.Tips for the Top................................................a practical book on Haircare by a Haircare Scientist

Some basic, Scientific Details  and analysis for self care of Hair. Click Contents for chapters linked to this site

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  5000 years of Hairloss  

 

Digest the Past to understand the present reality
   
  We have lost Centuries with unsubstantiated causes, Hypothesis, Theories etc to find the reasons and the Cure for Baldness. The clear cut solution is not yet in sight. That is the crux of the matter.

But for the hair, Mahabharata may have taken a different course !

 

 
There was no Cure or Delaying mechanism for hairloss / Baldness since ages, in Ayurveda, Allopathy, Homeopathy, Aromopathy, Unani etc. If there was any, it has not been practised widely to be of use to the common public. 
     
    Hence What comes out clear and loud is that, there was always a demand for some cure and scope to earn money for those who took advantage of this weakness amongst the public, for the bygone hair. 

 

Over 5000 years back  - The Egyptian Civilisation
   
  In early Egyptian Civilisation, Baldness was considered an Unwanted Contagious Disease. Bald Men had to cover their heads. They were untouchables. Children were not allowed near them. It means that Baldness existed from the time of the first known ancient civilisation. No Cure for Baldness since 5000 years - what does it mean ?  Be Careful ! Hair Research / cures are still poor


 
 

3rd BC - The Greeks  -  Aristotle shifted the blame !     The art / birth of Politics ?
   
  Aristotle, a famous Greek Philosopher, observed 2300 years back, that one has to become an Eunuch or choose one's  parents. You cannot choose any one option.

Aristotle's comments holds the clue for a Cure. Eunuchs do not go Bald. Why? But no significant and meaningful research or progress  has been made so far to be of any benefit to the common man. 

Hairloss / Baldness situation has only worsened further in 21st Century compared to 3rd BC.  As per a news report reprinted in a Business magazine, 20% of the American Men and 40% of the Japanese Men are going Bald. It means that Apart from Heredity, other factors also have come into play


 
 

India - around 3rd BC - Chankya was Stumped
  Ayurveda had no cure for Baldness even 2500 years back.  Alexander the Greek, reached upto present Punjab or near about that Region in India. With Aristotle, Hypocrites and others in Greece crying pathetically and helplessly against Baldness, Alexander would have certainly requested Poras to spare him a few good Ayurvedic Doctors to attend to the Greek Baldies or disclose to him the Cure to alleviate the suffering of the Greeks.

Poras would have readily agreed to such a request on humanitarian Grounds. 

Alexander did not make such a request to Poras. In other words, Baldness existed here in India too. And the great ' Chanakaya ' was also Bald. And a Greek Traveller, Megasthanis came in his time to India. That is during Chandra Gupta Maurya's rule. 

Even if there was partial cure, Chanakya was a very pragmatic personality and would not have thrown away a business opportunity, if there was a chance.


   

 
The Dragon too, got dragged.    Was Acupuncture tried ? 
   
  The two famous Chinese Travellers, Pahiyan and Huang Seng, [as I recollect my 1957 social studies ] visited India at different periods of Indian History. They went to several places. They would have certainly heard about the Cure for Baldness, had it existed during the period of their visits.

They did not mention anything in their dairies. It means that they heard nothing special in any of the places they visited in India to write about the cure for Baldness or delaying Baldness. From this, it is simple  inference that there was

 No Remedy either in Ayurveda  or  in the Chinese System of Medicine
    to delay or avoid Baldness

The Chinese  would have descended in hordes long back and not waited till 1963 to get into India. The Trickle that came earlier would not have got stuck got with Shoe Making, Dentistry and Petty Trading in Calcutta. 

   

Hair is the only trivia to merit an Epic  - Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope
   
  The English came to trade in India. But eventually they did something else is part of the Indian History. Even their etiquette is not proper and above board despite their famed upper lip posture

Why go to a distant land and not bothering about the local custom, ask for a cup of Tea in Boston, is still unclear to me. Could they not have asked for a mug of coffee or a peg of whisky ? No wonder the brash Americans did not like their approach and booted them out.

The British have to be given some credit for the present Indian geography. They ruled it for nearly 2 Centuries. Had any cure existed for baldness in India in any corner, they would have spotted it. Did not a Queen suffer from excess hairloss.

Do they not shout 'God save the Queen' every other day ? If not her, they have the national duty to save the descendents and keep the Throne clean - devoid of fallen hair

The factual position is they rest content with Alexander Pope's epic, Rape of the Lock ! No one has attempted to pen an epic on such a commonplace subject - trivia. It is a mock epic, so what ?

   

Baldness and Sun have set in British Soil firmly !
   
  How I wish, as an Indian,  that there was a cure in India for Baldness or at least for delaying it in the 17th Century. We could have pulled the British by their hairs and not got silenced by their guns.

We can bet on our lives that instead of attempting to Trade in Spices,
The British would have become the Marketers of Anti Baldness Cream.

Did  they not say that the Sun never sets in the British Soil ! Distribution would not have been a hurdle. With World wide market for such a product, they may not have felt the need to indulge in the Opium Trade via Hong Kong. Britain would have rested with Anti Baldness creams

   

Uncle Sam ?  No Chance !
   
 

As an Indian, I wish that India had a reasonable working Technology for saving the hair. That Technology could have made India, the Richest Country in the World.

The Indo - US hair trade treaty would have made mince meat of Nuclear Deal and what have you. After having stashed away 454 atomic bombs, they are concerned about Nuclear Disarmament and what not ! In the name of Nuclear safety, they will attack Iraq though it was really Oily politics


   

We are not alone or the first to suffer from Hair Loss and Baldness is a very consoling thought. Our forefathers were no better. We get the backing of history to march on bare headed.  Isn't that nice ?

   

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Main / original content:  2001: Last minor modifications: Mar 9, 2010:     Personal website of R. Ranganathan M.Sc., [ MBA - IIMA]