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<h3 style="text-align: center;">Summer is here, and so are the usual reams of summer haircare articles that assume you’ve never seen the season before. But this article might just surprise even those who have managed to survive dozens of summers with hair intact.</h3>

<p>Life is too short not to enjoy everything summer makes possible, namely getting our bodies and minds out of doors and into wilder spaces. So we’re going to venture out on a slightly creaky limb here and silence the usual alarmist tone that insists you protect, protect, protect your hair… we’re going to urge you to throw caution to those wonderfully warm winds and live a little!</p>
<p>The elements don’t have to enemies to your hair. Why not let the wind whip through it? Why not let it go golden in the sun’s rays? Mermaids don’t wear caps, and they’re famous for their flow. When was the last time you saw a surfer wearing a hat? We all live under such clouds of fear these days; it’s time to let some fun shine through.</p><h4>Cut & Color</h4>
<p>Summer is not the time to get precious about your hair. There’s plenty of time for that when the back-to-school vibe begins and daylight wanes. But some preparation is in order: the key to carefree hair is starting off with a serious talk at the salon and asking for a low-maintenance, highly casual cut, and artful color that keeps your daredevil-ish plan in mind.</p>
<p>Some people can do with a little damage. Wait, what? Hear us out here: Fine hair that tends to go limp actually perks up a bit in response to bleach or heat; the cuticles lift just enough to plump it up and give some extra body. Rest assured that we’re not suggesting an all-out hair-fry here, rather a little bit of extra “texture” can go a long way.</p><h4>Wash & Wear</h4>
<p>Now is a good time to pare down your products to the bare essentials, and proper cleansing should be your number-one priority. By proper, we mean using a method that keeps your natural moisture balance intact, and conditions while it cleans – which means taking traditional shampoo off the menu entirely.</p>
<p>With 3 choices of levels of cleansing and conditioning levels, the <a href="https://www.hairstory.com/products/new-wash/new-wash-original/">New Wash</a> family of products is the summer lover’s dream clean (and offers something for any member of your family): one product versus two (shampoo + conditioner); instantly tangle-free results; the slightly cooling effect of Peppermint oil, and a sophisticated scent that transports you to a rose garden anytime.</p><h4>Moisture & Texture</h4>
<p>Second, you need an all-purpose moisturizing creme that also helps smooth out frizz and offers you some styling options when you need to look more groomed: <a href="https://www.hairstory.com/products/styling/hair-balm/">Hair Balm</a> is the perfect choice to direct hair where you want it to go without resorting to a blow-dryer. (Who wants more heat?) And, you can use it for a sleek, combed-back resort look a la St. Tropez. Face it: you’re going to wear a bun most days anyway, right?</p>
<p>And you must get Undressed, the <a href="https://uat.hairstory.com/catalogue/undressed_6/">texturizing spray</a> that'll capture beach-worthy curls all summer long. That’s the name of the summer game, after all, and what we call this amazing spray (<em>Déshabille</em> en Français) that captures the seaside spirit, even in the office. Inspired by surf sprays that add grit, Undressed is a no-salt alternative that builds body and creates a low-glow finish that’s indescribably soft and light. It also seems to make natural wave patterns magically take shape – or you can use its holding properties to create waves with twists or braids. It’s the perfect way to look intentionally casual and sexily mussed-up.</p><h4 style="text-align: center;">• • •</h4>
<p>These are our summer wishes for you: Less worry, more play. Less work, more pleasure. Less time cooped up and more time in the great outdoors – and knowing that your hair looks great no matter what.</p>

