₦airaland Forum

terzurum5:

The few once I have been close to, have clean and odour free hair.

my daughter is four years now and no blade from any pit of hell has touched her her.

beybianca65:
About a week ago, my husband, his close business partner and I visited our accountant. While my husband and his partner were inside our accountant’s office, I decided to slip out for a bit as my 1-year-old daughter was starting to get a tad fussy and I didn’t want her disturbing the important meeting. Anyway, as I rocked my baby, trying to make her go to sleep, a couple walked past me only to stop to turn towards me with friendly grins on their faces. I, of course, smiled back thinking they were smiling at me because of my baby (she’s a stunning little thing and I’ve had many people stop me at malls and grocery stores, telling me just that; it’s super sweet). However, turns out that the couple were very dear friends of my husband’s business partner and they were visiting the city for a few days. And, for some reason, they knew about me and recognized me instantly. We then struck up a small conversation and by now, my daughter was wide awake and alert, as she stared at the young couple, with her gorgeous curious eyes. The wife, whom I will refer to as “Sania,” then asked me whether she could hold my daughter. As I handed her over, this is how the conversation went:

Sania: “Wow, look at all that beautiful, curly hair! I hardly see babies with hair this gorgeous and thick.”

Me: “Yes, I know! Her hair is stunning. Would you believe that that is her birth hair?”

Upon hearing that, Sania’s jaw literally dropped open in shock.

Sania: “OMG! Nooooo! NO WAY! You never shaved her head?!!”

Me: “Nope. Never. And Never will.”

Sania: “No, but…but…but, you HAVE to! It’s a must! All newborn babies’ head MUST be shaved as soon as they are born so that they would grow new, clean and healthy hair that will be thicker and prettier.”

Me: *Laughing* “Um, well, look at her hair!” *I reached out and touched my daughter’s beautiful long, curling silky hair* “Can you tell me honestly that IF I shave her head now, she will grow hair far more superior than this? Her hair is already pretty. It really can’t get any prettier than this.”

Sania: “No, no it WILL. Trust me! My niece had very thin hair when she was a newborn. And then her parents shaved her head and now she has really silky, beautiful thick hair. Really, you should shave her head so that she, too, will grow hair even better than this. It’s a must!”

The discussion about shaving my baby’s hair continued on for a few more minutes, until my husband and his partner came out of the office, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the said topic was diverted to something else. I was especially glad that I didn’t have to stand there anymore, uncomfortably, and explain why I haven’t shaved my daughter’s head, despite it being religiously or culturally obligatory, without having to hurt this really nice woman’s feelings. I mean, I’d just met her and her kind husband, and I just didn’t want to come off too headstrong over something that they clearly had very strong sentiments over. And that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their own actions and preferences. I just choose not to go with the cultural/religious norm of shaving my baby’s head and I will explain why as this post progresses.

It appears that in numerous cultures (and religions) around the world, head-shaving of newborn babies is quite common; from China to India (and the surrounding South-and Central-Asian countries) to Mongolia to Africa. And while in some parts of the world, especially in Muslim-majority ones, shaving of a baby’s head is Sunnah, in other places it is culturally practiced and even seen as a rite of passage.

Nevertheless, the reason I never shaved my daughter’s head was because, firstly, for me, it held no significance. None, whatsoever. And secondly, my daughter was born with a crown full of beautiful, very silky, thick jet black hair. (See picture below.)

