Black Hair Superstitions

New Year's Eve is a time when new beginnings are contemplated. A reaccessment of the old year is in the forefront of our minds. We are sifting through memories and actions in which we would not like to carry into the new year. What is hoped for the most on the eve of a new year, is a new year filled with good luck. Some will just cross their fingers and hope for the best, some will employ superstitious rituals to give them an advantage, and others will formulate a plan of action not relying on good or bad luck.

Superstitions seem to follow the African American tradition and culture in many aspects of life. New Year's Day many will be eating black eyed peas with hog jowls for luck, carrying a shiny new dime in their pockets to ensure money for the new year, and other such superstitions. In the world of hair there remains elements of superstition and here are a few for you to check out:

1. Always burn the hair in your brush or someone could use it to put a hex on you.
2. Never comb, brush, or cut your hair outside because if a bird comes and collects a stray lock for its nest you will:
a. Feel it pecking at your head
b. Get headaches
c. Lose your mind
d. Suffer the same fate as the bird's babies
3. Always wear your hair covered when menstruating
4. If you allow more than one person to work on your hair at a time:
a. Your hair will fall out
b. The youngest worker/helper will die
5. Don't let a pregnant woman do your hair or you'll become pregnant too
6. After someone finishes working on your hair, it's bad luck to say thank you. Instead say "More hair."
7. Never cut a boy child's hair before age one or:
a. It won't grow
b. It will be kinky and nappy
c. It will make the child weak
8. After you cut your hair, if you place a lock in the Bible it will grow back faster
9. It's bad luck for a woman to cut a man's hair, especially if she's menstruating
10. If you want your hair to grow back, only cut it when there is a full moon
11. If you get gray hair when you're youn, it means you were a good baby
12. If you get gray hair when you're young, it means you will have a lot of money when you are old

Even though I found these hair superstitions in the book "Hair Story, Untangling The Roots of Black Hair In America" by Ayana D. Byrd & Lori L. Tharps, my family repeated these same superstitions when I was young. Superstition 7c and 12 were added to the list from the book from my family superstitions.

I would be interested to hear how many of these same superstitions are a part of your family history? Please leave a comment