The I-don’t-care Guide to Summer Haircare

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<h4 style="text-align: center;">• • •  STRAIGHT, NOT NARROW  • • • </h4>
<p style="text-align: center;">Go bold. Liberate yourself from long haircare chores<br>and enjoy a carefree summer with super-short sides and a choppy top.<strong><br>Cut by Wes Sharpton (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wessharpton/">@wessharpton</a> for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hairstorystudio/">@hairstorystudio</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Less drastic but just as dramatic:<br>Go for a short, sweet bowl cut with round baby bangs<br>to open <a href="https://uat.hairstory.com/stories/2019/01/24/does-your-face-shape-dictate-your-haircut/">the face</a> and frame your gorgeous features.<strong><br>Cut by Beau Bollinger (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/beaubollinger/">@beaubollinger</a> for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hairstorydallas/">@hairstorystudiodallas</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">You don’t need waves to make a shag work.<br>Shorter layers can add volume and movementto straight hair too –<br>and bangs and side bits set the frame for the face.<strong><br>Cut by Jayne Matthews (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jayne_edosalon/">@jayne_edosalon</a>)</strong></p>

<h4 style="text-align: center;">• • •  THE NEW WAVE  • • •</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;">A strong bob is the rare classic that is always on-trend.<br></p>
<p>Releasing length and weight encourages waves to come out and play.<br>A less-than-blunt bob creates an effortless vibe – bangs or not.<strong><br>Cut by Stacy Hall (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/stacihallhair/">@stachallhair</a>)</strong></p>
<p></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Deep and wide bangs with longer layers that graze the jaw<br>make a strong style statement and allow waves to come alive.<strong><br>Cut by Casey Konstantynowicz (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/gayhairday/">@gayhairday</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">A shag with shorter bangs gives volume a boost, opens up the face,<br>and directs the eye upward and lifts the mood to suit the season.<strong><br>Cut by Jayne Matthews (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jayne_edosalon/">@jayne_edosalon</a>)</strong></p>

<h4 style="text-align: center;">• • • CURL POWER • • • </h4>
<p style="text-align: center;">A layered bob with dancing bangs releases the weight<br>that drags curls down, and bangs brings a little “jeepers” to those peepers.<strong><br>Cut by Remy Moore (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/remymoore/">@remymoore</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Maybe you love the volume that a chic shag creates but you’re not quite<br>ready for the big bang. Try this shape with dangling ‘curtain’ bangs<br>(you can always go shorter when you’re ready).<strong><br>Cut by April Kayganich (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/_thehalfrican/">@_thehalfrican</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Round things off and soften sharp corners with layers that<br>lighten things up and direct hair away from the face to open it up.<strong><br>Cut by April Kayganich (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/_thehalfrican/">@_thehalfrican</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">For our 4-a, -b, or -c friends (you know who you are)<br>go for short on the side to add strength and just a touch longer on top<br>to bring out the curl – strong yet still soft.<strong><br>Cut by Wes Sharpton (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wessharpton/">@wessharpton</a> for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hairstorystudio/">@hairstorystudio</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">The classic afro – a classic round shape that looks cool, calm<br>and collected – is tapered down the sides to extend the cheekbone lines.<br><strong>Cut by Wes Sharpton (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wessharpton/">@wessharpton</a> for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hairstorystudio/">@hairstorystudio</a>)</strong></p>



<p style="text-align: center;">This look reimagines a 1940s updo as a modern haircut –<br>perfect for the 4-family of curl – cut close on the sides while<br>keeping the top full, long, and round.<strong><br>Cut by April Kayganich (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/_thehalfrican/">@_thehalfrican</a>)</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">• • •</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Following trends is fun and celebrities are seductive,<br>but don’t be led astray when it comes to looking in your own mirror.<br>Take inspiration wherever you find it (here, we hope)<br>and make it uniquely your own.</p><br>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">Bangs are booming, bobs are back (they never went away) and shags show up everywhere. Today’s haircut trends are far more inclusive with something for any texture, and here we take them off the red carpet and send them right up your alley –<br>whether you’re an ‘it’ girl or the girl next door.</h5>

