Editing Hairstyle (section)

==Social and cultural implications==
===Gender===
At most times in most cultures, men have worn their hair in styles that are different from women's. American [[Sociology|sociologist]] Rose Weitz wrote that the most widespread cultural rule about hair is that women's hair must differ from men's hair.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ofek|first=Galia|title=Representations of hair in Victorian literature and culture|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-0-7546-6161-0}}</ref> In western societies – particularly the US, UK, and Canada – hair on the head is more strongly tied to feminine gender expression. Long hair is seen as not only feminine but also more sexually appealing for women. Women are also more likely to style their hair in a variety of ways, including using accessories. Meanwhile, men's styles tend to be uniform amongst one another. Masculine gender expressions tend to gear towards [[facial hair]] rather than head hair, likely due to how many men experience [[Hair loss|baldness]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Synnott |first=Anthony |date=September 1987 |title=Shame and Glory: A Sociology of Hair |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/590695 |journal=The British Journal of Sociology |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=381–413 |doi=10.2307/590695|jstor=590695 }}</ref> An exception is the men and women living in the [[Orinoco|Orinoco-Amazon Basin]], where traditionally both genders have worn their hair cut into a bowl shape. In Western countries in the 1960s, both young men and young women wore their hair long and natural, and since then it has become more common for men to grow their hair.<ref name="sherrow141">{{cite book|last=Sherrow|first=Victoria|title=For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-1-57356-204-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/forappearancesak00sher/page/141 141]|url=https://archive.org/details/forappearancesak00sher/page/141}}</ref>

During most periods in human history when men and women wore similar hairstyles, as in the 1920s and 1960s, it has generated significant social concern and approbation.<ref>{{cite book|last=DeMello|first=Margo|title=Encyclopedia of body adornment|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0-313-33695-9|page=141}}</ref>  In the west, groups such as hippies and punks caused outrage for their overlaps in masculine and feminine presentation. Around the 1950s onward, [[Feminism|feminists]] in the US opposed traditionally feminine beauty standards of long hair and little or no [[body hair]]. They argued that those standards take much effort to maintain and were symbols of oppression, though the specifics of what sort of hairstyles or other beauty norms are "oppressive" was highly debated. Typically, many have aimed towards styles which take less maintenance. Meanwhile, there are also non-political examples of challenging gender presentation with performers presenting as [[cross-dressing]] or with [[Androgyny|androgynous]] appearances.<ref name=":0" />

===Religion===
Hair in religion also plays an important role since women and men, when deciding to dedicate their life to faith, often change their haircut. Baldness is likely chosen as a common spiritual symbol of dedication because it is perceived as a sign of aging and thus, undesirable. Cutting or shaving one's hair is a rejection of worldly pride and vanity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jalal Jawad Al-Gawhari |first=Esraa |date=2017 |title=Cultural Connotations of Baldness in Selected Works |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325070758 |journal=Al-Adab Journal |issue=123}}</ref> There may be another layer of giving up sexuality as well, as hair is seen as a sex symbol, so the inverse of little or no hair could be a symbol of celibacy – a common oath for holy people.<ref name=":0" /> [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] nuns often cut their hair very short, and men who joined Catholic monastic orders in the eighth century adopted what was known as the [[tonsure]], which involved shaving the tops of their heads and leaving a ring of hair around the bald crown.<ref name="sherrow141"/> Many [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], [[Hajj]] pilgrims and [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Vaisnavas]], especially members of the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishna]] movement who are ''[[brahmacharya|brahmacharis]]'' or ''[[Sannyasa|sannyasis]]'', shave their heads. Some [[Hindus|Hindu]] and most Buddhist monks and nuns shave their heads upon entering their order, and Korean Buddhist monks and nuns have their heads shaved every 15 days.<ref>[[Geri Larkin|Geraldine A. Larkin]], ''First You Shave Your Head'', [[Celestial Arts]] (2001), {{ISBN|1-58761-009-4}}</ref>

Conversely, there are also practices of keeping the hair long and/or uncut. One such example are adherents of [[Sikhism]] are required to wear their hair unshorn. Women usually wear it in a braid or a bun and men cover it with a turban also known as a [[Dastar|dastār]]. Other religions also have various kinds of head coverings. The three [[Abrahamic religions]], for instance all have some sort of religious writing on head coverings, particularly for women. In [[Islam]] women wear the [[hijab]] for modesty and covers the hair as well as chest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Noble Quran |url=https://previous.quran.com/24:31?font=v1&translations=131%2C20 |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=previous.quran.com}}</ref> In [[Judaism]] (mostly orthodox), married women wear coverings such as the [[Head covering for Jewish women|tichel]], and in some branches men wear the [[kippah]] mostly in prayers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 115:4 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Even_HaEzer.115.4?lang=bi |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> Meanwhile, due to the varied branches of [[Christianity]], not all Christian women wear coverings and there are [[Christian head covering|various kinds of head covering]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=oremus Bible Browser: 1 Corinthians 11:2–10 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=1%20Corinthians%2011:2%E2%80%9310&version=nrsv |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref>

