strange warning my mother gave me about hair...

[airmid]

My Mom and I were talking about hair the other day, and she asked me how long I was planning to grow my hair. I said, "Oh, around hip-length or longer, I think!"
And she said that growing your hair long sucks your energy and can make you sick, and that she knew two people that it happened to. One was a 12-year-old girl who had hip length hair but got sick and listless, so they cut off her hair and she got better.
Now, my mom comes from a small community up in Labrador, and my province is full of old weird traditions and bizarre superstitions, and I'm wondering if this is one of them.
What do you folks think? Is this true, that very long hair can make you ill or weak, or is another interesting folk legend? Have any of you experienced this? Thanks!

[Madora]

Old wives' tale. When Empress Elizabeth of Austria had a bad horsebackriding accident they wanted to cut off her magnificent hair too (to speed her recovery). Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed.

[spidermom]

Well, it seemed to work just the opposite for the biblical Samson (and Delilah).

My hair has been as long as my thighs without ill effect. I cut back because of the dried out ends, not for any health reason.

[pink.sara]

What a load of rubbish!
Hair is constantly growing, reaches it's terminal length then sheds. Then a new hair grows.
But from the second it leaves the follicle it is essentially dead. So the length of your hair has absolutely no bearing on your energy levels or anything else to do with vitality!

[Yame]

LOL! That's the funniest thing I've read all day! You sure she wasn't trolling you?

[Amber_Maiden]

haha! No way! That's so not true!

[airmid]

Hehehehe, no, she really believes it! ^_^ I figured it was a old wive's tale. :) Now I feel bad for that poor girl who had all her hair chopped off. I wonder what was really wrong with her?

[Calaelen]

There is no way this could possibly be true. I am a stylist, which means I had to learn quite a bit of hair science, and how the body works...

I do understand where the theory comes from though, there is a plant called a Spider plant, and they shoot out long stems which produce babies..when the plant is growing babies, it does not grow well itself, and butting them off produces a much healthier plant. I think it is similar to how a pregnant woman loses energy and a lot of her calories goes to helping the baby. A person not understanding how hair growth works could easily assume that hair growth would work in a similar way.

The body grows hair from the root, and whether you cut the hair off, or let it grow to it's full potential, as long as that hair is in the Anogen "growing" stage, (which last between 3- 8 years approximately, and depends on each person's genetics) that follicle will be producing and using the same amount of energy, regardless of if hair is cut.

[moon2dove]

I love 'old wives tales' :)

[SpinDance]

Like the other posters said, no connection between having long hair and poor health. However, if you believe it, it will be true _for you_. The mind is funny like that. And if you like a particular hypothesis you can always find "facts" to back it up. How long did they have "long" hair before they became ill? Hmm, has no one with shorter hair ever had the same symptoms? lol

[Kiwiwi]

What a load of rubbish!
Hair is constantly growing, reaches it's terminal length then sheds. Then a new hair grows.
But from the second it leaves the follicle it is essentially dead. So the length of your hair has absolutely no bearing on your energy levels or anything else to do with vitality!

This!

That's just nonsense!
Educate your mother! :D

[TheLorelei]

That story is an urban legend. Likely the girl has no name...usually these stories start when people here "about" something. No first hand information. Hair is essentially dead. It would be like saying growing your nails long will make you sick. As long as the nail bed and the scalp are healthy, you can grow your nails and your hair as long as you like.

[Avital88]

as far as the bible/torah goes, i believe hair must give power instead of the opposite

[airmid]

as far as the bible/torah goes, i believe hair must give power instead of the opposite

That's what I'd think. I'm not a follower of the Bible or the Torah, but I know in Yoga, uncut hair collects prana (life energy) and is grown purposefully in some traditions for that reason.

It's good to know it's rubbish! Next time she says it, if she does again, hopefully I'll be able to gently/kindly educate her (though she's very, very stubborn about her beliefs, lol! :o ) and set the record straight. :)

[MungoMania]

Funny. I equate long hair and nails with good health. It's really hard to achieve good growth when you've got serious health issues. If you grow your hair long and remain energetic you'll be living proof to your mom that her story is just an old wive's tale and nothing more.