Top Haircut Trends for Women

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<h4>“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”<br>– Kurt Cobain</h4>
<p>Hair is among the top three features – with height and weight – used when describing others, and one of the most often remembered after meeting. The role that hair has played in self-image extends to ancient history. Greeks and Romans wore elaborate wigs as signs of status and wealth. Dressed hair was associated with royalty. Cleopatra was famous for it. So was Samson. For centuries, upper-class men and women wore white, curly wigs. Political figures and judges adorned them as signs of wisdom and sophistication.<br>
<br>
Hair frames the face, our first impression. We’re obsessed with it. It may be our most observed and manipulated body part with shampoo, conditioner, haircuts, color, perms, treatments, extensions, eyebrow makeup, plucking, mascara, lash extensions, facial hair trimmers, nose and ear trimmers, body waxing or shaving, baldness drugs, hairpieces, transplants… it’s exhaustive – and exhausting.</p>
<p>With all that attention on the stuff sprouting from our bodies, it’s no wonder it is the hardest part of ourselves to accept as nature made it. But more and more people are doing just that, whether celebrating curl, allowing graying, cutting back on bleach or dialing down the heat tools. What is their secret? They manage to win the internal battle against self-acceptance.</p>
<h5>You don’t look like everyone else, so stop trying to.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Our brains evolved with the primary goal of keeping us safe. In prehistoric times, this meant keeping with the pack. So we naturally tried to fit in, and this meant comparing ourselves to others and adapting our behavior accordingly.</p>
<p>We live in a culture that thrives on making over and reinventing ourselves. That isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but the stress of never measuring up to an imagined standard can be. It doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, it’s easy to get sucked into wanting what someone else has. All it does is rob you of the ability to appreciate what you do have.</p>
<h4>More and more people are celebrating curl, allowing graying, cutting back on bleach or dialing down the heat tools. What is their secret? They manage to win the internal battle against self-acceptance.</h4>
<p>When you accept yourself, you stop comparing yourself to other people. If you’re trying to lose weight, you stop comparing yourself to someone who is skinnier. If you’ve just joined a gym, you stop comparing yourself to someone with well-worked muscles. Comparing only makes you feel bad about yourself by contrast.</p>
<p>Conversely, don’t expect to feel better comparing yourself to someone less fortunate than you are. That serves only to prop up your own superior ego. Of course, it can also make you feel grateful for what you do have.</p>
<p>Hairwise, if you’re searching social media and YouTube for inspiration, start following people with your hair texture or very close to it. Stop obsessing over people who possess what you never will. Bonus: When you more fully accept yourself and your difference, it will come more naturally for others in your life to accept you.</p>
<h5>Take care of it.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>It may look good, but is it in good health? If you hate your hair, chances are you’ve been neglecting or ignoring it to prove your point. Many people, especially those blessed with curls (it’s about perspective, right?) don’t know how to manage their hair and, grow unhappy with it after fighting their texture in ways that cause a lot of damage.</p>
<h4>Work with a compassionate hairdresser whose job it is to help you understand your hair... Anyone can have amazing hair by giving it the right kind of attention.</h4>
<p>Work with a compassionate hairdresser whose job it is to help you understand your hair, recommend the right products, give a proper cut, and teach you to style it successfully. Anyone can have amazing hair by giving it the right kind of attention.</p>
<h5>Do the math.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Be honest: How much time do you spend straightening/curling/volumizing/flattening your hair? And how often do you check yourself in any available reflective surface to make sure it’s behaving? Then, ask yourself how often you say you don’t have time to exercise/meditate/cook/read? The choice is yours.</p>