20130815_222652

In fact, her hair was so gorgeous that all the nurses and the doctors at the hospital kept telling me how they’ve never seen a baby with that much beautiful hair; it was so surreal and incredible. However, despite the superficial and lack of significance aspect of refusing to shave my baby’s head, both my husband and I also didn’t see the logic behind it. We also rejected the claim that shaving a baby’s head would result in the hair growing back thicker and healthier — a myth that desperately needs to be debunked because hair grows from a follicle beneath the surface of the scalp. So, what we do to the hair on the outside, or the surface, has no effect on the hair that is developing on the follicle. Also, it’s common — very common actually — for babies to lose some or perhaps even all of their birth hair by the time they are around 4 or 5 months old. I know this because I noticed my daughter shedding a lot of hair in her bassinet when she slept at night. I also know this because around 4-5 months of age, my daughter’s hair texture and colour began to change drastically. From being ultra straight, cotton-like and jet black, my daughter’s hair had suddenly become curlier, silky and lighter in texture and tone. To put it simply, my daughter’s hair, without my having to shave her head, had become even more gorgeous than ever. And, now when you see her hair, it looks nothing like when she was born. Mind you, we did occasionally trim her hair, mostly her bangs, because they would keep falling in her eyes and would bother her, and trimming your baby’s hair might actually make it appear thicker, just like ours does when we get a trim. This is because we get rid of the excess split ends and the unhealthy hair at the bottom, which makes room for new and much more healthy hair growth. But, yes, other than trimming, we’ve never touched our daughter’s hair so as not to ruin it. And never will, unless she wants a nice, trendy hair-cut, of course.

Thus, many people need to understand that head-shaving does not contribute to hair growing back thicker or healthier, because whether we shave, trim, or brush our baby’s hair a hundred strokes a day, it really won’t affect how it grows in. That’s up to genetics. Genes decide the colour and texture of our hair, not shaving.

It just annoys me when people tell me that when a baby is born, their hair wasn’t as nice or thick and then when they shaved their head, it grew back thicker and nicer. No. What happens is that when a baby is born, people end up shaving the head a few days after the baby is born; they get rid of hair that the baby will eventually lose or shed in a few months anyway. So, what people need to realize is that by shaving, they speed up the process of the “nicer hair” growing in, which explains why some babies remain bald for a little while, shortly after they’ve been shaved. There is a time when new, healthier and prettier hair will grow in. It doesn’t happen right away. So, shortly after a newborn is shaved, s/he remains bald for several months, save for a few wisps, until the new scheduled hair is supposed to come in. And, that is exactly what happened to my daughter. She had her birth hair for a few months, until she managed to shed all, or most, of it and around the 5 month mark, her new hair grew in, which is the beautiful hair that we see now. (See picture below.)

pretty hair
However, I understand why some people feel the need to shave their baby’s head, especially if they see that their baby’s head has developed a bald patch or that his/her hair is growing unevenly. But, to shave a baby’s head, just for the sake of believing it to grow back “thicker and healthier” is just silly and nonsensical.

Also, I should have added that another reason why some people choose to get rid of their baby’s birth hair is because of the fact that it was permeated in blood and amniotic fluid. And, believe it or not, but I actually knew of someone who said that she found birth hair “disgusting” and “unhygienic” and that the sooner we shaved it all off, the better it was for the baby. Mind you, at the time of this conversation, I didn’t have kids (or a kid) yet; heck, I wasn’t even married even. And, yet, what this girl had said sounded crass and quite insolent. How dare she make the assumption that baby hair that was floating in amniotic fluid is disgusting? I couldn’t help wondering, at the time. I mean babies, too, live and float in amniotic fluid for nine whole months, so how come we don’t find them gross or disgusting? You see the lack of logic in this insensitive argument, dear reader? We all know that as soon as babies are born, the nurses quickly wash and bathe them, ensuring that any or all signs of blood and the fluid has been cleansed away, leaving the baby smelling beautiful and fresh. From their hair to their skin to pretty much everything, newborn baby smell is absolutely wonderful. Those who’ve had or been around newborn babies know exactly what smell I am talking about. The smell barely lasts two weeks, but it’s the type of smell that you become addicted to and long for. And there is absolutely nothing gross or disgusting about a newborn’s hair, just like there is nothing gross or disgusting about your baby having lived in amniotic fluid. So, let’s not be like that person I knew, back in undergrad, and say/assume something that is so obtuse and thoughtless.

However, at the same time, while many people are huge fans of shaving their baby’s head right after birth, for whatever reason it may be, they have to be extremely careful, as the baby’s head is very delicate and sensitive, and they will need to go to an expert to do the shaving. Otherwise, if people use a simple razor, they fall at the risk of cutting off a layer of skin containing hair follicles, which may result in the baby being bald for a very long time — perhaps as long as 2 or 3 years of age. So, not only is shaving a newborn’s head, in my humble opinion, illogical but it is very dangerous and risky as well.