[jojo]

I love these old wives tales! my dad used to say if you didnt have a fringe it would make you cross eyed!:gobblecheese:

[slipperlady]

When my sister was little, she was prone to having heavy nosebleeds. She had very long and thick hair at the time and it was thought that the weight of her hair was contributing to that. The doctor told my mom to cut her hair and the nosebleeds would stop. She did it, they didn't. She's a grandmother now and has long hair again. Whatever was wrong at the time, it stopped along the way and had nothing to do with her hair.

[trolleypup]

I dunno, but with my hair near knee, I am still capable of doing a 25 mile hike (with over a (vertical) mile of ascent in 8 hours.

[PaganPriestess]

I have rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.. and I was just as sick when my hair was short as I am now. Sounds like a load of poppycock to me!

[spike316]

Hmm, i can see how if you have to put a lot of care into your hair it may be tiring, or if you have severe neck problems that long hair may be a problem. But I agree that hair is going to grow and use the same amount of energy to do so whether you're cutting it or not.

[Lostsoule77]

I've had long hair the majority of my life and I am healthier than most people I know. It's funny how so many people know these old wives tales are just that, yet they keep on being told as fact. :)

[Charlotte:)]

Actually, healthy hair is a sign of good overall health. If you are able to grow healthy hair that long, you are in pretty good shape :)

[PaganPriestess]

Hmm, i can see how if you have to put a lot of care into your hair it may be tiring, or if you have severe neck problems that long hair may be a problem. But I agree that hair is going to grow and use the same amount of energy to do so whether you're cutting it or not.

Yeah, the only health problem that I know is caused by my long hair is the occasional headache.

[blondie9912]

Oh, the things mothers come out with sometimes. Gotta love 'em :D

[spike316]

Yeah, the only health problem that I know is caused by my long hair is the occasional headache.

I was only really referring to people with pre-existing conditions and yes, as in your case even then it may not be a problem. However, I have seen a couple of people on here who had to cut it back shorter because their neck was bothering them though and there's nothing wrong with that either. ^_^

[PaganPriestess]

I was only really referring to people with pre-existing conditions and yes, as in your case even then it may not be a problem. However, I have seen a couple of people on here who had to cut it back shorter because their neck was bothering them though and there's nothing wrong with that either. ^_^

I usually only get them when I've been wearing it up in a tight style (ponytail or bun or braid, etc) all day. By the time I take it down it is the same feeling as taking your shoes off after being on your feet all day! LOL

[Purdy Bear]

Its usually the other way round, long hair gives you strength (ie Solomon). As said before a lot of religions deliberately dont cut their hair for this very reason.

I have been warned by a dermatologist not to grow my hair beyond waist, but that was due to my Alopecia and apparently the weight of the hair can effect the root etc but that is only in those who have Alopecia. I think its because my faulty immune system (IS) attacks the hair folicles thinking its a foreign body and thus the more weight on it, may bring it to the attention of the IS more.

Hair does show your health, it can thin or get nasty when your suffering from certain illnesses, but most people with long hair are pretty fit people.

I wouldnt worry about it, its probably a local myth, just like vampires, unicorns and dragons.

[Alun]

My Mom and I were talking about hair the other day, and she asked me how long I was planning to grow my hair. I said, "Oh, around hip-length or longer, I think!"
And she said that growing your hair long sucks your energy and can make you sick, and that she knew two people that it happened to. One was a 12-year-old girl who had hip length hair but got sick and listless, so they cut off her hair and she got better.
Now, my mom comes from a small community up in Labrador, and my province is full of old weird traditions and bizarre superstitions, and I'm wondering if this is one of them.
What do you folks think? Is this true, that very long hair can make you ill or weak, or is another interesting folk legend? Have any of you experienced this? Thanks!

Interesting folk legend only!

[KwaveT]

I am with everybody else that this is some sort of crazy wive's tale. It doesn't make a bit of sense. Long hair if anything is a sign of health.

