Desi Girl: Hair as a Symbol of Culture

Having long, dark, and silky hair has always been such a beautiful and prominent symbol of my South Asian history.

I remember my mom would buy parachute coconut oil and run it under the hot water in the sink to thaw it out to massage my roots to my ends. I remember always seeing the green bottle of Vatika Amla oil in our bathroom cabinet that you could smell in every breeze of my grandma’s hair.

Instead of coloring with L’Oréals box dye, my grandma would use henna to dye her hair red! The same one we would use to paint designs on our hands for weddings.

My hair is a symbol of my culture and I love that!

- Kiran for Soft Rows