Hair loss, and other troubles with tresses

Cut it short, keep it long, shave it off or colour it purple, hair is more a matter of what’s going on inside your head than outside. (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels)

We are destined to lose hair over hair!

Firstly, no one’s happy with the hair they are born with. Those with curls cry for silky straight hair; those with smooth fine hair rush for a perm. Our childhood photos – blown up, framed and hung on walls for all to see by fashion-unconscious parents – show our mane to be the most dated part of us: either oiled into tight plaits or a matted frizzy mess harking back to wild caveman ancestors.

By the time we get to have some say over our hair, usually during the teenage period, chances are we feel tongue-tied before hairdressers. Sometimes we go with their suggestions, which means we can’t look into a mirror till the whole thing grows out. Then there is the matter of bangs. Each time we get bangs we think this time it will be different. It never is. It only traumatises us in a new way. Instead of changing our face, our look, our life, our vibe, the badly cut fringe sits there aimlessly on our forehead obscuring vision.

Hair is our enemy. It never works with us, contradicts us in public and generally rebels by exiting en masse one day. Modern man, fortunately, discovered that bald is beautiful – previously men grew what hair they had and then arranged the strands carefully over scalp, a hairstyle that came undone in a strong breeze. Actors sported wigs that appeared to have been plucked off someone else’s head. For women the dilemma is more ‘to grey or not to grey’. Those who go with the flow evoke much envy in those who don’t. For whatever they are doing to keep their hair a particular hue is a pain most days, especially when the roots grow out.

The hair industry thrives on just this insecurity – look at all the products in the market! Gone are the days when you bought a simple shampoo and conditioner. Gel, mask, leave-in conditioner, serums… For some reason, sulfate-free sounds like a deal-sealer. That’s the moment we succumb and gather it all. There are Biotin pills, Ayurveda oils and even eggs and onion juice. At any salon, they tend to eye your hair with the right amount of disdain before suggesting random stuff from their shelves. Chances are we do end up buying some of it, never to use it ever.

Cut it short, keep it long, shave it off or colour it purple, hair is more a matter of what’s going on inside your head than outside. For most people, meeting the right hairdresser is more important than meeting Mr or Ms Right. If dissatisfied with hair, life can be a long tedious affair. If miraculously hair falls into place, then everything is gung ho. How did mankind’s mood get so entangled with their locks?

From Medusa to Cleopatra, from Sadhana cut to Tintin’s quiff, from French braid to platinum blonde, one’s crowning glory is a calling card. ‘Bad hair day’ was coined by British trichologist Philip Kingsley – perhaps because baldly calling it ‘bad hair life’ may depress a whole generation.

Sadhana (Photo: Producer Dev Anand via Wikimedia Commons)