new thread
I have no idea if anyone else is interested, but ...
Since I've started on my long hair "journey", I've been trying to find out how other men manage their long hair. One thing I've known "about" for a long time, but had very little information on is that Sikh men are prohibited from cutting their hair and use their turban to manage it. How they do this was a mystery to me until the internet has revealed all.
It seems that they make a bun on the top of their heads at the front and then wrap their hair with the turban to protect it. They are required to comb their hair twice a day with a special comb and it looks like they use the comb to hold the bun in place.
For anyone else who is interested, here is some more information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_turban
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_turban
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanga_%28Sikhism%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanga_%28Sikhism%29
http://www.sikhnet.com/s/tyingturbans
http://www.sikhnet.com/s/tyingturbans
http://www.sikhnet.com/s/tyingturbans
After finding out more about Sikhs I can quite appreciate their philosophies although I'm unlikely to change from being an "uncertain agnostic".
The funny thing is that I actually found out all this while trying to find out information on how to tie a towel turban to use after a shower (still can't find that and my wife's always had short hair and my daughter never used one)
AndrewB
Hey Andrew B. what is UP, duuude?
Hwere in the wealthy, wealthy Underhill's Crossing section of Westchester County, New York there is a profound Sikh population who have a lot of professions in the area. Their sons, at very young ages, start to grow their hair long and KEEP it (their hair) contained in especially blessed cotton or linen sections of material to protect their hair from the world. It's a religious mandate. Hey, if anyone ever encounters on the job flack as to long hair, let's take the lead from the Sikhs!
Yours in longhaired camaraderie,
Quenyan
If you ever find out, please post it here as well. When I henna my hair the towel is always falling off my head, LOL!
Hi Andrew,
That is some fascinating information. While I was aware of the existence of the Sikh religion, I was not aware that Sikhs cannot get a hair cut! Imagine, a religion that requires long hair! The only downside of this being that they hide their hair from public view. That's too bad. But, I may consider a simple "turban" such as Sikh boys use for practical purposes in the future. This modern world wasn't designed for long hair.
Let it be.
anotherDavid
Andrew, you can use a regular towel but it loosens over time. I find the turban towels with a hook and button work great for the longer time long hair needs to wick away moisture. The brand I have is Aquis and their microfiber towel turban works very well for lots of lengths.
Elizabeth
http://www.amazon.com/Aquis-Microfiber-Turban-Patented-Celadon/dp/B000AM82PI/ref=sr_1_14/103-6321150-5435800?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1180749672&sr=1-14
Thanks - I'll look for one of those while I'm running my weekly errands today.
AndrewB
I would seriously recommend using a 100% cotton towel instead of microfiber (which is most likely polyester or other synthetic fiber) because microfiber towels does not absorb moisture very well (takes me a long time to get them to absorb water, very bad for whiping spills). They are good for cleaning dust off of various surface or cleaning monitor screens, but for wearing I suggest 100% cotton for max comfort.
also keep in mind Sikhs also
do not cut there beard so along with
long hair you would also have a long beard
Very interesting, AndrewB. I've always been a bit fascinated by those turbans myself, --- as well as wondered if I could ever wear one, too.
Unfortunately, my computer won't let me see those little videos for some reason; but, I still greatly appreciate the info!
Thanks again!!
- Ken in San Francisco
When I was at elementary school age, my Sikh friends living nearby wore their long hair tied in a knot on top of their heads and Sikh boys did not wear a turban over their hair, though adults or older boys close to adult age did.
When they washed their hair, I'd see them walking around with it hanging down and that was perhaps teh first time I'd seen a long hair as we understand it today, since long hair on men was not fashionable on men in the early 60s and the Beatles were just becoming popular.
I did notice however, a turban placed on a shelf, meaning that it was probbaly that someone had taken it off their head like a hat and was using it like a hat. I believe they used starch to hold it together.
Some years back, I met a Sikh who managed a bar and he had his hair down all the time and looked like a regular long hair with awesome hair.
On the other hand there also are Sikhs who don't observe the long hair requirement, while still holding to the Sikh religion.
On the other handm there are Sikhs who've changed their religion and become Christians, Ba'hai or other faiths and the ones I know don't have long hair.
Cheers
Charles
I used to work with a Sikh who had short hair, but apparently his father never had a hair cut. That was here in the US, though. All the sikhs I knew in the UK had long hair and wore turbans. They were also supposed to be teetotal (although some of them did occasionally drink). I'm pretty sure that the short-haired sikh I knew here does drink beer.
The drinking age in the UK is 18, and there was a pub opposite the back gate of the high school I went to. One lunchtime I went for a beer there with some of the other pupils, completely legally as we had all turned 18, but one guy was a sikh. Now, as fellow Brits will know, most English pubs consist of two or three bars served from a counter in the middle. This means you can see through a bit between the different bars.
Unfortunately, what the sikh saw over the barman's shoulder was his father and his uncle drinking non-alcoholic beers in the other bar! He said that his father drank a little, but that his uncle was very religeous, and that when his dad was with his uncle he wouldn't drink proper beer, so they would both be drinking non-alcoholic beer, and that if his uncle saw him in the pub he would be done for, so he started stooping down, trying to hide behind the counter!
Of course, the rest of us all thought this was hilarious. I have heard that baptists can behave in this way in the US (pretending they don't drink, etc.), but I don't think I know any.
So, if you want to become a sikh so that you aren't allowed to cut your hair, remember that you aren't really supposed to drink either. Oh, and you are also supposed to carry a knife at all times, which can lead to some interesting problems.