Hair rituals

[starlamelissa]

Ok, I may be a little bit of a weirdo here, but does any one here have any personal rituals regarding their hair?

I don't cut my hair while I am pregnant, I heard an old wives tale about doing so, and I just avoided it the first go around. I have bangs I will maintain if I become pregnant again, but will most likely leave the body of my hair alone.

My best friend is full blooded native American and is very active in her faith and tribal community. She cut her hair very short after her divorce, for entirely spiritual reasons.

Does any one else have hair rituals, or superstitions they'd like to share?

[MariZita]

Hi, well no, I don't have any rituals yet, but now that my hair is getting longer, I am looking for more and more ways to take care of it, trim it myself, etc, which led me into this website.
Rituals would be nice... and would also love to hear what others do! ;)

[Cassie 123]

I get my trims on the solstices and equinoxes. I've done this (when possible and when I remember) for a long time, and no, it doesn't actually improve the growth rate or anything. I still do it anyway. I think I remember spidermom saying that she does something similar, though, and she has awesome hair, so that's encouraging.

I remember Venefica saying that she does a daily magick ritual for beauty. Perhaps she will see this thread and stop by to give details.

[gthlvrmx]

I just bury my hair after it falls off my head, after a hair trim or my shed hair i can find. It's a sign of giving respect and appreciation to mother earth, giving back a part of me, and a symbol that we come from the earth and we go back to the earth.

[racrane]

This will be interesting to follow. I'm not quite sure what a hair ritual can imply, but I like the idea of it!

[faithsdaisy421]

My husband brushes my hair every single night before bed. He does this no matter what (which is huge, because he has MS and there are days he feels terrible). He is so gentle and nice about it.

[Cassie 123]

My husband brushes my hair every single night before bed. He does this no matter what (which is huge, because he has MS and there are days he feels terrible). He is so gentle and nice about it.

That is so sweet! :crush:

[QueenJoey]

Does this count?

I have this new thing where while I wash my hair I do a hair growth chant. I massage my scalp, close my eyes, and say:

Stretch it, Twist it, make it grow
Like a river let it flow
Three times fast will this hair grow
This is my will, so mote it be

I've only done this twice, so I don't know if it works. I'm also starting to cut my hair by the moon phases.

[Maelyssa]

My husband brushes my hair every single night before bed. He does this no matter what (which is huge, because he has MS and there are days he feels terrible). He is so gentle and nice about it.

That is really truly beautiful!

[prettykitty]

My husband brushes my hair every single night before bed. He does this no matter what (which is huge, because he has MS and there are days he feels terrible). He is so gentle and nice about it.
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That's so lovely Faithsdaisy :)

[Maelyssa]

Does this count?

I have this new thing where while I wash my hair I do a hair growth chant. I massage my scalp, close my eyes, and say:

Stretch it, Twist it, make it grow
Like a river let it flow
Three times fast will this hair grow
This is my will, so mote it be

I've only done this twice, so I don't know if it works. I'm also starting to cut my hair by the moon phases.

Very nice chant QueenJoey. What a lovely little bit of witchery! I may try this one myself.

[RitaPG]

Contrary to popular habits, when in mourning, I don't cut my hair.
And I'm not only talking about the deceased (I just don't know a better word for it)

When my first boyfriend broke my heart, I was devastaded and didn't thought about my hair at all, so I didn't cut it for almost a year (this was before LHC, I had no idea how to take care of it and it became very dry and damaged)

On a more positive note, recently a friend of mine went away to study in a foreign country for a year, and I decided not to cut my hair during his time away, not even trimming. I guess it was my own little homage because I loved him so much, but also a way to mark the passage of time away from him. This was when I realized there was a pattern. It's probably happened before, I just never noticed it because my hair was something I did not care about when I was younger.

[gretchen_hair]

Girlie, you better watch out.....it will be like a Charmed episode and your hair will grow and grow and grow and even if you cut it it will continue growing out of control! lol (just teasing, but that is what came to mind when I read your chant, all I could think of is Phoebe and her crazy spells getting out of hand)


Does this count?

I have this new thing where while I wash my hair I do a hair growth chant. I massage my scalp, close my eyes, and say:

Stretch it, Twist it, make it grow
Like a river let it flow
Three times fast will this hair grow
This is my will, so mote it be

I've only done this twice, so I don't know if it works. I'm also starting to cut my hair by the moon phases.

[starlamelissa]

I love all these hair rituals! Nice to know I'm not the only one with hair superstitions.

[slo2gro]

haha neat lil hair rituals i dont have any as YET BUT i might now hehe

[neko_kawaii]

I had a lovely little hair ritual where I would go out in the garden and comb and rebraid my hair and put anything caught in the comb into the compost pile and then water the garden but then the summer rains began and the mosquitoes came out. Now I find long hairs EVERYWHERE inside. Damn you mosquitoes!

