Posts Tagged ‘hair’
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
During the Holocaust, those fortunate enough to be incarcerated immediately had their heads shaven. The reason – robbing a person of their hair immediately reduces self-esteem. All too often, regardless of culture, hair defines our identity.
Throughout history, hair has been the subject of many musings, pontifications and quotes that range from the silly and hilarious to the most sublime and somber. These quotes cover every hair issue from beauty to baldness.
Beauty & Adoration
“Hair brings one’s self-image into focus; it is vanity’s proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices.” – Shana Alexander
“Hair is vitally personal to children. They weep vigorously when it is cut for the first time; no matter how it grows, bushy, straight or curly, they feel they are being shorn of a part of their personality.” – Charles Chaplin
“The hair is the richest ornament of women.” – Martin Luther
“I’m a big woman. I need big hair.” – Aretha Franklin
“I’m undaunted in my quest to amuse myself by constantly changing my hair.” – Hillary Clinton
“Long on hair, short on brains” – French Proverb
“I’m not offended by all the dumb-blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. I also know I’m not blonde.” – Dolly Parton
Gray Hair
“Gray hair is a sign of age, not of wisdom.” – Greek proverb
“Gray hair is God’s graffiti” – Bill Cosby
“Gray hair is a blessing - ask any bald man.” – Unknown
“By common consent gray hairs are a crown of glory; the only object of respect that can never excite envy.” – George Bancroft
“There is only one cure for gray hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine.” – P. G. Wodehouse
Baldness
“A hair in the head is worth two in the brush.” – Oliver Herford
“I am not the archetypal leading man. This is mainly for one reason: as you may have noticed, I have no hair.” – Patrick Stewart
“It is foolish to tear one’s hair in grief, as though sorrow would be made less by baldness.” – Cicero
“I don’t care if they call me “baldie” or “chrome dome.” God took an eraser and brushed my head clean. I’d rather be bald on top than bald inside.” – Joe Garagiola
” >Babies haven’t any hair:
Old men’s heads are just as bare;
From the cradle to the grave
Lies a haircut and a shave.”
– Samuel Goodman Hoffenstein
Tags: baldness, beauty, gray hair, hair, hair loss, hair quotes, history, identity, inspirations, quotes, self-esteem
Posted in Natural Hair Growth, Vitamins | 5 Comments »
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Human beings share many common traits with our animal cousins. Although this is not the place for the debate about evolution, we do know that many animals also have hair on their bodies and their heads. Some of these are familiar to us because we have seen them in textbooks or at the local zoo. Mammals are the only species in nature that have been blessed with hair.
Many mammals like dogs, cats and other domesticated farm animals shed their hair according to the seasons. Some shed hair continuously. Since our pets and farm animals don’t have prehensile grip, they don’t find their dead hair in a comb or brush like we do. And apparently, this daily or seasonal hair loss doesn’t seem to bother them as much as it does humans. Hair loss is of little concern, except in harsh climates, where being bald makes it harder to retain body heat. For the majority of mammals, hair is functional.
If you are losing your hair, this observation might not be very comforting to you. On the other hand, you can take heart that humans are not one of the species of mammals that don’t have any hair at all. If the bald eagle comes to mind, you’re warm. Birds aren’t mammals and they have feathers, instead of hair. Yet, there are many species of mammals that enter and leave the world without ever having any hair to fret about.
Aquatic mammals like dolphins, whales and sharks don’t have hair because it would increase drag and resistance in the water. Elephants usually don’t have hair either; nor do hippopotamuses and rhinoceros. Of course, they have pretty thick skin, so hair might be functionally redundant for these species. There is also a hairless rat, hairless moles, hairless pigs and the hairless sphynx cat. You may find hair around their noses, ears or tails, but not much.
The main purpose of hair is to protect your skin from the elements of nature. Except for some naturally hairless mammals, humans have the least amount of skin covered with hair of all the mammals on the planet. Take comfort in knowing that your hair can do its job with little interference from you. All the same, it’s a good idea to protect your hair, so you can leave with the hair that you came into the world with.
Tags: animals, bald, body, body heat, dead hair, elements. skin, hair, hair loss, hairless, head, human beings, Mammals, purpose
Posted in Natural Hair Growth | 2 Comments »
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
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
Posted in Female Hair Loss, Natural Hair Growth | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Did you ever wonder why personal care and beauty product manufacturers make a separate shampoo for babies. Everybody with a newborn has some. Most babies don’t even have enough hair to warrant a shampoo until they are a few months old, but they definitely warrant having their own shampoo product lines.
