Locks of Love

What Locks of Love does

Locks of Love is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, that manufactures and provides custom vacuum-fit hair prostheses free of charge to financially disadvantaged children (ages 6–21) in the United States and Canada who suffer from long-term medical hair loss, primarily alopecia areata and its variants, as well as pediatric cancer survivors and children with other dermatological conditions. Its core product is a custom full-cranial prosthesis produced from donated human hair: each child completes a head-foam mold, a trial-fit cap is produced for approval, and the final piece uses a silicone base tinted to the child's skin tone with a vacuum seal that allows swimming, showering, and sports without adhesive. Children under 6 and those with short-term hair loss receive synthetic wigs, and every 2 years a replacement is provided until age 21; recipients also get a free wig during the production wait period.

The organization's revenue model rests on three inputs: donated ponytails (10+ inches, 8–10 per prosthesis, with shorter or gray hair resold to offset manufacturing); tax-deductible financial contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; and merchandise sales, primarily the Locks of Love Bear by GUND at $10.00 with 100% of proceeds to mission, plus a $1,250 per-child sponsorship tier. Distribution is direct-to-recipient via a mail-in application (medical diagnosis, financial documentation, photo, recommendation letters) across all 50 U.S. states and Canada, with hair collection via mail-in submissions, registered salon partners, and corporate activation events. Recent annual expenses were approximately $704,419 (2023) against unrestricted reserves of about $7.3M, held to fund long-term commitments to children through age 21.

Name

Locks of Love

Legal name

Locks of Love

Website

https://locksoflove.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Locks of Love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides custom vacuum-fit hair prostheses, made from donated ponytails, free of charge to financially disadvantaged children with long-term medical hair loss across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Hair Prosthesis Services

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Personal Care Services (8121)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Hair Extensions, Wigs & Hairpieces (CRABABAH)

Keywords

• Custom hair prosthetics
• Nonprofit hair donation
• Pediatric alopecia support
• Cranial prosthesis program
• Medical wigs charity

Headquarters

HQ city

West Palm Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Hair Donations: Locks of Love receives donated ponytails from individuals. These ponytails are used to create custom hairpieces for children. Shorter and gray hair that cannot be used in hairpieces is sold to offset manufacturing costs. 8 to 10 donated ponytails go into one hairpiece.
2. Financial Contributions: Direct financial donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. All donations are tax-deductible as LOL is a 501(c)(3) organization. The organization also receives corporate matching gifts.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including Locks of Love Bears by GUND. 100% of the purchase price goes toward the mission of providing custom prostheses and funding medical research.
4. Hair Sales: Shorter donations and gray hair that cannot be used in children's hairpieces are sold to offset manufacturing costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Locks of Love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides custom vacuum-fit cranial hair prostheses, made from donated ponytails, to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss such as alopecia areata. Synthetic hairpieces are provided to children under age 6 and to children with short-term hair loss, and the organization also sells branded merchandise (GUND bears) to fund its mission.

Product overview

Locks of Love is a charitable organization (not a manufacturer) that provides custom hair replacement products to financially disadvantaged children. The core offering consists of custom vacuum-fit hair prostheses made from donated ponytails, provided free of charge to children ages 6-21 with long-term medical hair loss. For children under 6 or those with short-term hair loss, synthetic wigs are provided at no charge. The organization also sells Locks of Love Bears by GUND® as merchandise, with proceeds supporting the mission. The portfolio centers on the custom prostheses as the primary product, supplemented by the synthetic hairpiece program, merchandise, and the annual summer camp program for recipients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Vacuum-Fit Hair Prostheses

Quantifiable outcome

• 259 custom-made vacuum prostheses provided in 2016 with 147 more in production
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Colorado RockiesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2017Jon Gray, pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, donated his hair LIVE on Facebook for Locks of Love. Video featured in-game that day.
• Pantene (Procter & Gamble)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Care Beyond Hair events. Pantene and ShopRite stores host hair donation events in over 40 stores across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
• ShopRitemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with Pantene for Care Beyond Hair events. Hosted hair donation drives in over 40 stores in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
• GUNDmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGUND, maker of the most huggable bears, produces Locks of Love branded bears. 100% of purchase price goes to the LOL mission to provide custom prostheses and fund medical research.
• Y&R NYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro-bono creative design partnership. Created marketing campaign featured in Essence magazine, People Espanol, and Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide.
• IT CosmeticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIT Cosmetics featured a hair donation event on their Facebook page.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLOL provided $500,000 in funding to Columbia University for Alopecia research in 2016. Total research funded by LOL exceeds $3.7 million.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wigs for Kids: Non-profit providing free custom hair replacements and wigs to children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, alopecia, burns, and other medical conditions. Direct mission and product overlap with Locks of Love, serving a similar pediatric patient population.
• Children With Hair Loss: Michigan-based 501(c)(3) providing free wigs and hair replacements to children and young adults with medically related hair loss. Closely comparable operating model, recipient base, and product offering to Locks of Love.
• Hair We Share: Non-profit that provides free custom wigs to children and adults suffering from medical hair loss, funded through hair donations and fundraising. Overlapping donor base, donation infrastructure, and beneficiary population with Locks of Love.
• Angel Hair Foundation: Oregon-based charity providing custom wigs to children with hair loss from medical conditions. Similar beneficiary profile, donation-funded model, and free-of-charge delivery structure to Locks of Love.

Broad incumbents

• Pantene (Procter & Gamble): Hair care brand that has run the Care Beyond Hair donation campaign in partnership with Locks of Love and ShopRite. Functions both as LOL's major corporate partner and as the operator of the comparable Beautiful Lengths program, making it a strategic incumbent peer.
• American Cancer Society: Massive U.S. cancer charity with broad programs including wigs and look-good-feel-good support for cancer patients. Overlaps with Locks of Love's pediatric cancer survivor segment and competes for corporate donor partnerships.
• Beautiful Lengths (Pantene): Pantene's hair donation program partnered with the American Cancer Society to make wigs for women with cancer. Comparable donation-to-wig pipeline and direct relationship with Pantene — a brand partner of Locks of Love — making it the closest commercial-incumbent analog.

Others

• St. Baldrick's Foundation: Largest non-government funder of childhood cancer research, including grants to Columbia University — a partner of Locks of Love. Competes for pediatric medical charity donor dollars and shares the pediatric cancer survivor beneficiary segment.
• National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF): Largest U.S. non-profit dedicated to alopecia areata, focused on research, support, and awareness rather than direct wig provision. Overlapping beneficiary population with Locks of Love and a potential partner or funder relationship.

Regional players

• Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan: Michigan-based non-profit providing custom wigs and support services at no cost to children experiencing hair loss. Comparable mission and product but geographically concentrated versus Locks of Love's national reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/locksoflove
• Facebookfacebook.com/LocksOfLove
• Instagraminstagram.com/locksofloveofficial
• Pinterestpinterest.com/LocksofLoveOfficial
• TikToktiktok.com/@locksofloveofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/locks-of-love

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Locks of Love