In many cultures, the hair is regarded as sacred and treated as such. The yogis say that your hair can increase your vitality and intuition. A quote from Yogi Bhajan:
“When the hair on your head is allowed to attain its full, mature length, then phosphorous, calcium, and vitamin D are all produced, and enter the lymphatic fluid, and eventually the spinal fluid through the two ducts on the top of the brain. This ionic change creates more efficient memory and leads to greater physical energy, improved stamina, and patience.”
When Genghis Khan was conquering China, he knew the Chinese people were very wise, and therefore ordered the women to cut their hair to make them more controllable.
Native American lineages, especially the Navajo, or Diné, honor their hair as an extension of their soul and that it acts as an antennae for gathering energy and enhancing perceptual abilities. Its been documented that during the Vietnam War, the Native Americans with their long hair in tact, were better able to intuitively scout the land than those in tribes with short hair. And, when Native American children were removed from their land and into boarding schools, they were all forced to get their hair cut in an attempt to make them more obedient and cut them off from the memory thats held in the hair.
The Sikh culture believes that cutting the hair can hinder spiritual development and lead to poor health. It’s also referenced in the Bible that Samson lost all his strength after Delilah cut his hair.
So, how do we take care of our hair in order to enhance it’s spiritual capacity aswell as keeping it beautiful and healthy? Here are a few tips:
Stop using products that are laced with synthetic chemicals and replace them with natural, pure ingredients. Not only are these chemicals ultimately damaging to the hair, but they’re harmful to our entire system. Many ingredients found in most of the hair care products are disruptive to our endocrine system (our hormones) and can be cancer causing. When searching for hair products, always look for organic and non toxic ingredients. My favorite hair products at the moment are from Living Libations. Some folks even swear by using an egg yolk as shampoo/conditioner because of how beautiful it leaves their hair looking and feeling because of it’s rich nutrients. You can also make your own hair oil by infusing mineral rich herbs into oils such as jojoba, olive, or sesame, to enhance the health and growth of your hair.
Be sure you’re not over washing your hair. When we wash our hair too often, we strip the natural oils that keep our hair healthy and vibrant and create a negative feedback loop of over producing oil to compensate for what’s been stripped away. You can train your hair to last much longer without getting oily by washing it less. Twice a week max, to once every 2 weeks is the sweet spot for many. A nice essential oil can keep it smelling yummy. Some high grade organic shampoos and conditioners, such as the ones Living Libations offers, can definitely be more expensive than most. However, if you’re washing your hair less, then it ends up not being too costly. And just think of all the extra time you’ll have to put into a self care practice that’s actually beneficial.
Give your scalp some love. Good circulation is super important for healthy hair growth. Scalp massages are excellent, botanically infused hair rinses or oils are excellent. For example, rosemary is known to promote hair growth and healthy strong shiny hair. There are so many nerve endings and blood vessels in your scalp, which is why it feels so good to have a head massage. Make a routine, or get in the habit of self scalp massaging. Your hair will love it and so will your nervous system.
Think twice about your hair dye. Those harsh chemicals have no business being anywhere near your hair or your scalp. Many if not all of the chemical based hair dyes contain known carcinogens and have been linked with an increase risk of several different cancers. And its being put near the BRAIN. Lord have mercy. I understand the desire to play with your hair and the color. However, at what cost? And is it in a way that is reverent or does it come from a lack of self acceptance? I wish we could learn to embrace and love the changing of our hair, especially as we age and our hair starts turning gray. There’s so much beauty there. On the note of graying, the quality of our diet and the regulation of stress has a huge influence on whether we prematurely start graying. If you’d like to still be able to color your hair but in a non damaging way, I’d like to recommend henna. A lot of folks are familiar with henna from Indian culture where they temporarily dye their skin with beautiful art. Well, you can also dye your hair with it. Henna is a plant, thats it. And there’s some range of hues you can get from it, unfortunately blonde isn’t one of them. Henna is temporary, usually lasting a few months depending on how often you wash your hair. So experimenting with it is pretty low risk. When choosing henna, its important that its organic and pure. Some hennas have other plants in it that act as a natural dye, and with the combining of other plants we can change the darkness or redness or brownness of the dye.