All About Hair

Hair has been the subject of many a debate and deliberation  in the recent times .

Here  is  my own two cents on this subject.

Hair , indeed,   is  every  woman’s crowning glory. Apart from the  attraction   which  a thick wavy mane adds to  the owner , it  protects  the  scalp against harsh winds , scorching sun  ,  blunt  falls and scratches .

Hair is also an aphrodisiac.  Since eons ,  “gentle”  women like  wives , daughters , those sent out for allurement  or even those who were out for war mongering have been depicted as having  heavy , flowing , waist length hair in  the ancient  texts .  “Evil” women like sorceresses, witches  are   shown with weird  , creepy hair styles . In movies and books , when they portray people  of  the future ,they show  them with kooky  , metallic hair .

Till a few decades ago   it was a sacrilege for a woman to even trim her hair ends.  It was deemed anomalous to talk about hair and scissors in the same context .

Every summer holidays ,we would go to our grand parents place . I remember my gran grinding   bags full of  dried shikakai  (Acacia concinna 

)  fruit  mixed with dried  lemon / amla  /curry leaves etc and distributing it to all her daughters  year after year .

Washing hair used to be a ritual in itself each  Friday  . With the men gone  out to work , the  house ladies took more than an hour     to  lovingly  oil  wash it off with heated water  and this powder.

In some communities a widow had to totally tonsure her head regularly  and cover it with her sari pallu .  With widow remarriages being an unknown concept then , understandably, who will she now deck up for  now that her admirer is gone  ?

For her own security  and defense , She should  not spending  too much time and energy on  adornments  and focus more on her duties like bringing up children etc.,

Rules and rituals are always made keeping some good in mind . They are rarely meant to subjugate or dominate any particular class.

Chopping off a woman’s mane in full glare of public  was and still  is the ultimate punishment  prescribed for  sinful  crimes  by the village courts.

Even the  rigid and strict  gods are supposed to melt when a woman asks something in return for her scalp strands .

Total shaving  off  scalp hair is  a medical advice to avoid head lice or dandruff / psoriasis  or other scalp  infections.

Unmarried girls  are nagged daily  in traditional houses by their mums to oil their hair ends , else  they are  told that they will get bad in laws . This is an indirect way of nourishing her hair which will give her the required loveliness  and  increase her stand in the marriage market.  The final logic  is that for long  hair , nourishment does not reach the ends ( which is why they split   ) so they need to be oiled  explicitly  .  The hair ends cannot feed  enough from the  aliment coming from the scalp .

Small wonder  that  Goldilocks and Rapunzel  were  popular  fairy tale characters ( before Disney came ) .

Women have  been using  means  like  henna  , artificial hair colour , beer  , wigs , buns ,  hair extensions and what not to bedeck  their hair .

Dating sites are filled with advice about how to run your fingers through your  ringlets  or cowlicks  in  a frilly, flouncy  ,tantalizing manner when you are out to meet some one for the first time .

In places where water was a scarcity  , due to  thick desert storms it used to be  difficult to wash off  dust and sand from the  strands  . So  it made  sense to cover it always as a protection against sandstorms or harsh sun .

Magazines are  replete  with ancient grand ma’s recipes for  growing long dark jet black  or blond  locks  . Rule books on seduction like The  Kama sutra prescribe  detailed techniques  for hair care and maintenance .

During  the two world wars ,  especially , in the 20s when  feminism started rearing its head slowly ,   the bob  cut started  making its appearance everywhere from catwalks to the kitchens. Women who wanted to stand along side men started patronizing the  pixie bob  coupled with thick heavy shoulder pads . It made them feel masculine.  Free flowing lengthy hair was  suddenly , getting associated with vulnerability  and fragility .

 Why restrict this subject   only  to women ? Even  the men’s attitudes  have undergone a sea change with their hair  ,  moustache and beards .  A moustache  was a sign of  virility.  Even today , in some places,  when some one wants to shave off his moustache or the beard  for the first time , a small ritual is done to appease the gods .

 In some societies ,  when a young chap is initiated into the student life  , he  has to start  sprouting a tuft .    Whatever the religious significance of keeping a tuft , scientifically speaking ,  there are over a thousand  pressure points in that area of the head, a mild pressure ( by oiling or combing ) daily will increase blood circulation and increase memory ( which was the main requirement for a student in the pre paper book days ) .

Needless to say , today times are changing .  The world is shrinking due to the internet / air travel / phones etc., There is a free movement between the sexes in even small towns and villages . Shackles between the  young boys and girls   like mutual suspicion , dubiosity , qualms are melting away .  

I might wear a scarf not because my religion or beliefs demand it but because I am driving in an open air car or because  it’s a fashion accessory . Its deemed a privilege to be gifted a Hermes scarf which runs into a few thousands of Euros .

Faith or no , convictions or no , scarves will remain . Try telling a girl to go on a long drive on a summer day without covering her head  and you will understand what I mean.

Lets face it ,  our confidence and esteem  does  , definitely , have something to do  with  hair  .

If every one around you is having short trimmed hair  and you feel uncomfortable with your own long hair , then you  too should go for it . It shows ( and how )  when you are not complacent in your skin.   Hair is an aphrodisiac .It invokes carnal feelings on  both the sexes . Thats one of the reason why its advisable to cover it . Many parts of Arabia / Europe /Africa and North India still practice this system in public . Its , after all , for their own securty . 

While so much is going for the hair on the head,  the same honour cannot be extended to the eyebrows . Fully shaving off the eye  brows was one way of changing your entire features in the  pre plastic surgery days . So it’s a total no-no in any sect . Waxing ,  trimming or threading is an utterly different issue.

One must stay atuned during these times of changing days . Wear  a scarf , cover your hair , cover your neck , leave your hair open .. its your choice .

Remember the tree which does not  bend is the first one to snap when gushing winds come a calling .