The story of Samson’s hair loss is probably one of the most famous tales in history. We all know how this story ended, but only a few people have heard this tale from beginning to end. The question many people never asked is why Samson believed that he should not cut his hair.
According to the Old Testament, Samson was a Nasserite. These people had a special role within the Hebrew community. The religious community chose many of them for this role. In Samson’s case, his parents claimed that an angel foretold his birth, his rise to leadership and his extraordinary feats, including freeing the Hebrews from bondage under the Philistines.
One of the restrictions that the Hebrew religion placed on Nasserites was that they could never cut their hair. There were additional prohibitions that Samson had to observe as well. These included avoiding wine and any fruits of the vine.
His long hair intrigued all the women in Samson’s life. His wife, his concubines and of course his mother went to great lengths to keep his hair healthy and well groomed. The Old Testament does not contain any records of how often Samson washed his hair. Nor does it contain any information about his shampoos or his other hair grooming aids.
Obviously, Samson lost the same 50 to 100 hairs daily that everyone else does. However, we can assume that Samson had a hair care routine that kept his hair from thinning. He must have done something to keep his head free of lice that affected so many people during that time in history. His hair care practices must have also included some ways to keep his hair follicles healthy too.
We can follow the story of the adult Samson for more than 20 years. By the time Delilah cut his hair, he was of prime age to begin seeing the effects of male pattern baldness. Unfortunately, the story ends shortly after that historic haircut, so we will never know whether Samson’s locks would have continued to grow until he reached a ripe old age!
Tags: Delilah, grooming, hair, hair follicles, hair loss, haircut, Hebrews, male pattern baldness, Nasserite, Samson, shampoos