When Elme Michelle Le Roux, 31, of Langebaan, heard one of her oldest friends had been diagnosed with leukemia, she made the difficult decision to cut – and donate – her incredibly long locks to make a wig for her friend.
“I’ve had long hair for most of my life. There were only two instances where I cut it below my shoulder blades and regretted it both times. I’ve also never coloured it,” says Elme.
“Managing my long hair wasn’t difficult for me as I mostly wore it plaited. It always looked neat and was in really good condition. My hair gave me a huge amount of confidence. It made me feel powerful – and beautiful.”
Elme recounts the devastation she felt when she heard her oldest friend had been diagnosed with leukaemia.
ELME’S HAIR WAS 74CM IN LENGTH!
“She was not even finished with her first session when she started to lose her hair and decided to shave it off,” says Elme. “She told me she could not afford fancy hats or wigs and would just cover her head with a beanie or scarf. At that moment, I had an idea. I called Tymeless Necessity Hair and discussed the steps involved in cutting my hair and donating it to make a wig for my friend.”
Having not cut her hair for many years, Elme’s locks were thigh length – a whopping 74-cm in length!
“I knew that I couldn’t make my friend’s cancer go away but, having always believed that my hair was my strength, I wanted to give her something that maybe would help give her strength, too,” says Elme.
“My experience with the team at Tymeless was incredible. Rani Chetty explained everything to me and made sure I was happy and I knew exactly what was going to happen. She arranged couriers to collect the hair from me, and was there every step of the way.”
The team at Tymeless Necessity Hair spent several days making the wig, which boasted a fully hand-knotted closure and was silky straight in texture.
Once the wig was complete, Elme delivered it to her friend, along with a letter she had written (below). It was an incredibly emotional day for everyone!
THE LETTER ELME WROTE tO HER FRIEND FIGHTING CANCER

IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL DAY!
THE FINAL PRODUCT



YOUR DONATED HAIR BUNDLE
The dedicated staff at Tymeless Necessity Hair treat each bundle of hair with passion, love, care, and most importantly, with the utmost respect.
“To grow one’s hair takes years of dedication. To snip it off takes a few minutes,” says Rani Chetty, founder of Tymeless Necessity Hair.
“It’s something I have embedded in our employees’ values. We have a team of dedicated and passionate men and women who are not only highly skilled and continuously strive to improve quality and keep abreast of the latest trends but who understand the value in each and every hair strand.”

HAIR LOSS AND CANCER
Donating hair for cancer patients is both easy and rewarding and anyone can do it
While a massive emphasis is placed on beating cancer, many women battle an entirely different challenge – hair loss.
Hair loss due to chemotherapeutic agents is one of the most common adverse effects and is rated as one of the most distressing side effects of cancer therapy. The estimated incidence of chemotherapy-induced hair loss is 75%.
Anagen effluvium is the most common form of hair loss associated with cancer therapy and is usually noticed within one to two weeks of starting the treatment and becomes more apparent in the next four to eight weeks of treatment.
Even though chemotherapy-induced hair loss is a widespread and distressing side effect of cancer treatment, we have very little insight and experience on its psychosocial impact on the patients.
Hair loss can result in anxiety, depression, a negative body image, lowered self-esteem, and a reduced sense of wellbeing.
“While this may seem trivial in comparison to fighting for one’s life, remaining focussed, proud and self-assured plays a massive role in the recovery of cancer survivors,” explains Rani.
“Some studies have shown that hair loss due to chemotherapy or alopecia has a consistently negative psychological impact in both adults and children alike. In the present study, 5% of patients felt avoided by their spouse, friends, or family members. It emphasizes the fact that hair loss is associated with loss of attractiveness and sexuality”.
Rani continues to say that to donate your hair to make a wig, ponytails need to be 10 centimetres or four inches or longer. Both ends need to be secured with an elastic and placed into a plastic bag to ensure the hair remains dry and cuticles intact.
MAKING MAGIC THAT’S TYMELESS
As soon as the hair arrives at Tymeless Necessity Hair Rani and her dedicated team get to work.
“The biggest challenge we face with donated hair is the amount of hair that is lost during the hackling process, which accounts for about 20 percent,” says Rani.
“In total, about 25% of hair is lost during the hackling and wefting process before the wig manufacturing process, which is why so often wig manufacturers are forced to use several hair donors’ hair donations to make a wig. At Tymeless, we always insist that the hair donated for a specific cause is the hair – and the only hair used in making that specific wig. If we do not have enough hair, we normally use fillers from other donors’ hair instead.”
The fillers are matched to the identical texture of the donor’s hair so that the hair is consistent throughout. The wig caps used are made using a very soft comfortable fabric, which eases the burning, itchy sensation that the patient undergoes during their treatment.
It is also critical to ensure that the root follicles remain intact and healthy for the re-growth journey for the patient. In addition, all products by Tymeless are locally manufactured.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Do you want to make a difference and give a tangible gift to someone in need? Then get in touch with Tymeless Necessity Hair today! Donating your hair can better someone else’s life and is one of the kindest – and rewarding – gestures you can make.
Tymeless Necessity Hair is a proud partner of CANSA.
READ MORE BLOGS BY TYMELESS NECESSITY HAIR HERE:
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAIR EXTENSIONS
WHY CHOOSE A CUSTOM HUMAN HAIR WIG?
WHEN THERE’S A KINK IN YOUR HUMAN HAIR WIG’S KERATIN
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