<h5>Forgive the critics.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Given how the human psyche operates, It’s almost impossible not to parent ourselves in the ways we were parented (or not parented). If our parents were unable, or unwilling, to accept us despite our hard-to-control, unpredictable, contrary behaviors, we were primed not to accept ourselves.<br>
<br>
So, forgive your mother for not teaching you how to love your hair or how to care for it. Forgive your father for imposing his narrow ideals of femininity. And while you’re at it, forgive that guy who cheated on you with that blonde chick. Forgive that boss who thought your curls weren’t professional. Forgive yourself for hiding.</p>
<p>And if you are a parent, provide an oasis in a world that doesn’t teach us how to value who we are. Get lessons about self-acceptance into kids’ heads as early as possible.</p>
<h5>Show your true colors.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>At the first sign of gray, a woman might color every four months. Then every two months. Then every month. Then –  the deal breaker – every two weeks. Or, a woman who has had all the fun blondes can have might be weary of caring for such fragile fibers. Are you yearning to return to – or rediscover – your natural hue? Consider these transitional techniques.</p>
<p>Consider a “reverse-lighting” technique, in which the colorist blends your base color between highlights, so you can return to your natural tint slowly.</p>
<p>Wait until you have about two inches of visible roots, then ask your colorist to hand-paint highlights to allow your natural roots to fade seamlessly into your colored ends. You can continue to completely grow out your hair without touch-ups, as this technique is an extremely low maintenance option.<br>
<br>
Without waiting for your current color to grow out, simply dye it, or fake it ‘til you make it. As the color grows out, it’ll be replaced by growth that matches.</p>
<h5>Nobody is perfect.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Remember Beauty and the Beast? Beauty’s journey is to learn to see the beauty in the Beast. In the pursuit of self-acceptance, we might want to take a certain pride in our imperfections and embrace all facets of ourselves, not just the positive parts. When we stop judging ourselves we develop a more positive sense of who we are.</p>
<h4>“To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections.” – Sandra Bieri</h4>
<h5>Sentence the judge.</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Challenge yourself about your judgmental nature, the most significant factor in negative self-esteem. If you judge others, you assume that others are judging you. If you’re a harsh a judge, you expect others to be harsh as well.<br>
<br>
Try this: Count how often (and observe how harshly) you judge someone in the course of a day. “What was she thinking with that dress? I hope she didn’t pay for that haircolor. Where did he learn how to drive?” You might be surprised how uncharitable you are.</p>
<p>Then, try interjecting a kinder, more accepting perspective instead. “She obviously loves that dress and that’s what counts. She might not be able to afford a colorist. As long as he doesn’t hurt anyone he’s driving the best he can.” When you become kinder to others you might be kinder to yourself.</p>
<h5>Cultivate your ‘Sunset Mind.’</h5>
<p><strong></strong>Instead of a critical mind, develop what is called a sunset mind. Imagine you’re watching the sun go down. It’s unlikely that you say, “Ooh, that pink is much too bright,” or, “If only that cloud were a tad to the left.” You’re more likely to say, “Wow, that’s beautiful!”</p>
<h4>Imagine you’re watching the sun go down. It’s unlikely that you say, “Ooh, that pink is much too bright,” or, “If only that cloud were a tad to the left.”</h4>
<p>When you no longer struggle against who and what you are, it will be so much easier to make whatever changes you want to make, because you’ll be starting from a more positive, clear-minded place. The key to self-acceptance is to find what you do like about yourself and run with that.</p>
<p>“The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.” – e.e. cummings</p>
<p></p>

