It's now been almost exactly two and a half years since I got married, meaning it's been about two and a half years since my hair saw the light of day (outdoors, anyway). I have long hair, and have had since I was six or so. It was too much a part of my identity to cut, so I never did, even when I was really too old to wear it so long. There's no religious need to cut one's hair when getting married, but most married women (who are Orthodox, anyway) do keep theirs short for convenience. I don't, which makes tying headscarves easier (more to anchor them to) and wearing wigs harder (too much to stuff underneath.) Since nobody ever sees my hair, I have to admit that I haven't been taking such good care of it. I don't wash it nearly as often as I used to, I don't really brush it (since it's braided and covered, it doesn't really get that dirty or that knotted) and it spends a lot of time damp, since it isn't really dry in the morning if I wash it at bedtime (and once covered doesn't really dry fully).
I'm quite attached to my hair, but frankly, it was never particularly lovely. It's not that thick and I always had a lot of split ends and frizzies and that kind of thing. Strangely, the other day, while brushing it (which I do about once a month) I realized that this is no longer the case. I have hardly any split ends at all. And it's much thicker than it used to be, and almost as thick at my waist as at my shoulders, which it never, ever was.
So, the secret to beautiful hair? Total, complete neglect.
6 comments:
How very lucky for your husband. ;)
See? I knew I couldn't be the only one whose hair got healthier covered! I don't know where those people who think it goes the other way get their info...
Are you talking about me, Miriam?
It's not the covering, for the most part. It's the "neglect." Almost everyone's hair is better off being washed only a few times per week, not getting brushed, not being assaulted with sprays and gels and other products. It's just that there's an adjustment period of a few days or weeks when, on the reduced washing-and-other-care schedule, your hair feels really greasy and looks messy. Most people whose hair is always visible can't handle that adjustment period.
There are many people, though, who do experience negative effects from covering their hair, usually if the covering is on the tighter side (like a daily wig). I personally know at least a couple of people who experienced serious dermatological problems from it (peeling, irritated scalp, hair loss; etc.) and have heard of others. So it's not a totally made-up idea.
That's a sheitl problem, almost entirely. They're hot, they're tight, they're heavy and they don't breathe. I've never heard of anyone having real trouble from a cotton tichel or a Parkhurst beret. (And where would the MO women of the world be without Parkhurst? I ask you...)
No, Shanna, I didn't specifically mean you, although I do remember a discussion on devarim about your husband's opinion on the subject of women who cover their hair and also neglect it. (And I still want to know where he gets his info, as I'm sure it's all anecdotal, true or not.)
Anyway, I'm not a sheitel person, so I don't have experience with daily sheitel wearing... and it seems that's a good thing!
(anonymous, you forgot snoods, my mainstay. Yes, I really do wear them proudly in public. I don't like berets, and tichels slip and are harder to adjust when they do.)
hats give me headaches, my shaitel is nice and light (and on it's own didn't break the bank, buying two at once did), i had some pulling, but after kvetching lots i discovered that was from a loose comb on the side. once that was fixed (and the irritated area got a chance to calm down) they're fine. but i've been in scarves since beginning of the summer since I sweat way too much in general and i can't be bothered to constantly have my shatiels washed and styled and I don't trust myself to try to do it "in-house".
my hair is nicer, happier, curlier since i started covering it.
i've heard horror stories too, but i think that there could be additional factors to them. i'm intollerant to wheat. sadly, it's found in many hair care products. my scalp has minor irritation when i just used them and the world saw my hair. when i combined that with a hat or snood it was disasterous and i had one very unhappy head.
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