===Marital status===
In the 1800s, American women started wearing their hair up when they became ready to get married. Among the [[Fula people|Fulani]] people of west Africa, unmarried women wear their hair ornamented with small amber beads and coins, while married women wear large amber ornaments. Marriage is signified among the [[Toposa people|Toposa]] women of [[South Sudan]] by wearing the hair in many small [[pigtail]]s. Unmarried [[Hopi]] women have traditionally worn a "butterfly" hairstyle characterized by a twist or whorl of hair at each side of the face.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sherrow|first=Victoria|title=For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-1-57356-204-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/forappearancesak00sher/page/141 141–143]|url=https://archive.org/details/forappearancesak00sher/page/141}}</ref> Hindu widows in [[India]] used to shave their heads as part of their mourning although that practice has mostly disappeared.

===Life transitions===
In many cultures, including Hindu culture and among the [[Wayana|Wayana people]] of the [[Guiana Shield|Guiana highlands]], young people have historically shaved off their hair to denote coming-of-age. Women in [[India]] historically have signified adulthood by switching from wearing two braids to one. Among the [[Rendille people|Rendille]] of north-eastern [[Kenya]] and the Tchikrin people of the [[Amazon rainforest|Brazilian rainforest]], both men and women shave their heads after the death of a close family member. When a man died in ancient [[Greece]], his wife cut off her hair and buried it with him,<ref name="sherrow141"/> and in Hindu families, the chief mourner is expected to shave his or her head 3 days after the death.<ref>{{cite book|last=ul Hassan|first=Syed Siraj|title=The castes and tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's dominions, Volume 1|year=1920|publisher=The Times Press|location=Bombay|page=46|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924088964154}}</ref>

===Social class===
Upper-class people have always used their hairstyles to signal wealth and status. Wealthy Roman women wore complex hairstyles that needed the labours of several people to maintain them,<ref>{{cite book|last=Winter|first=Bruce W.|title=Roman wives, Roman widows: the appearance of new women and the Pauline communities|year=2003|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-8028-4971-7|page=104}}</ref> and rich people have also often chosen hairstyles that restricted or burdened their movement, making it obvious that they did not need to work.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ofek|first=Galia|title=Representations of hair in Victorian literature and culture|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-0-7546-6161-0|page=2}}</ref> Wealthy people's hairstyles used to be at the cutting edge of fashion, setting the styles for the less wealthy. But today, the wealthy are generally observed to wear their hair in conservative styles that date back decades prior.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fussell|first=Paul|title=Class: A Guide Through the American Status System|year=1992|publisher=Touchstone|isbn=978-0-671-79225-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/class00paul/page/54 54]|url=https://archive.org/details/class00paul/page/54}}</ref>

Middle-class hairstyles tend to be understated and professional. Middle-class people aspire to have their hair look healthy and natural, implying that they have the resources to live a healthy lifestyle and take good care of themselves.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

European-influenced working-class people's haircuts have tended to be somewhat simple. Working-class men have often shaved their heads or worn their hair close-cropped. While working-class women typically with long hair often have their hair cinched back away from their faces and secured on their scalp.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

=== Health ===
Hair, when it is natural and meets certain criteria, is one of the indicators of a person's good or poor health. This is one of the explanations for the significant role that hairstyles play in both sexual and emotional attraction.<ref>Swami, V., Furnham, A., & Joshi, K. (2008). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Viren_Swami/publication/5399253_The_Influence_of_Skin_Tone_Hair_Length_and_Hair_Colour_on_Ratings_of_Womens_Physical_Attractiveness_Health_and_Fertility/links/562496bf08ae70315b5dbcc8.pdf The influence of skin tone, hair length, and hair color on ratings of women's physical attractiveness, health, and fertility]. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49(5), 429–437.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=6 Signs Your Hair is Healthy |url=https://www.southernliving.com/fashion-beauty/hairstyles/healthy-hair-signs |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Southern Living |language=en}}</ref>

