In ancient cultures, long hair was considered a sign of strength & freedom. There are many stories of Native American tribes who would sever the hair off their foes to demonstrate the defeated tribe’s weakness. Think also of the biblical story of Samson of Nazarene, whose power derived from his long hair. Taoist culture is no different, considering long, healthy hair to be a sign of strong Jing (Kidney) energy, or life force. Taoists revered long hair for its role in assisting & enhancing their quest for longevity by acting as an antenna to better capture the energy (Qi) of the environment. This may seem a bit off to us Westerners, but they see each hair strand as an extension of the nervous system that transmits information to the brain via a sensory capacity. Taoists even think that long hair helps enhance memory & brain function, & supports the processes of meditation & visualisation.
Whether the Taoists had it right or not, for some reason, humans have hair that can grow super long (unlike most other mammals) & despite our lack of hair across our body thanks to evolution, for some reason our head-hair remains. & we need to take care of it!
We’re sure it will come as no surprise that we don’t recommend the type of hair care you can buy in chemists / supermarkets. So how’d the Taoists do it before they had Pantene? Internally, they loved herbs for healthy hair -
He Shou Wu & Rehmannia are well known for their support of the Kidneys, the building of blood and therefore the nourishing of the hair which in turn leads to luscious locks.
The foundations of long term long term hair health lies within the kidneys and a lifestyle that doesn't cause exhaustion. When the Kidney Yin is firing and able to contribute to the building of blood we see long term hair health thrive. This is why He Shou Wu is especially revered as the ultimate herb for nourishing the hair and keeping it from going grey because it builds Kidney Yin and blood.
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