[kidari]

Everything I do with my hair is a ritual to me. I love taking care of it and styling it. My nightly wash is like a ritual as well as my weekly treatment. It's not a chore but something I really enjoy. When I put a homemade concoction in my hair I like to research to see if I could tweak the recipie a little. My monthly trims to refresh my layers and dust the ends is also a ritual I enjoy doing. Now I just wish I had some quirky rituals for my hair!

[seaj]

How common is hair cutting while mourning? When my grandmother passed, one of my uncles pulled me aside and sternly asked, "You're gonna cut your hair right?" Of course it wasn't a question at all. At the time, I had just got past the awkward stage and my hair was grazing my collarbone and which is unacceptable for guys at the church that my extended family attends (I'm not a member anymore). My other cousin with a mohawk got the same question. In the end, nobody cut their hair.

I probably would have cut my hair if my uncle didn't ask me to since my grandma didn't approve of my long hair anyways. Always a rebel.

I remember in the movie The Namesake, which is about a Bengali family, some characters shaved their heads while mourning.

[EbonyCurls]

Cutting my hair would make me mourn more. Not at all to assume or to offend anyone's culture, but I consider cutting hair when mourning (whether forced or on one's own) follows in the same vein of self-mutilation when one is hurting or mourning.

I know not all cultures intend it this way, but I never accepted the idea that because something sad or bad has happened you should share in the misery. Maybe that's why I could never be religious. I'm definitely not a wallower. If I am sad, I go get a a massage or do something to relax myself.

[jel]

Henna was a hair ritual for me for a couple of years. Then I got a bit bored of it, and stopped having a ritualistic time with my hair. Maybe I should make a ritual out of hair treatments - that way I may be more inclined to actually do them!

I would have trimmed on certain moon phases except that I'm a non-trimmer...

Ah, I've got one! :D Every night I lightly comb my hair before braiding it for sleep. That is a mini ritual that I've been doing daily for years. Sometimes I'm almost unaware that I'm doing it, but very often I do actually concentrate on preening and enjoying my hair in those few minutes or so.

[candlesandfish]

The Greek custom is to not cut your hair while in mourning. For an acquaintance that would be a week or so, up to 40 days (the traditional mourning time) but I've known people to not cut their hair (or shave, in some cases) for up to a year for close family. My boyfriend did this for his grandmother, and discovered he looked good with long hair and now has it APL but in a ponytail 90% of the time. One of my other friends didn't cut his for three years after his mother died. They're big on wearing black, too - I stay with bf's family on weekends and there were no colored clothes worn in that house (and especially not to church) for 40 days after his uncle, and his grandfather, passed away. Grey, maybe, purple, but mostly black. I'd never met either man but it's respectful. We didn't cut our hair either, not that that was much of a difference for me.

No real rituals. I braid my hair before bed but there's not really much ritual to that except that I do it every night when I take my medication, say my prayers (they are ritual, but not related to hair) and go to sleep.

[Jing]

I wish I had some hair rituals. I should make some up! Problem is I have severe trouble making new habits stick. Need more of an attention span...

[nobunny]

i feel really terrible if i can't empty my brushes outside or have to throw away shed hair into the trashcan. something about being a little kid and my mother telling me that the birds would love to have some pretty blonde hair for their nests :o

so i always take my hair outside and toss it in the wind, even in the winter!

[Yame]

This is my hair ritual:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMW73DfVWkw&feature=channel_video_title

LOL!

[slo2gro]

yame that looks like fun woot woot

I dunno if its a ritual or not but I have have have to brush my hair before going to bed and upon waking just how I do things dunno why. I guess cuz I have psoriasis and while its managed well feels good on my scalp so guess not really a ritual. lol Ok going back to the corner. Will say if i miss it thou I dont feel right like I gotta do it lol

[gthlvrmx]

This is my hair ritual:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMW73DfVWkw&feature=channel_video_title

LOL!
Must do this from now on. :D This will be the new trend :cool:

[pes3108]

My husband brushes my hair every single night before bed. He does this no matter what (which is huge, because he has MS and there are days he feels terrible). He is so gentle and nice about it.

wow, that is truly amazing! one of the sweetest things I've read in a long while :love::love:

[Yame]

Must do this from now on. :D This will be the new trend :cool:

I actually would really not recommend trying that at home. Unfortunately a lot of those movements can be very dangerous if you aren't used to moving that way :(

[LouLaLa]

The Greek custom is to not cut your hair while in mourning. For an acquaintance that would be a week or so, up to 40 days (the traditional mourning time) but I've known people to not cut their hair (or shave, in some cases) for up to a year for close family


Yeah Ive done this. Im not greek but it is for very similar reasons from my own culture.

I stopped cutting mine when my brother died last december as a mark of respect.

I dont think I have any other traditions really, although it annoys me when I get asked why I dont cut it because it isnt a very common thing to do anymore.

