My Experience Donating Hair in Tokyo

A win-win scenario: A refreshing summer haircut for me and a new wig-do for a cancer patient in need.

I hadn’t been to the hairdresser in over two years, and with Japan’s hot and humid summer on the way, it was time for a refreshing cut. But after growing my hair out for so long, I wanted it to go to a good cause. That’s when I started looking into donating my hair and where to donate it in Tokyo.

With the help of hairstylist Chie Funakura and her salon in Harajuku, Silva Papilio, I was able to donate my hair through Japan Hair Donation and Charity, and get a rockin‘ new summer haircut in Japan. Here’s how you can do it too.

Who Can Donate Hair in Japan?

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

Most hair donation charities in Japan will accept hair that’s at least 31 centimeters long and not severely damaged. While many organizations prefer dark brown or black hair—since it best matches Japanese recipients—hair of any texture or color can be donated as long as it meets the length requirement. Even bleached hair is accepted, provided it doesn’t break easily when lightly tugged on.

Yes, 31 centimeters is quite a bit to donate—but I ended up donating around 35 centimeters. I managed to grow it out from shoulder length over two and a half years. It seems my hair grows a bit faster than average, though. According to Hair Doneige, a site that lists hair donation salons across Japan, growing out 31 centimeters usually takes about three years.

If you want to donate hair in Japan but don’t quite have the length yet, you will need to be patient. But once all that hair you’ve taken time to grow is finally cut away, I’m sure you’ll feel a very gratifying sense of accomplishment. And if you already have the required length, this might just be your sign to go for that new summer haircut!

How To Prepare For Hair Donation

For those of you who are ready to make the big cut, here’s a basic rundown on who to contact and what to do!

Contact Your Salon

There are multiple ways to donate hair in Japan, but the easiest way I recommend is to directly contact your usual hair salon and ask if they provide a hair donation service. If they say yes, all you need to do is book your usual appointment, while making sure to mention you want to donate your hair.

Some salons might offer to cut your hair for donation but will ultimately return it to you so that you can donate it yourself. If your salon doesn’t provide any hair donation services, you can either attempt cutting it yourself or find another salon that does.

Cut It Off

Now to the fun part: chop-chop! In addition to being washed and dried beforehand (very important, as your hair might mold if you leave it wet), the first step to cutting hair involves tying it up into separate sections with rubber bands.

Chie recommends tying these bands at least a centimeter below where you want to cut your hair. You will want to leave the extra space to keep the hair bundled together as you cut above it. Make sure to measure out the hair while it’s tied up to check if you have the required length before cutting it too. Once you’re happy with the band placement and length, go ahead and chop it off!

Clean It Up

I was lucky enough to get Chie to do all the work, including cleaning up and styling the haircut once all the sections were cut off. If you choose to cut your hair donation chunks yourself at home, you’d still probably want to book a regular hair appointment afterward—unless you want your new hairstyle to look like this:

Sending The Hair Off

If you’re like me and went to a salon that cuts and donates hair for you, your hair donation journey comes to an end with you getting a fresh new do. However, if you’re someone who visits a salon that returns your cut hair to you, or you cut the hair yourself, here are some tips to get the hair to the charity of your choice.

Chie usually donates haircuts at her salon on your behalf, but this time she let me take my hair back home so I could demonstrate that process myself…

Bundle The Hair Up In A Big Rubber Band

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

After making sure all the cut hair is completely dried, use one or two rubber bands to keep the hair together. This prevents all the hair from getting knotted up together when placed in the envelope.

Fill Out The Documentation

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

The charity you’ve chosen will have the required documentation for sending your donation on its site. It’s usually a donor form, a piece of paper with your name and place of residence or an online form.

I chose to send my hair to Japan Hair Donation and Charity (JHDAC), as their site is all in English and accepts hair of all kinds. They also send proof of receipt as long as you include a separate regular-sized envelope with your address and a ¥84 stamp on the front and their address on the back.

Pack Everything Up & Send

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

Put the bundled hair and printed documents together in a big enough envelope/letter pack. An A4 letter pack can be easily purchased and sent off from your local convenience store for about ¥430.

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

Make sure you have the correct mailing address for the charity of your choice, seal it all up and send it off!

Extra Details

© Photo by SavvyTokyo

Thanks to Chie, the whole hair-cutting process was so easy for me. Her salon in Harajuku was very relaxing and smelled amazing. Chie speaks English, so I was easily able to communicate the kind of hairstyle I was after.

If you’re looking for a friendly English-speaking salon, I highly recommend visiting Chie’s salon Silvia Papilio, whether you’re looking to donate your long hair or just after a usual hair appointment.

Silvia Papilio

• Address: Galleria Harajuku 2F, 3-6-1 Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo (Google Map Link)
• Business hours: Tue-Sun from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. (Closed Mon)
• Instagram: @chie_funakura_silvapapilio
• Salon Note: Our color products are imported from Europe

Japan Hair Donation and Charity (JHDAC)

• Donatable hair types: All natural hair types are welcome, as well as artificially colored, permed, or bleached hair, as long as it’s not highly damaged.
• Address: NPO JHD&C, Chiyoda North 7A 13-38 Naniwa-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan 530-0022
• What to include in the envelope: Your hair, donor sheet form and a separate envelope with your address on the front with a stamp and JHDAC address on the back (only if you want proof of receipt)

Growing out my hair for donation took a long commitment and many bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Still, it was definitely a rewarding experience and all worth it.

For more details about donating hair in Japan, check out my article on Gaijinpot, or if you want to watch a video of my personal experience, check out this video on YouTube:

Have you ever donated hair in Japan before? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

This article has been republished for 2025.