Chi Kung For Beautiful Hair

Artwork©FriedbertFischer/123rf

Ancient Taoist masters held that every hair extends from the skin like an antenna that can receive and transmit chi. They, therefore, placed great importance on hair vitality and strength. Longer and healthier hair allows for a better transmission of chi, while short, dry, brittle hair may not transmit as well.

Hair is one of the most noticeable characteristics of sexual attraction, beauty, confidence, and self-worth. Hair reflects social status, personal beliefs, and the state of one’s health and hygiene. Thick, lustrous, healthy hair attracts attention and frames the face, defining and completing it. Hair loss can cause considerable emotional distress in both sexes, but is usually more devastating for women due to social conditioning, which attaches greater importance to hair as an aspect of a woman’s beauty.

Today hair health is plagued by a host of environmental and internal problems — pollutants in the air, earth, water, and food; chemicals in skin and hair products; frequent washing with hot water and shampoos; tight hair bands; drying with hot air; hair dyes, permanent curling, and straightening; UV radiation and hormonal changes in menopause — all these affect hair vitality and beauty, causing premature graying, thinning, hair loss, itchy scalp, dandruff, and brittle ends.

Hair Is Part Of The Skin

Even though hair appears to be different from skin, it is an integral part of it, and is affected by the very same factors. Ironically, many methods that claim to make hair healthier and more beautiful in reality contribute to hair thinning and hair loss.

Here’s seven things to know about hair:

1. HAIR IS A MIRROR OF THE BODY. Like the skin, hair reflects the state of a person’s health and vitality and is affected by nutrition, internal problems, and emotions.

2. SOME HAIR LOSS IS NORMAL. Hair growth is cyclic and includes phases of growth, regression of the hair follicle, and rest.

3. MALE AND FEMALE SEX HORMONES AFFECT HAIR. Biologically, hair growth pattern is different for men and for women. This means that hair responds to male and female sex hormones differently, depending on where it’s growing. Hair on the face is stimulated by male sex hormones and suppressed by female sex hormones. Hair on the head is stimulated by female sex hormones and may be suppressed by male sex hormones.

4. HAIR IS A SPONGE FOR CHEMICALS. Hair absorbs heavy metals, drugs, and other chemicals, depositing them in its structure.

5. HAIR CANNOT BE REPAIRED. Only hair follicles can be regenerated, while hair itself is not a living structure.

6. WHAT DAMAGES THE SKIN DAMAGES HAIR. Hot water, detergents, toxic chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, poor nutrition, lack of adequate blood flow, pollution, dryness, stress, and hormonal imbalance all affect hair growth and beauty.

7. BEAUTIFUL HAIR IS A BETTER ANTENNA. Dry, dead, brittle hair cannot receive and transmit chi.

The best way to understand hair is to think of it as being like a tree growing from deep in the earth. Like a tree, hair has roots — the hair follicles. Hair follicles contain stem cells that produce six rings of growing cells. The three inner rings create the medulla, which is the softer and more fragile part of the hair, and the three outer rings produce the hair cortex and cuticle.

The cuticle of hair consists of several layers of flattened, keratinized cells that wrap around the cortex. They are very similar to the keratinized cells of the skin’s stratum corneum, and resemble scales. They serve the same functions as on the skin, providing strength, flexibility, protection, and waterproofing.

Also like the skin, hair is protected by lipids that prevent water from getting inside the hair shaft, making hair flexible and smooth; only, instead of ceramides, hair is protected by omega 3 fatty acids, which are linked to keratin proteins.

The medulla does not contain living cells and is built from keratin fibers. Every keratin strand has repeating segments of the keratin molecule, a long protein molecule made of amino acids. Both the cortex and the medulla are made of keratin, but the medulla is spongier and can deliver moisture to the hair. The cortex is another structure made of keratinous fibrils produced by cells growing within the hair follicle. The keratinous fibrils that make up the cortex are sturdy and strong, and are woven together like many wires inside a high-voltage electrical cable.

Hair Is Not A Living Structure and Cannot Be Repaired, Only Regrown

Only the very base of hair, where it meets the scalp, is alive, which means it contains living cells while the rest of hair does not. Because hair is not a living structure, it can be cut, colored, curled, straightened, and covered in various chemical substances.

However, it also means that once hair has emerged from the hair follicle, it cannot be repaired and regenerated other than through improving the skin or hair follicles. The rest of the hair can be cleaned, lubricated, softened, curled, dyed, or perfumed, but not really repaired. This is why the hair that frames our face looks more alive compared to hair ends, which are drier and more brittle. The only way to deal with dry and brittle hair is to cut it off and grow new hair.

A healthy person loses about 100 to 150 hairs every day, which are replaced by approximately the same amount of growing hair. If the hair follicles take too long to replenish, then hair loss may start exceeding hair growth, and the hair will become thinner.

Robust, healthy, vigorous hair follicles produce thick, shiny, beautiful hair. Smaller, weaker, sickly hair follicles produce thinner and weaker hair. Since hair growth requires follicle cells to constantly produce more proteins and melanin, hair follicles require good circulation, swift removal of toxins, and a lot of energy.

So, the length, thickness, density, and health of hair, as well as its pigmentation, depends on hair follicle energy flow, which depends on the skin’s energy flow. The hair growth cycle also is affected by age, ethnicity, and genetics.

Hair Needs To Move

One reason for stunted hair growth and hair loss is lack of hair movement. Hair growing out of hair follicles is held in place by tiny muscles. Just as animals have the ability to bristle when they sense danger, humans too can have a “hair-raising” experience, only not as noticeable.

When hair moves, muscles tense and relax, activating blood and lymph flow. So, in order to have good microcirculation, hair has to move. Longer hair moves more, and because of its movement and weight, it can build stronger muscles that are better at activating circulation.

