Monday 13 August 2007

Hair, Hair, Hair.


My last entry got me thinking about hair (less provoking than racism!). When I was in England a number of years ago, my aunt showed me her plait that she had kept since her father (my grandfather) gave her a hair cut and cut off the intact plait (about 100cm or 40 inches) when she was a teenager, some 50 odd years earlier. I was amazed how it had maintained its colour (a deep auburn, almost red) and lustre. I was speaking with one of the nurses at work recently about the ongoing qualities of hair. She told me that when she has had families of patients who have died who want to touch their loved one who has died, but are anxious about how they will feel, she encourages them to touch their hair which will still feel as it did when they were still alive, rather than their skin which will be cold and hard to touch.
The colour of the plait was a deeper version of the current colour of my aunt's hair. I think that auburn colour is less likely to go gray. It runs in the family. My grandmother died in her nineties. At the time of her death, if you looked closely you would see some gray at her temples, but overall she was blond. In her youth she was also a deep auburn. She was very proud of the fact that she had NEVER coloured her hair! My father has a beard which is totally white and it creeps up his sideburns, but the hair that is on his head, well what is left of it, is still a light brown.
Ain't hair funny!

6 comments:

Litzi said...

Hi Campbell,
OMG…where’d you find this picture and is it for REAL? This man’s hair resembles a caterpillar straight out of “Alice in Wonderland”. This is not the kind of guy you’d want to bring home to meet “the folks” I shouldn’t imagine.

I agree with you about hair being a fascinating subject. Have you noticed how men with blonde locks seem to go bald younger than men with darker tresses? At one time I was attracted to blonde haired men, which explains why I’m aware of this factoid. I think brunettes develop gray hair quite young, which probably explains why “Lady Clairol®” (hair coloring products) is such a large selling commodity. A friend of mine let her hair grow out for a couple of years; when she finally had it cut, she donated the untold inches to the American Cancer Society so they use it to make wigs for people who’ve undergone chemotherapy and lost their own hair. Does your Dad still have your Aunt’s auburn tresses? 40-inches is a lot of hair; she must have been weighted down by all of that. Did she have ever let it grow long again to your knowledge?

I’m still entranced by the tonsorial on this fellow…

Monty said...

Campbell, my dad has auburn/copper coloured hair, is 65, full head of hair and has yet to get one gray hair . I'm hoping his hair thing runs in the family...I'm 36 and have all my hair and no grays (just some fake blonde bits but that's another story). :-)

Unknown said...

I am sixty I used to colour my hair to hide the salt&pepper look,but now I like my salt&pepper look..
my sister who is 17months younger has been silver sinse she was 15,my dad had a head of silver hair and my mom went bald and stayed that way till she died at 92.work that one out?..lol

Anonymous said...

Thinking of doing something to your hairs Campbell???

Campbell said...

Miss L., I think I was attracted to this photo because I couldn't imagine taking him home to Mum!!
I think my aunt does still have her plait. I don't think she ever grew her hair out to such a length again.

Monty, here's hoping you've got your Dad's genes. If grays do appear you could always extend your fake colouring.

Yes Wally, hair is a strange thing. I'm always fascinated by where it does and doesn't grow on the same body.

I do think it's time for a trim Paul. Do you think I should try something more adventurous?

Litzi said...

Hi Camapbell,
LOL! I couldn’t imagine taking this chap home to meet my Mum either!! Actually I shouldn’t be so stunned by the “do”; I was a young adult in the “hippie” movement and saw a lot of outrĂ© fashions. Maybe this is a passing fancy…I hope he doesn’t permanently ruin what little hair he’s got.