Accept (and celebrate) the Hair Nature Gave You

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<h4 style="text-align: center;">When it comes to hair, there’s nothing new under the sun, and this year’s trendy bangs perching just below the hairline are no exception.</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;">Tiny bangs (also known as micro fringe) made it big in the 1950s thanks to red carpet stars Elizabeth Taylor, Joanne Woodward, Audrey Hepburn, and Natalie Wood, pictured below. (Model Bettie Paige is a banglet poster girl; more on her later.) These iconic women paired their straight hair baby fringe with a short haircut like a bob or a pixie cut. At the time, this short fringe was a new take on the traditional bangs that extended to a woman's eyebrows.</p>

<h5>EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN</h5>
<p>Today’s version of the hair trend&nbsp;incorporates&nbsp;the same highbrow profile but works with all kinds of textures and cuts, including long hair and curly hair.</p>
<p>But before you jump on the baby bang-wagon, there are a few things to consider to avoid looking like a goth doll (though some may love to) like your face shape and hair texture as well as how manageable the wispy bangs look will be for you. On the fence? Buy a wig or some faux bangs, trim to fit, and take a series of selfies before committing in the salon.</p>
<h5>HOW TO CUT BABY BANGS</h5>
<p>Get your head around the fact that while a curtain bang or long fringe offers cover in a sexy, mysterious way, super short bangs do the opposite by opening the face, exposing the eyes, and begging the wearer to be noticed. Confidence is key here.<br>
<br>
According to scissor wizard Wes Sharpton, “It’s all about the triangle.” Cutting bangs requires creating a triangular section with the apex lying somewhere between the crown and the hairline, with its base narrowing or widening across the brow depending on hair density and the contours of the hairline. “The triangle may be narrower for thicker hair with natural volume, or wider and farther back to make&nbsp;bangs on fine hair more substantial. Cutting short bangs requires understanding how hair reacts once you release the weight that comes with length.”</p>
<h5>STYLING BABY BANGS</h5>
<p>Once you’ve got your baby fringe, be prepared to spend some time grooming it (because until it grows out it can’t be easily clipped or slicked back). By day, stylists often recommend – appropriately – a baby flat iron as the best, least effortful way to keep them in line. At night, sleep with a silk headband strapped over the forehead, or wear a snug beanie to press bangs pressed in place while asleep, and save some precious time in the morning hours. (Remember that silk is less absorbent and potentially dehydrating than cotton).<br>
<br>
Depending on your hair texture, you’ll need liquid products to work through your hair while it’s damp before styling. For fine to medium hair, start with a lightweight leave-in conditioner (like Hairstory&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hairstory.com/products/styling/hair-balm/">Hair Balm</a>); coarser, curlier hair may respond better to a blow-dry lotion (try Hairstory&nbsp;<a href="https://uat.hairstory.com/catalogue/dressed-up_5/">Dressed Up</a>). Position the blow-dryer behind and above the hairline and direct the air downward to work out kinks and help hair to fall naturally. Then cup a hand against your forehead while hair cools (as if thinking, ‘OMG I can’t believe I got these bangs!’). &nbsp;</p>

<p>If you’re using a flat-iron, you’ll need the heat protection that Dressed Up offers. Take the top section of that triangle mentioned above, move it aside and iron the subsection first, pulling straight down and toward the brow so bangs conform to your forehead and don’t stick straight out.<br>
<br>
People with straight hair may have an advantage here, but Wes is one stylist who encourages people with all textures to adopt a more lived-in attitude. “It feels more modern to be less obsessive with less manipulation,” he says. Stick with the products you love and let them – and the cut – do the work. “Your natural texture is what makes bangs customized to you.”</p>
<h5>THE BETTIE EFFECT</h5>
<p>
A special subset of baby-bangers is the decidedly adult Bettie Page, model and titled Pin-up Queen whose jet-black hair, blue eyes, and trademark fringe still inspires many a modern, retro-inspired vixen, such as actor Krysten Ritter. Bettie was caviar to the purchasers of girlie mags, and the Garbo of bondage movies and the 13th model to grace the centerfold of a new slick magazine called Playboy. Her trademark graphic fringe was often painstakingly trimmed in an inverted chevron and polished to an onyx perfection. If you lean toward a goth-inspired and 50s glam, these bangs are for you.</p>


<h5>Life on the Fringe</h5>
<p>Whether it's a short gamine cut, a lob, or long layers, simply adding baby bangs will quickly transform your entire look, and they work equally well whether you wear your hair down or up. The good news: Baby bangs won’t last more than a month or two if you find them too extreme. They’ll soon meet your brow and take you from ’50s starlet to ’60s rocker; how far beyond that is up to you and your hairdresser. So bang on!</p>

Baby Bangs and Micro Fringe: Hair Goes Highbrow

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<h4>When you unravel the bun – a hairstyle that certain women do (and undo) a dozen times before noon (you know who you are), you find multicultural strands of historical treasure. Sure, it gets hair off the face, out of the eyes, and away from harm, but does the bun have mystical powers? Is the topknot a tantric antenna? A status symbol? The next time you reach up to do that twist, maybe you’ll think about it a bit differently.  </h4>