Baby shampoos are much milder than the ones for adults. They only contain a small amount of soap, so they can be less irritating to a baby’s eyes. However, even shampoos made for babies have a long list of unpronounceable chemical ingredients that you might not want to expose a child to at a tender age.
The University of Washington, Seattle recently conducted research on phthalates, a synthetic fragrance stabilizer used in baby shampoos. High levels of some phthalates have been linked to reproductive system and endocrine problems. While some health and beauty products companies dispute the research results, the Centers for Disease Control suggests that further study is necessary.
Potential cancer causing ingredients have also turned up in popular baby bath products and adult shampoos. The Environmental Protection Agency has already listed 1,4-Dioxane as a probable human carcinogen. Yet the FDA has yet to ban its use in consumer beauty and personal care products, even those intended for children. Neither phthalates or 1,4-Dioxane is listed on any of the labels. They have been found as a result of independent laboratory testing.
Consumers can’t afford to wait for more research and indisputable proof about the safety of baby shampoos and bath products! Cleanliness is important we all agree. But most doctors say that babies don’t even need shampoo. You can clean their hair quite well with plain old H2O. Adults should reduce their exposure to these suspect shampoos and bath product ingredients too (while we wait for the final verdict).
Shampoo is really just soap, without these other mysterious chemical ingredients. Before the Industrial Revolution, soap making was almost always done at home. So, people must have shampooed their hair with the soaps that they made.
With modern soap making techniques at your disposal, it’s easy to make your own non-toxic herbal shampoo. If you’re pressed for time, but want to protect yourself and loved ones, buy a safer shampoo from organic cosmetics suppliers.
Tags: 1 4-Dioxane, baby shampoos, bath products, carcinogen, endocrine, Environmental Protection Agency, FDA, fragrance stabilizer, hair, herbal shampoo, liquid soap, organic, phthalates, reproductive system, safety, soap making, University of Washington
Posted in Natural Hair Growth | Comments Off
Monday, March 30th, 2009
Who started the current trend of dyeing human hair in Easter colors? Purple, magenta, orange, and robin’s egg blue aren’t really good colors for hair. People under 40 can probably appreciate Goth hair. Though incredibly, unnaturally black, it is a hair color.
Hair as decoration has many adherents throughout the world. Throughout history, some people have applied mud or clay to achieve a rich brown or red hair color. Others beautify their hair with natural vegetable powders and products like henna. We’ve all seen the tresses of senior citizens dyed that silver blue color that seems to be reserved for people 60 and older.
Human hair colors range from blonde to black, not including albinos. There are really only a few colors in between. If the Easter hair folks just wanted to change their hair color, they could choose a color of hair that really exists in nature. Unfortunately, cosmetics manufacturers are happy to oblige us with an unlimited choice of hair dye colors. Consumers now blithely pursue the joy of hair as decoration, without stopping to consider the risks associated with today’s modern hair dyes.
The Food and Drug Administration refuses to state categorically that hair dye is bad for your hair. However, they have supported some studies to find out if hair dye is bad for your body, skin, and scalp. Perhaps, their latest recommendation that people delay dyeing their hair until it turns gray is the most revealing. They also advise consumers that hair dye should never be applied to eyebrows and eyelashes. Review a lengthy list of precautions that consumers should take when applying hair dyes at 4women.gov.
A few researchers “think” that hair dye can cause cancer and might seep into your brain. These hypotheses haven’t been proven yet, but people who dye their hair frequently are the unwitting guinea pigs who will eventually give us a definitive answer. How many women and men would prefer a little gray hair to the potential loss of gray matter that might result from overuse of hair dye? How does this decorative treatment affect your hair and your body?
Do the people with Easter hair have any idea about the ingredients in hair dyes? It’s certainly not the same stuff that we use to dye Easter eggs! Just how many treatments does it take (and how many harmful chemicals) to change naturally black or brown hair to purple? Besides, exactly where do people with magenta hair work?
Tags: cancer, chemicals, clay, cosmetics manufacturers, decorative, Easter, eyebrows, eyelashes, Food and Drug Administration, Goth, hair, hair dyes, henna, mud, precautions, scalp, trend, vegetable
Posted in Health & Wellness, Natural Hair Growth | Comments Off
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