[kanaka]

Yeah, its like a crazy tale. i myself have past hip length and i am not sick anytime and my friend has mid thigh length and she was not sick anytime too.

grow your hair happily, long hair makes you look more beautiful, confident and gracious :)

[misspurdy06]

On the contrary, the longer my hair gets the happier I get.

[gazelle]

When I was a 12-13 yr old girl, I was shorter than my peers. My grandma suggested to cut my long hair to grow faster :) So you are not alone :).
But that is not true of course

[melusine963]

My mum always suggests getting a trim after any long illness. I'm not sure what her reasoning is, and how this is supposed to help you get better faster. Maybe someone told her that hair would likely have thinned out after an illness, and that trimming it would improve its appearance, but she misunderstood and thinks trimming will actually improve a person's health? Either way, I'm glad I never listened to her!

[FrozenBritannia]

Reminds me of when they used to shave your head when you had a fever... That would have sucked!

[jacqueline101]

That's funny I know its not wise to ask this where would someone come up with that idea.

[Carrie Ingalls]

Oh dear, suddenly I am feeling very weak, lethargic...and drowsy. It must be my hair! Must cut the hair off, must cut the hair of to solve all my problems. No healthy energetic person could possibly have ankle/floor length hair. ;)

Or maybe it is just approaching bed time. :rolleyes:



It's good to know it's rubbish! Next time she says it, if she does again, hopefully I'll be able to gently/kindly educate her (though she's very, very stubborn about her beliefs, lol! :blushing: ) and set the record straight. :)

You're right, the key is to try and share the facts in the nicest most respectful way possible and not get worked up if someone is not willing to hear or accept the truth. At least that is what I have found in talking to people about hair myths (trims every six weeks, donating hair, shampoo everyday, etc), I just have to make sure that I do not invest myself emotionally into the discussion.

[MissHair]

I don't see how this could ever be true. Your hair still continues to grow while it's short, how could your body sense when your hair is long or not? It's always growing, no matter what the lenght is.

[ladyshep]

The only reason my hair would make me sick is if I didn't give it a good wash every two days because I have severe alergies along with asthma and dust really likes to gravitate towards my locks. Otherwise I am fine.

[swearnsue]

Reason for myth?
"Mom, I can't go to school today, I don't feel good."
Mom says,"If you feel that bad dear maybe we should cut your hair off so you will get better".
"Never mind Mom, I feel better now! Drive me to school!"

[KwaveT]

I hear plenty of these old wive's tales and this is another one. This one is more crazy than most of them. You hear plenty of them all your life. One my mother tries to fill my head with is that going without shoes in cold will make you sick. False. Those that barefoot actually get sick less because their immune systems are better developed. I just gently tell her that this is wrong and leave it at that. People are going to believe what they want to believe.

[Euphoria.Dame]

No way that's true, thank goodness! :)

[PurplePenguin]

If that was true then the same logic could be applied to people with short hair - having short hair makes you healthier. I have had less than shoulder length hair almost my whole life and I'm still prone to illness.

[Euphoria.Dame]

^ And I've always had loger than BSL and rarely get sick :p

[Euphoria.Dame]

Whoops I meant *longer

[Lady Neeva]

My mom gave a slightly alternate warning that growing hair stops growth. (Height) I responded: "If that was the case, then why does my body hair grow along with it?"

[Tressie]

Perhaps this arose from the thick heavy hair causes headaches scenario? Just a thought.
I had a friend growing up who had been told (by her mother?) that if she cut her hair, she would gain weight! (o:

[Seeshami]

uuuuuuh... bologna sammiches. Hair isn't even "alive".

[lolot]

i ve heard that hair consumes vitamins and i guess the longer you have it the most vitamins it takes from your body, i honestly dont know a lot of this but if this is correct maybe those people that were ill had a lack of vitamins going on, i would like to know from a qualified doctor if there is a connection between this factors or not

[kanaka]

Thats not at all true. It may need some energy to grow long but it cant make sick.