<h5>CHINA</h5>
<p>In traditional Southern China, single women arranged their hair in a braid, while married women wore a bun tied at the top of the head. The fifteenth birthday was occasion for a coming-of-age Hair Pinning Ceremony when a girl’s hair was washed, combed into a twist, held together with a pin, and declared eligible for marriage. (Widows with no intention of remarrying shaved their heads as a sign of indifference.) Buddha is famously depicted wearing a topknot.</p>

<h5>INDIA</h5>
<p>In the Ayurvedic system, hair is seen as an extension of the etheric spine, taking in life force or prana to increase vitality and intuition. A Rishi is known as a wise one who coils his or her hair up during the day and combs it down at night. When hair is tied up in a traditional ‘Rishi knot,’ it is believed to absorb and emit spiritually pure vibrations. The circular shape keeps energy moving in a clockwise manner and retains it within the body.</p>

<h5>JAPAN</h5>
<p>Samurai used the topknot, or chonmage to keep their helmets in place. Sumo wrestlers’ topknots are styled by exactly 55 authorized master hairdressers at any given time, using four kinds of boxwood combs, a stick, string made from wax paper, and a pomade of chamomile oil and wax. When a wrestler retires, an elaborate ceremony is held to cut his knot; friends, family, and patrons take turns snipping, and the stable master takes the final chop.</p>

<h5>NEW ZEALAND</h5>
<p>The indigenous Polynesian people who migrated to New Zealand around 1300 BCE used oils from berries and wooden or bone combs to style their hair, but only men of elevated status would wear a topknot, or tikitiki.</p>

<h5>GREECE</h5>
<p>The women of Ancient Greece wore a style now known as the Greek knot. A simple, low-lying bun at the nape was typically adorned with jewelry as a status symbol.</p>

<h5>KOREA</h5>
<p>During the Joseon Dynasty, married men put their hair in a topknot, or sangtu. A pin and a band worn on the forehead held it together. Hats were specially made with space for buns.</p>

<h5>ENGLAND</h5>
<p>Fashionable 1800s society in Regency England was crazy for ancient Greece and Rome. Women wore hair up at the back of the head. Victorians parted hair in the middle with a high-sitting bun and corkscrew curls around the face and ears, or braids hanging in loops around the ears.</p>

<h5>AMERICA</h5>
<p>The Victorian bun transformed into the looser and more natural Gibson Girl version – a feminine ideal of ease and stylishness as portrayed by the illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hair was worn air piled high in a pompadour with a small bun perched on top.</p>

<h5>EUROPE</h5>
<p>Ballet was born in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century primarily to entertain aristocrats. The bun is still required today – “bunhead” is still a ballet student’s affectionate term – to punctuate the elegant line of the body, ensure uniformity, and may be adorned for performance with flowers, jewels, or a headpiece.</p>

Hair History: Topknots & Buns

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<h3 style="text-align: center;">Micro braids, goddess braids, Ghana braids, snake, mohawk, dutch, french, halo, fishtail, waterfall… it seems there are as many types of braids as there are types of hair.&nbsp;</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">Nearly 5 million braiding videos are available on YouTube, and here in the famous melting pot of New York City, a parade of braided styles can be seen on any day. Braids are highly functional – but their historical roots run eons deep, and tell fascinating social, spiritual, and geopolitical stories.</p><h4>WHERE DID BRAIDS ORIGINATE?</h4>
<p>Africa, considered the cradle of civilization, is also home to the most famous and intricate braids or plaits, but braids have been worn around the world. The oldest record of braids is a carved statuette of unknown origin called the Venus (or Woman) of Willendorf, estimated to have been made 30,000 years ago as a fertility fetish, which features woven hair capping a voluptuous body.</p>

<p><sub>A bust of a Roman woman from the Flavian era</sub></p>

<h4>Egypt</h4>
<p>Ancient egyptians have a reputation for invention, including paper, toothpaste, calendars, math, and even condoms. And while they may not have invented braiding – combining three strands of material into one – their hairstyles reflected wealth, age and social group. Young girls wore braids or ponytails. Royalty wore braided wigs, as did elders to hide the lack of hair or greyness.</p>
<p>Braids were adorned with berries, petals, linen ribbons, or as a show of status, threaded with gold. Braids were often used as extensions to thicken hair. For men, beards were a symbol of divinity and not worn by the everyman, but those who did braided them in the style of Tutankhamun’s gold burial mask. Queen Meryet-Amun was entombed with extra braids for a stylish afterlife.</p>