Anyway, my point in writing this blog post is this: To each his or her own. If you want to shave your baby’s head, because it holds significant meaning for you. Good. Go right ahead. However, please, please for the love of science, adorable babies, and pretty shiny things, do not force and tell other people to do the same thing, especially if they don’t hold the same values or sentiments as you when it comes to baby head-shaving. It should, and needs to, be a personal thing. Limited to personal preference only.

So, no matter how much someone tells me, or anyone else who is against the whole head-shaving idea, to shave our babies’ head, we won’t. We won’t do it. And there is nothing such people could possibly tell us that will change our minds on the matter. Nothing at all.

Live and let live, people! �

OP don dey plagiarize since the days of Methuselah!

BlissP:
It's not hygienic leaving d first hair' remember the content in the vacuum the baby stayed before hiting mother earth. My opinion, I think it's healthy enough to shave off the first hair irrespective of religion.

that's the major reason why Muslim shave their babies first hair

The cutting of the first hair before the seventh or eighth day is only mandatory to the Muslims. I still remember when my boss wife gave birth and they wanted to cut the baby's hair, she refused it cos she's a Christian. This caused a big wahala for both parties that even the Alfas refused to name the baby on the eighth day.
She didn't cut the hair till after 6months and trust me nothing append to the baby.

Chidoks:
I don't think you have strong reasons for your objections. If you had enumerated bad effects it could have on the child, I may have gone with you but your objections are as bad as the excuses for doing so.
Personally I shave after one year as my culture dictates. My other reason being that one year is even too long a time to leave hair uncut especially for a male child ( except if you want to plait)
Secondly, you posted white hair which is straight. Try and post a black child with kinky hair. Ask mothers the pain the children go through when combing them, especially in my culture where you wait for a year before shaving.

Thats a black child with kinky hair. Please y'all should vote for him in the cussons baby moment competition. Thank you so much

https://www.cussonsbaby.com.ng/campaign/cbm5/entry?id=384993

BlissP:
It's not hygienic leaving d first hair' remember the content in the vacuum the baby stayed before hiting mother earth. My opinion, I think it's healthy enough to shave off the first hair irrespective of religion.

No dear. This is a wrong notion. The contents of the amniotic sac from which the baby came out is a strong antibiotic.
In fact we don't encourage bathing a baby for the first 24hrs after delivery cos the amniotic fluid provides nourishment for the skin and is also a very good insulator.
This is a global best practise and hospitals around the world have adopted it.

All the demons you people worship don confuse una.....

Why do they then tell some parents never to shave their child's hair until the child decides by his/herself?

In this same cultural-religious Africa o.

I dont believe in all this ancient shits dt demons ve used to scare our parents and grannies.

Same applies to some families with tribal marks.

terzurum5:
What about Sampson in the Bible and even the Dada children(most of whom we are told, their hair must be cut if and only if the parents meet the request of the child) we have around whose hair were not shaved. How come most of them grow well without any problem.

So you believe in that crap and don't believe the other one?
And all those posting pictures of non-african kids claiming their hair, I hail o.. why don't u show Africans natural kinky hair? so u think if u don't shave ur baby's first hair the hair will stay wavy? hmm

BlackAlbino6:
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I like Dada die. I wonder why my mama no born me make I be one.
[/color]

do u know dat nt every Dada hair look fine??

BlissP:
It's not hygienic leaving d first hair' remember the content in the vacuum the baby stayed before hiting mother earth. My opinion, I think it's healthy enough to shave off the first hair irrespective of religion.

