Hair and Devotion in India

After reading the article ‘Hair, Devotion and Trade in India’ from the book ‘Hair: Styling, Culture and Fashion’ by Eiluned Edwards, it has given me a greater understanding of the traditions and cultures used in India when it comes to their hair.

There are many religious beliefs to the way both woman and men treat their hair in India. For example it is normal for women to keep their hair completely uncut and for the men to stay unshaven. This is a usually a tradition in Hindu belief, where the hair remains uncut, and either in a plait, bun, or covered by a cloth. Hair that isn’t bound or covered usually means that the woman is a widow, menstruating, or insane. I find it interesting that you can tell all of these things just from looking at their hairstyle, as it isn’t something that you usually see in the culture that we are living in today.

Traditionally in India when there is a fatality in the family they shave their head. This is said to remove the mourners from the influence of death and ghosts. This is performed by a special barber who would be called ‘untouchable’.