<h5>Braids were a sign of wealth and the leisure it affords; the more elaborate, the better.</h5><h4>Greece</h4>
<p>To differentiate themselves from Egyptians, classical Greek women grew hair much longer, and pulled it back into chignons. Many styles involved braids fixed to the head and decorated with flowers, headbands, ribbons and pieces of metal. Braids were a sign of wealth and the leisure it affords; the more elaborate, the better.</p><h4>Italy</h4>
<p>During the reign of the Emperor Augustus, detailed hairstyles came into fashion as an expression of wealth and status. False hair pieces made hair thicker and longer. Sophisticated braids and knots were adorned with pearls and jewelled pins.</p><h4>Americas</h4>
<p>In Native American tradition, hair is a signifier of one’s spiritual practice. Combing represents the alignment of thought; braiding is the Oneness of thought, and tieing is the securing of thought. Flowing strands of hair are considered individually weak, but when joined in braids they demonstrate strength in unity. Letting hair flow free demonstrates harmony with the flow of life, and braiding indicates thoughts of oneness.</p><figure><br></figure>

<p><sub>Inuit woman, Nowadluk, with long hair</sub></p>

<p><sub>Chief Gall's granddaughter wearing braids adorned with shells</sub></p>

<p><sub>The queue worn by Manchus of Manchuria</sub></p>

<h4>China</h4>
<p>For centuries, the Manchu dynasty forced people to wear hairstyles prescribed by rank, and rice farmers wore braids down the back. When Yat-sen, the chinese leader of the late 20th century overthrew the Manchu dynasty to bring people out of feudalism, he encouraged braid-cutting, which became common in urban areas; but braids were so deeply rooted in rural tradition that murder and suicide were committed in their defense.</p>

<h5>...braids were so deeply rooted in rural tradition that murder and suicide were committed in their defense.</h5><h4>Africa</h4>
<p>Arguably, the richest hair traditions have been sustained – some might say reborn – from their origins in Africa. Tribal cultures endowed hair with spiritual significance and immense power. As the most elevated part of the body, hair was believed to be the conduit for gods and spirits to reach the soul. Hairdressers were trustworthy members of society, senior women, family or close friends with whom tribal bonds could be cemented, and grooming rituals often lasted several hours, even several days.</p><h5>As the most elevated part of the body, hair was believed to be the conduit for gods and spirits to reach the soul.</h5><br>

<p>Twisting, braiding, beading, and grooming also forged meaningful bonds between elders and children, and traditional techniques were thus passed along generations. Braiding customs were both ritual and social service, but requiring no reward or pay; it was in fact unlucky to offer thanks.</p>
<p>Loose hair can indicate a lack of hygiene and tidiness, while being groomed shows good health and manners; ceremonies for the dead are the only acceptable time to let hair loose. Practically speaking, fire and fire dances are typically a part of social rites, and braiding hair keeps it safer from open flame.</p>
<p>Details vary from tribe to tribe: Mangbetu women plait hair and arrange hair in cone-shaped basket frames decorated with bone needles. Miango women decorate braids with scarves and leaves. Massai men stiffen them with animal dung, and Himba women mix red ochre, butter, ash and herbs to coat them; a girl is entitled to only two braids, and acquires more once she marries. Himba men wear one braid, and tie it into a turban after marriage. Mbalantu women put finely grounded tree bark and oil into their hair starting at the age of 12 to help it grow long and thick, and braid it into elaborate headdresses throughout their lives.</p>