You know nothing! Hygienic ko, hyginus ni

Harfisco:
that's the major reason why Muslim shave their babies first hair

What is not hygienic? They no bathe the baby after coming out? They for cut the skin comot too na coz d skin dey insyd womb water. Rubbish

Common sense. I believe we re more learned and ve better understanding

acenazt:
No body. I repeat NO BODY WILL SHAVE MY KID'S HAIR.

for your mind oo na wetin you dey think
no worry when the time come u go see weda your mother in-law no go ask you if them no shave your hair............just passing oooo

acenazt:
No body. I repeat NO BODY WILL SHAVE MY KID'S HAIR.

for your mind oo na wetin you dey think
no worry when the time come u go see weda your mother in-law no go ask you if them no shave your hair............just passing oooo

In Islam d hair is dirty
I mean is not proper to leave it wit him/her

Untainted007:
It has no harm on the baby. With time the hair may be shaved but i dont really support shaving it at tender stage, considering infections or exposure of the head to excess atmosphere. Even the hair on the head has it own job too in preventing cold entering directly into the pores on the head.

that's y they use cap for babies even when its not shaved

Sometimes I feel like suing my parents for doing that to me! That's wickedness. If it attracts mummy water, is it their mummy water?

i support this point 100%

BlissP:
It's not hygienic leaving d first hair' remember the content in the vacuum the baby stayed before hiting mother earth. My opinion, I think it's healthy enough to shave off the first hair irrespective of religion.

From d massage I can see u don't av any kid yet. Apart frm religion or cultural aspect, av u seen any child with the birth hair on he or she from 10-20yrs of age? Try and find one and see there behaviors. Den u can understand why ur mum ignore d argument.

justiz5:

Some of these things are mere beliefs that may have no basis. One can manage the hair like that till the child grows. Nothing will even happen to him or her.

Blackalbino6 you Dada?

teach me how you were able to write in that color... thanks

Wow this an interesting topic I have been wanting to know about. In the case of my beautiful daughters 5 and 2 years I did not shave their hair and I am not in the opinion of doing so anytime soon. I still don't think there is any medical implications.

Noted

Whether shaved or not, it has no effect on the child. I trimmed my daughters hair because she was born during heat period, she would sweat from the head and would pull at it uncomfortably especially while breastfeeding.
Another reason being that some babies are born with really silky hair, which us difficult to plait.
The first hair is usually shaved so that a more stronger one can grow

my sis almost did that to her child too because it's a norm and people say the hair will come off later on but I insisted on her leaving the child's hair and today the hair is full,long,black and soft. Not one sign of hair coming off.

OP why use white baby now for the pishure

if my children come with fine full hair I'm shaving Nada. Dats how my cousin was born wit full beautiful hair ND dey shaved it. now her hair is like dat of an old aged woman.

There are so many things you guys don't understand, there nothing like Dada let them shave the Dada hair if another one will grow. Moreover it's not hygiene. Have you seen a Muslim Dada? Because they shave the hair before naming

BlissP:
u don ever see any dada with clean hair? Most of their hair have offensive odour' the story of Samson is Base on illusion' obviously both of us don't know d dude. Had it been my parents left my hair uncut till date(@dada), I wouldn't have forgiven them.... I advice no parents to leave their children's first hair uncut. Not hygienic @all

Speak for yourself bro....Maybe yours was unkept by your Guardian.. Mine was 100% neat ccourtesy..(my Mama)

In fact i am just at that point of whether to cut my baby's hair or not. In my own case, i don't know about any religious implications. My own is just that it is not growing evenly.

I prayed hard before she was born that she takes her Papa's hair but it is not looking like it. It is very scanty.

How about cutting off the baby's hands and legs?

BlissP:
It's not hygienic leaving d first hair' remember the content in the vacuum the baby stayed before hiting mother earth. My opinion, I think it's healthy enough to shave off the first hair irrespective of religion.

acenazt:
No body. I repeat NO BODY WILL SHAVE MY KID'S HAIR.

Hahaha...you dey vex o.
I hope say you be man?
If you`re a woman, hm, sorry.

petitejolie:
if my children come with fine full hair I'm shaving Nada. Dats how my cousin was born wit full beautiful hair ND dey shaved it. now her hair is like dat of an old aged woman.

Hahahahah

Dey there dey deceive yourself..
Wetin you know Wait make you become parent, first...
If you no cut your child's hair she go cut am herself.. Just dey there..okay

acenazt:
No body. I repeat NO BODY WILL SHAVE MY KID'S HAIR.