In the fashion world, clothing is often the first thing that comes to mind when discussing personal style but it isn’t the only thing that can make a look unique and personal. 

For centuries, people have been using their hair to tell a story and to show the world who they are. There is a myriad of countries and cultures worldwide that emphasize the importance of hairstyles in daily life. 

Hair carries history, culture, self-esteem, confidence and power. Whether it’s growing out hair to symbolize strength and power, covering hair to convey modesty, shaving hair to represent a loss or braiding hair to show unity, hairstyling provides infinite pathways to individuality and history. 

For the Indigenous people of America, their hairstyles represent a connection to their kin and their beliefs. 

Many people choose to grow their hair long, flowing down their backs or into long braids while some indigenous people opt to put on a topknot or bun. Many Indigenous people feel a symbolic connection to their hair and cutting it to represents a loss. 

Along with the styling of hair, hair care practices carry with them their own sets of traditions and spiritual connections. An abundance of pride is found in the health and beauty of hair, as the connection between hair, nature and culture is emphasized. 

Black individuals around the world have a long and brutal history of stigmatization and appropriation surrounding hair. 

In historical African societies, the style of one’s hair, such as braids or twists, represented their family and social status. The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought with it much turmoil and history for the African American community leading many to rely on hair as their sole means of identity. 

According to BLAM UK, enslaved Africans often used cornrows to transfer and create maps that allowed them to escape from the plantation in which they were enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade and have long since served as a tool of resistance. 

Black hair can’t be defined in one specific term. Today, black men and women embrace their hair and the history that comes with it, often wearing their hair in protective styles such as braids, twists or locks. Others embrace their natural hair, enhancing its beauty with different products and styles. 

In many faiths, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths, members choose to cover their hair. While not all members choose to partake in this practice, and not all sects of these religions participate, many people find a closer connection to their gods and their culture through the covering of hair. 

Many Orthodox Jewish women may cover their natural hair with a wig, while Muslim women may choose a hijab to cover their hair. Similarly, some Hindu men use turbans to cover their heads.

Outside of cultural practices, hair can be symbolic of so many things. People may cut their hair dramatically to represent a new stage of their life, dye their hair as an act of rebellion or weave charms and trinkets into their hair, letting their individuality shine. 

There are so many ways people use their hair to send a message and to document who they are at a moment in time.