<p><sub>A Mende style, 1970; photo by Rebecca Busselle</sub></p>

<p><sub>A girl of the Himba tribe</sub></p>

<p><sub>A Dan style from Côte d’Ivoire, 1939</sub></p>

<p>Common African tribal beliefs include: Hair should be cut on a full moon for it to grow longer; twopeople braiding a person’s hair at the same time could result in the death of one groomer; pregnant women should not braid others’ hair; hair should not be combed or braided in the open.</p>
<p>Twisting, braiding, beading, and grooming also forged meaningful bonds between elders and children, and traditional techniques were thus passed along generations.</p><h4>HISTORY OF DREADS<br> </h4>
<p>Telling a very different story are dreadlocks, or “nature’s braids.” When hair is left ungroomed long enough – and coaxed into form by hand with various unguents – it will naturally knot into rope.<br><br>Theories on the origin of the term <em>dreadlocks</em> vary, but most agree that a socio-religious movement founded by Marcus Garvey in Harlem in the early 20th century attracted an enthusiastic following amongst Black Jamaicans. Based on the Bible, African tribal culture, and Hinduism that had recently taken hold in the West Indies, Garvey promoted the return of the African diaspora to ancestral lands – and abhorred the chemical relaxing of hair, saying, “Remove the kinks from your mind, not your hair.”</p>

<p><sub>Ethiopian Emperor Ras Tafari</sub></p>

Remove the kinks from your mind, not your hair.

<p>The followers of this movement grew matted locks of hair, and called themselves Dreads, signifying that they dreaded, or respected God. Turning their focus on the Ethiopian Emperor Ras Tafari, Haile Selassie, they thus became known as Rastafarians. Selassie was crowned emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, but was forced into exile in 1936 after leading the resistance against the Italian invasion.</p>
<p>Some say that sympathetic guerilla warriors vowed not to cut their hair until Selassie’s release; it became long and matted, and because they were widely feared or dreaded, the term ‘dreadlocks’ was coined. Others say Rastafarians believed Selassie was a biblically sanctioned God – even the second coming of Christ – and as the Bible describes the return of Jesus as the Lion of Judah, dreadlocks were a symbol of the lion’s mane.</p>
<p>Though the term is local, the phenomenon is global – though it should be said that as human history began in Africa it stands to reason that the locking of human hair has origins there as well. The first archaeological record is Egyptian, where ancient mummies have been discovered with dreads still intact. Ancient pharaohs wore them as seen in tomb carvings, drawings and other artifacts.</p><h5>The first archaeological record is Egyptian, where ancient mummies have been discovered with dreads still intact. Ancient pharaohs wore them as seen in tomb carvings, drawings and other artifacts.</h5>
<p>Dreads were worn by Romans in the celtic era, Vikings, germanic tribes, monks in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Nazarites of Judaism, Qalandris, Sufis, Sadhus of Hinduism, Dervishes of Islam, and early Christians. In 2500 BCE, The Vedas, Hinduism’s oldest scriptures, depicted the Shiva wearing locks, or jaTaa in Sanskrit.</p>
<p>Frescoes in Santorini, Greece made 3600 years ago, and over half of extant ancient Greek Kouros sculptures depict men with dreads. Spartan warriors were shown with them on their battle robes.</p>

<p><sub>Fresco from Akrotiri, 1600–1500 BCE</sub></p>

<p>The first Bishop of Jerusalem, James the Just, was thought to have dreads to his ankles. Yogis, Gyanis and Tapasvis are among famous wearers. In Buddhism, dreads are symbolic of material non-attachment; students in classical India on a spiritual path grew them to detach from physical vanity and to develop mental and spiritual powers.</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><sub>Photo by Joseph Lawrence, from his Holy Men series.</sub></p>

<h5>Many traditions teach that the top of the head – the crown <em>chakra</em> as it is most widely known – is the portal for physical, mental and spiritual energies.</h5>
<p>Many traditions teach that the top of the head – the crown <em>chakra</em> as it is most widely known – is the portal for physical, mental and spiritual energies. If hair is uncut, and knotted, it can store energy within the body to maintain strength and health, or as Rastafarians say, hair is our “God antennae.”</p>
<p>Dreadlocks: Spiritual intent, supernatural power, non-violence, non-conformity, communalism, socialism, solidarity... that is the power of hair.</p>

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