BWAH! Bald and brave
- Joel Pritchard
- Apr 26, 2024
- 2 min read
My Mum and her crowning glory.
MY HALO JOURNEY
Several years of travelling between two countries, two islands and the planning and organisation of my move to
Mauke were finally starting to show results – just not in a good way.
Stress? Ha! I laugh in the face of stress, but my hair was unamused, thoroughly traumatised, a poor facsimile and no longer the thick, shiny tresses of yesteryear.
With the homestead in order, my hair thinning rapidly and not growing at all, I took stock. Time to make my first Jeani product, a miracle shampoo bar. I was going to transform my Manihiki grandmother’s recipe to suit my needs. The very one my mother used on my hair most Saturdays growing up.
Hindsight and introspection are guiding principles for the old and wise. Now I know. Appreciation and gratitude didn't really hit me till I had the girls and I'd lost what I'd always taken for granted - my hair! I was never allowed to shear my crowning glory, so when I moved out of home at 17, I cut it all off. Oh, the defiance of youth.
Maturity is illuminating. I was also desperate. So, I dug deep, channeling my nanny’s gift of herbal remedies and my mother’s voice reprimanding me to stand still as she took the time to wash and care for my hair.
With a twist, I turned my nanny’s recipe into a shampoo bar and when I washed my hair with it for the first time, I felt her approval and my mother’s warmth. Since then, my hair continues to grow like the clappers, a bit dimmer from age, but restored to its former glory.
Nanny’s Special Recipe and Coconut King Shampoo Bars epitomise the naivety of my youth and the wisdom of my elders.
I wish my nanny was here to ask if she had a concoction for keeping the greys at bay. I am not looking forward to the day when I have to colour my hair – it’s getting close. I’ve been exploring plants on the island, so here’s hoping.
Dedicated with love and gratitude to my late Mum and Nanny.
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