[Cassie 123]

When I was putting my hair up this morning, I thought it might be nice to have some ritual associated with the choice of style, something like wrapping the bun clockwise for the waxing moon and counterclockwise for waning, or saying, oh, it's Saturday so it's braid day, or something. :p Ok, maybe I'm getting a little too weird here!

[archel]

My every other night castor oil scalp massage is becoming a ritual for me. I look forward to the aromatherapy, the feel of the oils, the relaxing massage, quiet time for me before bed. I comb it through with my wooden comb, which I really enjoy because it's natural and I know it's not harming my hair and the oil is good for the comb. I french braid it, put a little more of my oil blend on the tail, and then go to sleep surrounded by the healing smell of lavender.

[slo2gro]

My every other night castor oil scalp massage is becoming a ritual for me. I look forward to the aromatherapy, the feel of the oils, the relaxing massage, quiet time for me before bed. I comb it through with my wooden comb, which I really enjoy because it's natural and I know it's not harming my hair and the oil is good for the comb. I french braid it, put a little more of my oil blend on the tail, and then go to sleep surrounded by the healing smell of lavender.


wow that sounds soothing making me all relaxed and sleepy haha

[MasCat]

I used to gather all the hair I combed out - and when I moved to another country (came back, ut that's yet another story) I burned it all to cut the relations with what was there.

I cut my hair during fool moon. Now I just don't cut my hair :D

I cut my hair twice to remove myself from bad memories and somebody's hold on me. Was a drastic measure, but helped.

Oh, and when I go to a ritual place (I am pagan) I always have my hair braided or up, not to "catch" anything from outside the circle, often tied with a red cord. I wear my hair loose in the circle, but I unbraid them only after I cast it. When I perform my rites I most often have my hair down.

I heard that there was a belief, that a woman giving birth shouldn't have any knots on her (clothes unlaced, hair down and untangled) so the baby's cord doesn't get tangled ;))))

[gthlvrmx]

I actually would really not recommend trying that at home. Unfortunately a lot of those movements can be very dangerous if you aren't used to moving that way :(
Jaja yes i figured after watching it and comparing it to headbanging at rock concerts....this takes the win. And i heard that people get some sort of damage inside their heads after too much headbanging.
It'd be fun to learn how to dance like this though!

[Becky9679]

I don't have any hair rituals really unless you count the fact that when brushing I always brush with my tangle teezer first and then with my denman brush.

I love the idea of giving my shed hair back to nature (like those who've mentioned burying it or letting the wind take it away). I think I may start to do this!

Yame your video was stunning and your hair is amazing!

[AnqeIicDemise]

My grand mother taught me to save my hair clippings and shed hair and leave it outside for the birds to make nests out of.

She said it was best for Mother Nature to take it than an enemy.

[Mannaz]

i cut my hair during new moon. When I cut it I focus on the things i want to get let go off.

When I'm having a day off (like today) I'll do a scalp massage with coconut oil and rosemary EO and apply some good homemade conditioner on the whole length. Then I make two braids and am officially in a relax-only-mode :D

I went to my ex's funeral a week ago. I wore my hair in an infinity bun, because I used to sign all my letters and other messages to him with an infinity symbol. If he somehow saw me that day I'm pretty sure he got my point. I took the bun down on my way home.

[DarkSky]

When I came across this thread I thought... nah I have no hair rituals then I realized that I DO!! Whenever I had a break up I would get a drastic hair cut. It was my way of starting fresh.

[mallorykay13]

My hair makes me feel sexy and feminine so I think I would be much less inclined to cut it after a breakup. Other than normal routines I really have no rituals.

[julierockhead]

I just bury my hair after it falls off my head, after a hair trim or my shed hair i can find. It's a sign of giving respect and appreciation to mother earth, giving back a part of me, and a symbol that we come from the earth and we go back to the earth.

I used to take the hair from my, and my daughter's, brush every few days and place it randomly around the plants in my garden, for the birds to use in their nests. I have a few bird houses at my kitchen window and yes I have seen them using it :grin:

Now I just give my daughter's hair though, I'm saving mine for henna experiments and rats.

[swearnsue]

Every night after I turn out the light, I imagine a light making a circle around me in a clockwise direction, three times. Now I am within this circle and I ask that my hair grows strong. I feel my scalp tingle and feel my hair growing. I do this for as long as I want and then thank each circle and they fade away and I fall asleep.

[MandyBeth]

DH and I turn on a CD and take my two service dogs. For 3 songs, we work on them, Dani C now just gets brushed on, Wodan gets rubbed down. Then, 2 songs, I make sure DH's locs are good. Then he does my hair - comb out, Monistat, comb, braid.

[Dragon Faery]

As nightly as possible, I do a scalp massage with castor oil. Sometimes DH does it for me. :) I collect all the shed hairs and wrap them in a paper towel before throwing them away, to keep them out of our felines' stomachs.