At the same time, longer hair is more likely to break and entangle. A traditional braid is the ideal hairstyle for long hair, provided it is not too tight at the top. As the braid moves with body movement, it activates circulation in the scalp while protecting long strands from breaking.

The worst hairstyle for long hair is a hairband, since it can eventually wear out hair cuticles and expose the cortex, making hair vulnerable to breakage. Since shorter hair is lighter and moves even less, it’s important for people with short hair to massage their scalp regularly. Hairstyles that keep hair in place, such as strong-hold hairspray that fixes hair in one position, and restrictive hair coverings and wigs that are worn over natural hair for an extended period of time (hours), limit hair movement and impede circulation.

If holding hair in one position is necessary, it is important to massage the scalp and let the hair go free whenever possible. When people sit too long without moving, the hair doesn’t move as it does when people are walking, running, bending, and stretching. This is why including the physical movements of Chi Kung in a daily routine helps not only the skin, but also the hair to stay healthy and beautiful.

Breathing chi into the hair activates the hair follicles and helps bring more life force into the body. Photo©szefei/123rf

Taoist Secrets Of Beautiful Hair

By increasing chi in the body, the hair will greatly benefit. The following are a few simple recommendations that do not require expensive hair remedies or procedures.

• BONE COMB Brush your hair daily at least forty to fifty times from the crown down using a bone or horn comb. Taoists traditionally used buffalo horn for a comb. Vegans can use a wooden comb; just make sure it is well-polished and doesn’t damage the hair cuticles. It’s important to always comb from the base of the scalp to the ends of the hair strands, and never comb wet hair, because the cuticle of the hair is held in place by weak chemical bonds which loosen when hair is wet. This allows curling and styling of wet hair, but also makes wet hair more vulnerable to damage.
• SCALP MASSAGE Massage your scalp with your fingers frequently.
• GENTLE CLEANSING It is important to wash your hair with warm water only (not hot) and select a mild shampoo. A good-quality conditioner will help protect your hair from damage and make it more manageable and flexible.
• HEALING LOVE In menopause, when scalp skin starts receiving less estrogen, Taoists recommended moving one’s sexual energy from the sexual organs to the head through the practices of Healing Love Chi Kung, such as the Microcosmic Orbit Meditation. Sexual energy is like water in that like the water that helps trees grow, it similarly stimulates regeneration and growth of hair. When combined with unconditional love, this produces a healing elixir that stimulates the stem cells and improves hair growth.
• RELAX AND RELEASE Inner Smile Chi Kung allows you to release negative emotions, relax the body, and alleviate stress.
• MOVEMENT Physical exercises must be done regularly to move scalp hair and bring more blood, oxygen, nutrients, and moisture to hair follicles.
• NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT Eating vibrant food containing the colors of the five elements helps supply the skin with important nutrients such as copper, zinc, sulfur, vitamins, essential amino acids, phytoestrogens, and omega 3 fatty acids, all of which support hair growth.
• GRAY HAIR NEEDS MORE CARE Taoist masters generally live long and healthy lives, coming to great wisdom later in life. Just as the skin and body need more care as we age, gray hair has to be treated with reverence and extra care.
• HAIR BREATHING Breathing chi into the hair activates the hair follicles and helps bring more life force into the body.

1. Sit straight on the edge of a chair or stand in Chi Kung stance, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Feel your feet connecting to the earth, growing deep roots. Feel your crown connecting to the cosmos by extending your hair antennae. Keep your spine straight. Feel your tailbone extending down into the ground.
2. Become aware of your hair. Smile into your hair. Take a deep breath into your nose and let it out through your nose again. On the next inhalation, visualize and feel breathing into your hair and then exhale, imagining you are breathing out from your hair.
3. Imagine your hairs extending from your scalp with every breath, like antennae. Inhale golden light into your hair; exhale dark and cloudy energy.
4. Begin abdominal breathing. Inhale, expanding your abdomen. Exhale, moving the navel toward your spine. Repeat nine times.
5. Inhale, then exhale, pulling the navel toward your spine, then hold your breath. As you hold your breath, start pulling your perineum and diaphragm up, while imagining you are drawing chi all the way up into the ends of your hair. Inhale, exhale, and relax and rest. Repeat this step nine times.
6. Rest, relax, and breathe softly. Smile into your hair.
7. Gently tap your crown and your third eye to activate nerve endings. Now repeat abdominal breathing (described in step 4 above) nine times. Next, inhale, then exhale, holding your breath, and “breathe without breathing” by moving your perineum and diaphragm up. Imagine receiving universal violet light into your crown and your third eye. Let the violet light saturate your brain and scalp.
8. Relax, rest, and breathe through your hair, becoming aware of chi flow.
9. Focus on your navel. Guide chi from your navel into your perineum. Then inhale, pull up your perineum, and guide chi with your eyes, breathing and smiling up the tailbone and sacrum into the Microcosmic Orbit.
10. Rest, relax, and smile into your hair.

Chi Kung for Radiant Skin by Mantak Chia © 2024 Destiny. Printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International. www.InnerTraditions.com

Mantak Chia, world-famous Inner Alchemy and Chi Kung master, founded the Universal Healing Tao System in 1979, and has taught tens of thousands of students and trained instructors all over the world. The founder of the Tao Garden Health Spa and Resort in Thailand, he is the author of more than 60 books, including Healing Light of the Tao.

Anna Margolina, Ph.D., is a scientist, spiritual teacher, and Chi Kung and Universal Healing Tao instructor. For more than 20 years she has worked as an adviser for cosmetic companies in the United States and Israel.

Find holistic Energy Healing And Medicine in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.

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