There are people who specialize in radiasthesia, whereby the practitioner holds a pendulum over a lock of hair in order to ascertain his client's state of health. He then usually goes on to suggest specific types of food and drugs to correct problems.
Radiasthesia is well known and well documented, but character divination by hair is not. In fact, apart from my own observation of people, added to a few old wives' tales, I wasn't aware that anything of the kind existed. Well, I was wrong. The Victorians, those indefatigable observers of human appearance and behavior, had already come to their own conclusions; but more of that in the following pages.
Our hair reflects our state of health and our state of mind. It normally grows roughly at the rate of half an inch per month, but this growth slows down when a person is overtired or ill. Some of us “molt” in the spring, and everybody finds that there are times when we seem to lose some of our hair and other times when it grows abundantly. It's common knowledge that women experience some hair loss after having a baby, or when they stop taking any type of hormone therapy, including contraceptive pills. Obviously, there are some specific medical conditions, such as alopecia, that affect the hair, but generally speaking, if a subject is fit and happy, his or her hair will shine.
It's widely perceived that red-haired people are hot tempered and that bald men are sexy, but I've noticed over the years that there are other characteristics. For example, a faded blonde with weak and flimsy hair may be unable to take control of her life. She may be dominated by her husband and taken for granted by her children. Very strong straight hair, the kind that has a will of its own, belongs to an independent, strong-minded person who isn't likely to compromise on anything. This type of person is proud and self-centred, although not altogether selfish or thoughtless. Such people may delay taking on commitments until they are sure that they can cope with them. Another utterly uncompromising type is the person who has tight African-type curls. This person is unusual to the point of eccentricity. I have three acquaintances who have this kind of hair. One loves horses, another is an actor, and the third writes historical novels. Those who have baby-fine, flimsy hair have great ideas, but they lack the energy or confidence to bring their ideas to life. Also, those with fine hair tend to be sensitive. Those with coarser hair are less sensitive and less interested in the feelings of others.
The rest of us muddle along, sticking with the same hairstyle for years, unless we become ill, busy, or despondent, when we may suddenly cut the lot off.
And then of course is the whole issue of coloring hair, and permanently changing the texture through perms and straighteners. This has become more and more common in our modern times. When interpreting a person's hair, start with their natural hair—color and type—and then add the additional interpretation of what the person willfully changed his or her hair to.
A woman with medium strong straight hair enjoys socializing, but she is reliable in relationships. Her health is neither especially vigorous nor especially weak. She is moderate, thoughtful and not likely to go overboard in matters of love.
A man with thick, very smooth, very black hair worn long is mild but firm, cool unless provoked, and normally moderate in his behavior. He is reliable in relationships and generally lucky in love.
A man with short, black, curly hair tends to be drunken, quarrelsome, oversexed, unstable, and unreliable in his undertakings. He will be enthusiastic at the beginning of an enterprise, but will lose heart as time goes on. He wants to be rich, but he will be disappointed in this ambition.
The same can be said for a woman with this type of hair, but she will be steadier in relationships.
A man who has long, smooth, brown hair will be healthy, obstinate, enthusiastic, fond of variety, curious and flexible in outlook. He will enjoy the company of women.
Men and women with short, bushy brown hair are also healthy, enthusiastic, fond of variety, curious and flexible in outlook and they both enjoy the company of the opposite sex, but both have hotter tempers.
A man with light brown, long, smooth hair is peaceful, generous and sensible. He will try to keep the peace between others, although when provoked, he could over-react and then be sorry afterward. He is fond of the ladies, but protective toward them. Overall, this man is friendly, cheerful and kind.
A woman with light brown, long, smooth hair is softhearted, but quick to anger. She is reasonable in relationships and her health is good. She will not be outstandingly lucky in life, and will have to work hard in order to achieve her goals.
A man with fair hair may have poor health and may be too inward looking. He could be too interested in religious matters. He will work hard, keep himself to himself and be disinclined to run after women, but in spite of all this piety, he will have a difficult life.
A woman with fair hair is healthy, purposeful, passionate, but difficult in a relationship. She loves to be praised for her beauty, she enjoys exercise and she will live a long life.
A man with long, red hair enjoys business meetings and travel and is a great womanizer. He is always looking for ways to obtain money, but spends it like water when he has it. He is obstinate and determined and he will not give up when he has some objective that he wants in his sights. He is inwardly shy and nervous, but covers this up with bluster and gives an appearance of courage. He may be cunning and deceitful.
A woman with long, red hair is talkative and vain. Her temper is impatient and fiery and she is highly sexed. She may appear frail, but is surprisingly fit and strong, although she may not live to a ripe old age. She is impulsive and enthusiastic, but her attention wanders and she seldom sees things through. She becomes bitter and resentful when disappointed.
Hair that falls forward over the forehead indicates a rational person who is easily duped. According to Victorian books, this person will frequently be short of money.
Hair falling forward over the forehead
Hair that lies backward denotes a person who is obstinate, peevish and passionate. People with this kind of hair are bossy and quick to anger if they are not immediately obeyed by others. They are entertaining storytellers, they are good with their families and they are good providers.
Hair that lies backward
Hair that grows low on the forehead indicates a person who is selfish and designing, unsociable, a drinker and has a greedy and scheming nature. The Victorians really had it in for this characteristic!
Hair that grows low on the forehead
And finally, hair that is balding. What can I say? —bald men are sexy!
Some groups lay down rules about hair, and this is especially the case with religious people, most of whom—whatever religion they belong to—consider a woman's hair to be some kind of sexual come-on, and thus something that should be partially or wholly covered. Others wear a certain style to identify them as being of a particular age or social group. For instance, young men and women will create a style and after a while, if their parents also take up the style, the youngsters go in for a totally different look to differentiate themselves once again.
Until World War I, women always had long hair, which they put up as a mark of passing from childhood to becoming a young adult. During the war, they started to shorten their hair, due to working in factories and in transport, where long hair was a nuisance at best and dangerous at worst.
After World War I, women's lives and their roles changed radically from the Edwardian world that had preceded the war, so they marked this by cutting their hair and going in for the short, straight “bob” style.
If, when combing your hair, lots of it comes away, the odds are strong that you will come down with a serious illness. This belief very likely does have a basis in fact, because a number of illnesses do cause hair loss, probably in a kind of energy-saving campaign.