In the past, certain products used for [[hair graying]] (such as lead oxide or lead combs) have been a source of lead poisoning. Hair is sensitive to air pollution, particularly to various metallic pollutants in the environment (such as lead, [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], or [[arsenic]]<ref>Hindmarsh, J. T., Dekerkhove, D., Grime, G., & Powell, J. (1999). ''Hair arsenic as an index of toxicity. Arsenic Exposure and Health Effects'' (Chappell WR, Abernathy CO, Calderon RL, eds). Amsterdam: Elsevier, 41–49.</ref>). These metals can also be absorbed through food and [[beverages]], as hair bioconcentrates and stores them from the bloodstream to the skin.<ref>Pierard, G. E. (1979). ''Toxic effects of metals from the environment on hair growth and structure.'' Journal of cutaneous pathology, 6(4), 237–242.</ref> Additionally, certain medications can lead to [[hair loss]], and this may be worsened by specific hairstyles.<ref>Van Scott, E. J., Reinertson, R. P., & Steinmuller, R. (1957). ''The Growing Hair Roots of the Human Scalp and Morphologic Changes Therein Following Amethopterin Therapy''. Journal of investigative dermatology, 29(3), 197–204.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Caution: 'Acceptable' Black Women's Hairstyles May Harm Health |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2014/07/14/black-womens-hairstyles-health |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.wbur.org |date=14 July 2014 |language=en}}</ref>

According to a study<ref name="Etude2016">Alessandra H & Crystal A (2016) ''All hairstyles are not created equal: What the dermatologist needs to know about black hairstyling practices and the risk of traction alopecia'' (TA); American Academy of Dermatology; Ed: Elsevier; DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2016.02.1162; [http://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622%2816%2901398-0/abstract abstract].</ref> published in 2016 by the [[American Academy of Dermatology]] and notably reported by The Root<ref>Breanna Edwards (2016) [http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/04/weaves_braids_extensions_oh_my_why_your_favorite_hairstyles_may_be_contributing.html ''Weaves, Braids, Extensions, Oh My! Why Your Favorite Hairstyles May Be Contributing to Hair Loss''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501173517/http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/04/weaves_braids_extensions_oh_my_why_your_favorite_hairstyles_may_be_contributing.html |date=1 May 2016 }}; 2016-04-28.</ref> and [[Science Magazine|Science magazine]],<ref>[http://www.sciencemag.org/news/sifter/when-hairstyles-cause-hair-loss ''When hairstyles cause hair loss''], Science Mag, 2016-04-29.</ref> certain tightly braided hairstyles that exert significant and constant tension on the scalp can contribute to a specific form of alopecia known as traction alopecia (TA). This article categorized hairstyling practices into high, moderate, and low-risk categories of induced alopecia, enabling dermatologists and physicians to provide more precise advice to affected patients.<ref name="Etude2016" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=cupido |first=lisa |date=2023-07-24 |title=3 Life-Changing Hairstyles Pros Swear By For Instantly 'Thick And Healthy' Hair An 'Instant Facelift' |url=https://www.shefinds.com/collections/3-life-changing-hairstyles-thick-healthy/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=SheFinds |language=en-US}}</ref>

This is the case with common hairstyles among [[African-American women]], including extensions, braids, and [[dreadlocks]]. This may explain why approximately one-third of black women suffer from [[hair loss]]. Hair damage can be further exacerbated by the use of chemical products used for chemical straightening. The study's findings support recommendations to wear looser hairstyles and avoid keeping braids and extensions for more than a few months.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-11 |title=4 Styling Mistakes That Could Actually Make Your Hair Fall Out |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a19993088/hairstyles-that-damage-hair/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Women's Health |language=en-US}}</ref>

Certain products ([[hair dyes]], [[Hair spray|hairsprays]], bleaches, etc.) may contain allergenic ingredients. Several studies suggest that certain hairstyles or the use of bleaching or dyeing products may increase the risk of certain cancers (melanomas, as well as [[carcinomas]]<ref name="risqueCancerus1983">Scotto J, Fears T.R. & Fraumeni J.F. (1983) [http://www.ciesin.org/gsasearch/search?q=cache:pwoADrqeFE4J:www.ciesin.columbia.edu/docs/001-526/001-526.html+is&site=CIESIN&client=default_web&access=p&ie=UTF-8&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=default_web&oe=ISO-8859-1 ''Incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States''].</ref>); thus, long and dark hair that shades the skin and protects it from excessive ultraviolet exposure could be a protective factor against certain skin cancers (such as ear cancers).<ref name="risqueCancerus1983" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Laforgue |first=Jules |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oy-rn0Y0i9YC&dq=%22coiffure+%C3%A0+la+Titus%22+++talma&pg=PA223 |title=Oeuvres complètes |date=1986 |publisher=L'Age D'Homme |isbn=978-2-8251-0590-0 |language=fr}}</ref>