new thread
Hi to everyone! Like Matt Hutchinson (aka Nyghtfall), I am also
very glad to find this site. My religion is Sikhism, and I am
an observant Sikh. My faith requires observant Sikh men and
women to maintain uncut hair. For men, this means no haircuts
and no shaving. We "put up" our hair, and cover it with a turban
when we leave the privacy of our own home. At home, we can let
our hair down, and do not have to wear a turban.
I am happy to read the messages here about how to care for and how
to wear long hair. Such information is not widely available for
men as it is for women in American society. Best wishes to all.
--Loren (San Jose, California)
Thanks for your post. I have met several sikhs and have discussed hair with each of them. The second one I met clipped the part of his moustache that would otherwise be in front of his mouth. I understand from experience the need to do this. However, I'm wondering (I didn't ask him) how that jives with your commitment to not cut your hair. Can you comment?
Strictly speaking, the Sikh Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct)
specifies that an observant Sikh should not cut or trim
any of his/her body hair. Those who adhere to this literal
interpretation let the mustache grow, and use wax to stiffen
the upper lip hairs so that they can be directed to the sides
of the mouth and not interfere with the mouth. Others who are
not so strict will trim only the upper lip mustache hairs, and
leave all other hair alone. The same goes for nasal hairs.
Allowing nasal hair to grow so that it visibly protrudes out
of the nostrils is cosmetically undesirable, and I believe
Sikhs trim long nasal hairs like anyone else. With Sikh women,
the presence of lip hair (slight mustache) can be a cause of
concern. Again, literalists will not shave; others will shave
because it is more cosmetically acceptable for women--including
Sikh women--not to have a visible mustache. Hope this information
helps. -- Loren