A Full Head of Hair

I am 57 and still have a pretty full head of hair.  I do not have much of a receding hair line or even much gray hair.

When getting my hair cut and styled for a popular crime show, I was surprised at the amount of abuse my hair sustained, while it was being manipulated by the stylist.  She used a little round styling brush and continually pulled the hair out from my head while twisting the brush.  I could feel the hair stretching and could hear the hair snapping when it broke. Then after an interminable amount of this activity, she sprayed my hair with a strong poisonous smelling hair spray.  I looked great.

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However, on further reflection, I realize that I rarely abuse my hair this way -- ever.  I wash my hair with baby shampoo and don’t even wash my hair every time I take a shower.  Sometimes I just rinse my hair with water.  I comb my hair once when wet and rarely comb it again.  For many years, I never even combed my hair after washing, and just let it go wild.  I don’t use a hair dryer.  I don’t use a brush.  I don’t use hair coloring.  I don't "perm" or straighten my hair.  I don’t use hair spray.  I don’t use styling gel except very rarely.   I don’t fuss with my hair throughout the day.

The aerosol can of hair spray seems particularly toxic to me.  It smells like strong chemical poison and I cannot believe it is not dangerous.   I wonder if it coats the inside of your lungs like it coats your hair?  I wonder if the use of hair spray over time slowly kills the scalp and hair follicles with poisonous toxicity, until they prematurely turn gray and die.

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The use of brushing was popular before detergent existed.  Detergent was invented in Germany during World War I.  Prior to that time, people used soap to wash their hair and over time a soap film developed on the hair.  Young women were instructed to brush their hair fifty times a day to remove this soap film and restore the natural sheen to their hair.  Since the use of detergent for washing hair, we do not need to brush our hair as detergent leaves no residue on the hair. 

The use of excessive brushing and combing will snap hair shafts and cause unnecessary mechanical strain on the hair.  This cannot help but shorten the hair life and cause split ends.

Perhaps, my inadvertent tonsorial laziness has resulted in my maintaining a full head of hair?  Maybe my lack of “over concern” about the appearance of my hair, beyond sanitation and conformity, has resulted in me retaining a full head of hair for longer than average?

It is not possible to know, but the thought is amusing to me.  My father always had a full head of hair, so there is probably some genetic component to my good luck.

I shared this concept with my barber and he laughed.  “You might be on to something,” he said.  “Your hair IS pretty good and you do not even have much gray. That is a funny idea. If you are lazy and don't blow dry, or chemically treat your scalp, your hair lasts longer.”

We could even extract a generalized lesson from this analysis:

“Maybe if we left things alone, and let them develop naturally, they would last longer and be healthier."   Then we would enjoy them even more than if we were constantly trying to fix them or make them better.

Funny -- I was going to have someone help proofread this essay before printing it, but on second thought now, maybe I'll just leave it alone…

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer