MANE Issues!!

I have always been fascinated by my hair. Always wanted to do things with them, or rather do things to them. Sometimes, wanted to grow them really long, some other times, wanted them short and bouncy! It's like the crowning glory of women (and men for that matter, but I choose to be self indulgent at this point and not go into discussing Man and their hair or their lack of it!!). Hair has a always had a very unique and exceptional place in history as well as art, be it paintings, photography or poetry....

Women around the world, much like me, would have most definitely tried various hair styles in different stages of their life. Experimented with them, cut them, bleached them, chewed them, cried over them, hated them and loved them!  Today is one of those days where in I want to do something to my hair!

As a little girl, I always wanted long hair like my mom. Mum had gorgeous hair, long, thick, lustrous hair, with the right amount of waves and curls, it added so much beauty to her already gorgeous face. At that point I didn't have hair beyond my ears, because my hair was like a bowl of noodles with extra soya sauce, soo curly, jet black and so much of bounce... I use to cover my head with all the possible flowers or even towels and just let the ends flow and wave like long tresses... Oh How I loved that feeling!!

While in School, My mom wanted me to have long hair, plaited down on either sides with a center parting. I had hair till my waist, so every morning combing, and tying the two plaits was quiet a torture. But the torture ended quickly with mum getting my hair cut before one of our annual trips to India which went completely HAIRwire! The lady at the parlor decided to give me a pretty good cut, only thing being she forgot she needed to STOP chopping them off... Sigh the mess that followed!

These days, thanks to the excess hair fall, allocated to the climate, water, diet and tension,  My Appa has developed a Saturday morning ritual of oiling my hair with coconut oil, a nice massage with hot oil and the peace that follows... Bliss! This is the only good that has come out of HAIR FALL!

I have conveniently missed out factors like coloring, highlighting, streaking and basically violating my hair!! There was a time every six months I used to have a new hair color! Gone Red, Blonde, Brunette and Blue black! The only thing left for me to try are those neon/ highlighter colors!! :P No actually I haven't *Straightened* my hair as well!! That brings me to another issue Why are we with naturally curly tresses so obsessed with straight hair? Even as fashion magazines trumpet this season’s tousled looks or bouffant updos, women line up to have their hair flat-ironed, blown out and chemically relaxed!!! Getting Hair chemically RELAXED is like so Terrible, at least watching it is! I agree the hair looks great right off the treatment, see them in a month and you would think you're looking at an used, overused and abused Broom!

Periodic Blow dry's and Flat Ironing is way better off that permanently damaging the hair, isn't it? While they carry out these so called Keratin treatments, there is so much steam coming off the head that a person in a third world country cook/boil fish in! It is unbelievably repulsing and scary to say the least! But as long as it's not my head and the person getting it done is happy, why not? Right?

What I find truly interesting is the connection with hair and moods (Read Mood swings) . I have heard, seen and felt that when depressed, agitated or low, women like to change their hair styles!! What I have come to understand is that when One feels depressed over not being able to change their life situations, they would try and change the next thing they can without much of a hassle, so I guess changing hairstyles is natural?!

It may sound funny or even to shallow, but I have seen how it works and I assure you its uplifting factor, a mood elevator perhaps and a definite stress buster!! Unless, Of course you decide to go to a place with poor lighting, absolute lack of hygiene and a hairdresser with a really bad sense of humor! But I am guessing that will NOT/ NEVER be the case, irrespective of the fact that your emotionally low, so to speak! :D

"When you cannot change anything, change your hair style"! or better still "Feeling Blue - get a haircut!" God I sound/feel like a vinyl sticker outside these Beauty salons! LOL!

I for one fell in love with hair and make-up as a kid, when I began to notice the transformation that occurred whenever my mother came home from the salon. She left as my mum and returned a movie star... but the funny part is since I got older, the need and the interest for me to visit the salon increased and my Mum decreased! She says she is saving the *transformation*, for the Special Day! Yeahh... You guessed it Right!  Mum's I tell you!