HAIR

 From the desk of Vitasta Raina

Dated: 23rd May 2025, 10 Months post event

Of Health, Hair and HaHappiness

Notes: On Mobile, Sorry

*

Now let me take my heavy hair

And like the Ganges let it flow

Down my shoulders, soft and bare

In silver strands that gently glow.

*

Stanford University published a research about aging. They said that we don’t necessarily grow old gradually over time, but rather in two dramatic bursts at ages 44 and 60. Well, I am in my 44th year of existence on this planet, and of late I have been thinking about aging, or more specifically ‘aging gracefully’.

Hair. May 2022

I didn’t always wear my hair long, but somewhere in 2015, I stopped getting regular haircuts and let my hair grow long and wild. It was also around this time perhaps, that I first started noticing stray silver strands. I have never been fond of make-up or chemical skin-care regimes, but I was always interested in beauty. So when the first waves of grey touched my temples, I settled on Henna and Castor Oil to cover my greys. It was tedious work, but I liked the result, and unlike some, I loved the earthy aroma of henna. Soon, my ambitions grew and I started experimenting with different oils like Walnut Oil and mixing in Coffee and Indigo to give my hair a different sheen. And for a couple of years this worked.

But as time moved on and the greys kept creeping in, I caved in and tried chemical hair colours particularly the Casting Crème from L’Oréal. This was also when I was entering an uncomfortable age, I suppose, from my perspective anyway. I was approaching 40, and I could no longer tame my greys with henna alone. Every two weeks, I see them glimmer as my roots grew out from their artificially coloured exteriors. And I noticed other things too, as my body changed. I think one of the most important lessons I learnt during this period, was not to compare yourself, not to others is a given, but also not to your own younger self. You are no longer 20 or 25 or even 35!

Over the past 4 years, I made a lot of changes in my life, small changes at first, like updating my wardrobe, and quitting alcohol altogether, and then, something more dramatic; ten months ago, I coloured my hair for the last time. And in these ten months, apart from getting used to the greys, I have also discovered a sort of serenity that was absent in my life for all these years.

Hair. May 2025

As I am aging, I am becoming more comfortable in my own skin, more aware of the subtle changes happening, not just physically but also a mental shift, like an age of anxiety is over, and I'm entering into an era of quiet confidence — where I no longer feel the need to prove myself, but instead, I find strength in presence, in choosing peace over perfection, and in embracing life as it unfolds, with grace and grounded clarity.

Life, as they say, begins at 40.

*

Shanti