Let down your hair

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.”

Alright for a Northern European Mutt, I don’t have the golden locks of Rapunzel. I in fact have my Grandma K’s hair. She was the daughter of two Swedish immigrants with thin brown hair that does not like to stay up. It is thin and I am lucky if what I put up in the morning stays up exactly as I put it up and even luckier if it dries if I put up when it is wet. It is a pain in the butt and while it is long I have nothing on Crystal Gale. However I will never cut it short again.

Women's hair England c. 1100-1300

I will say historically I am pretty good when putting my hair up. I can do most years with easy. It does help that in most centuries the clothing and hair was pretty well covered. There is almost something relaxing about not having to worry about your hair. Whether it was in a low bun or covered in a coif or head rail it was nice to have it out of the way and covered up. I like doing those eras because I don’t even feel the need to wash my hair so often. It goes back to hygiene and the bible. Corinthians 11 in the bible stated “but every woman that prayeth or prophecieth bare headed, dishonoureth her head.” It was also a time where bathing was rare for the covering helped keep dirt and oils out of their hair.

Anglo-Saxon hair coverings 600-1154

Somedays I wish I could walk around with a covering over my hair. To hide when I just don’t want to wash it. To help keep it out of my face, and to help hide the fare maiden idea. Unfortunately, our modern society frowns on hiding anything. Look at Frances response to the Burkas on the beach. They have nude beaches but they fired on women who cover up. Yet we frown on “loose women” who bare too much.

A woanm helping with the work and wearing a coif that has the ties of a head-rail. 

I love my long hair, I love twisting it up and letting it down when I get home. For convince, putting it up is nice plus shutting your hair in a car door or window is my equivalent of nicking my-self shaving or a paper cut. Plus when I put it up I limit the risk of eating it later, both when it slides into my face, and into my food. So to prince charming unless you have a glass of wine and chocolate my brown locks stay up. At least Rapunzel’s happy ending was actually happy.