’ve heard they aren’t as hot. Hair is also used to make beards, mustaches, all sorts of facial hair. I even heard from someone that uses it on porcelain dolls.
Other people like to have models that are getting their hair cut to show off certain cuts. Just check youtube for stylist videos and odds are that the person sitting in front of them is a hair model. Crazy huh?
As far as the process goes it was super easy. I got some help taking pictures of my hair and then created an account on the website. The website that I settled on was hairsellon.com. They are based in the UK which didn’t influence me much other than the “day” posted as different by 8 hours. It cost $20 dollars for an account which I then paid another $10.00 to upgrade to a featured listing. I clicked post and it was immediately viewable on their website. What was nice was that after the 90 days all I had to do was send them an email and they renewed my account for no cost. I really appreciated that they didn’t just try to milk every penny out of me that they could. You can also sell hair on marketplace websites like craigslist or Facebook but I liked that hairsellon provided some protection from scammers. If someone offered me a deal that didn’t sound right, all I had to do was send them an email with the username and they would investigate. I had one I knew for sure was a scammer and they immediately blocked the user.
There is also something else I discovered during this. There are people that have hair fetishes. They like watching people get their hair cut. The shorter the better. I had a few people contact me and ask if I was willing to shave my head for money. The amount they offered was tempting but then I thought about some stranger watching a video of me shaving my head over and over for various purposes… And it just wasn’t for me.
Nevertheless, selling my hair did feel weird. It’s just something I wouldn’t think of as a money maker. And it’s definitely not something that will make a good career. You cut it once and then have to grow it out for ten years and not curl it or style it or blow dry it or anything. It takes a lot of work.
But… It did get me my KitchenAid that I’ve been coveting. And I did get a little money saved for a future vacation. So I’d say that it’s worth it if you have a big expense planned. But selling things on Facebook or Ebay can work for that too. Just do what works.
So. If you have at least ten inches of hair that you’re thinking of getting rid of AND have a need for some cash think about it. If you need money quickly though you’re better off just picking up an extra shift or two at work.
For all you local people if you’re looking for a good salon check out Eye Candy Salon in Smithfield. Not only is it beautiful but everyone is super friendly and do a great job. My stylist was Courtney. She took so much time with me and made sure everything was perfect. Even showed me some tips on how to style my new do since I’ve basically never had hair this short before. She is super talented!
