What have you got on? Brazilian/Peruvian/Indian Hair?
Hi people,
How is it going? My week has been filled with all manners of emotions-all manners I say. I attended the funeral service yesterday but didn’t have the heart to go w ith them to the cemetery. Bloody sad is what it is. But like I am quick to add, no matter what, let us lead death-ready lives, day in day out. As you sleep, though we say ‘I shall not die but live’, be prepared for eternity all the time. Never for one minute slack on your walk with God. It is not always going to be easy but his grace is surely sufficient to see us through.
I attended Wednesday service at the Water brook in Oriental yesterday and it was Pastor Tony Rapu himself that ministered. It was so interesting and there was a lot to learn from him. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing was that I had to strain my ears to hear him sometimes as he speaks very softly.
Today, I want to seek your opinion on an issue that worries/bothers/intrigues me: human hair.
These days, everywhere you turn, of 10 females; at least 3 have on another human being’s hair on her head. It has evolved from being a fashion statement to a basic commodity of life. It is just natural to fix Brazilian these days. So natural is it that they even come in lengths as short as 8 inches so you get a very ‘realistic’ look from it.
The other day, I was having a conversation with a male friend after seeing a documentary on the BBC about where the hair comes from, the gods to whom they are dedicated and the process of actually sourcing these hairs from the head of the original owner to the packs that are now sold at exorbitant prices. To say that I was shocked is to put it mildly. Here is a summary of the documentary’s findings.
It is no breaking news that Indians practice idolatry and it is to their gods that they sacrifice their hair by shaving it off as a sign of reverence. It is then this offering that is washed and packaged and then sold on to the end users.
What exactly am I saying? I have seen people (deliverance ministers) who claim that demons from these gods hide themselves in the hair. Remember, the hair was sacrificed to them and as such they have a legal right to it. As soon as you fix it on your head, they latch themselves you. Even long after taking it off, they remain a constant fixture in your life. During the period you have it fixed on, for instance, when you attend a job interview, instead of seeing your glory and abilities, all the interviewer sees is the demon on you and this leads to all manners of lost opportunities because another’s destiny is laid upon you. We all know the significance of the head right?
Well if you didn’t let me quickly attempt an explanation:
The head is the most important part of a man’s body (spiritually). When a baby is born and the elders want to pray for the child, they lay their hands on its head. When you grow up and you need to be prayed for, you kneel down and the person praying lays his hands on your head. It is a channel of blessing. Even the Bible speaks on the laying on of hands in order to spread the anointing. When David was to be anointed king, it was on his head oil was poured. See also, ‘Take thou the anointing oil, and pour it upon the head of Aaron, and anoint him’ (Exod. 29:7; 30:30). You remember Psalm 23? Thou anointest my head with oil? Those are just a few examples. Even Yorubas will say:
For good: Olori ire-fortunate one. Literal translation: he who has a head of blessings
For bad: Olori buruku-unfortunate one. Literal translation: he who has a head of misfortune
Therefore, what you place on your head is without doubt, very important. By using human hair, are we falling for the devil’s gimmicks to erode our destinies? Or is it only for mere aesthetics? If we condemn this, do we not also condemn the act of vintage thrifting for example as you are basically putting on what another person has put on before? Could we even be wild in our imagination and condemn buying used cars too? Or heart transplant perhaps?
Can we buy these human hairs and soak it in the Blood of Jesus asking for His blood to purify it and cleanse it from any attachment to evil powers and forces?
What is your take on the use of human hair?
PS: I presently have on 18”, 16” and 14” Brazilian hair so I dare not judge.
Temiville.xoxo
Musings of a Caramel Latte Addict 
Aug 11, 2011 @ 12:41:48
Wow! Just read the article in teh link you put up and it’s so spooky. They actually donate the hair to the ‘lord.’ While my first reaction is ‘stay away from Indian hair,’ I can’t help but notice that they also extract amino acids used in food preservatives from the hair! So i’m in a bind, given that we eat a lot of canned food etc, are we eating stuff extracted from hair sacrificed to idols? Having said that, I won’t intentionally buy hair that was sacrificed to idols, no way. I wear Brazillian hair in general and i hear theirs is purely sold for commercial reasons but i’ll do a bit more research. In general, I just may be looking for alternatives to human hair in all.
Aug 11, 2011 @ 13:39:18
Wow nice one. You’re not the only one that has wondered about this phenomenon. I have also wondered about wearing hair that has been offered to gods. I think ultimately, it goes back to one being led and guided by the Holy Spirit and doing what works for you. I can’t remember the details but you may want to look up what Paul had to say about eating gentile foods, foods offered to gentile gods. Have a blessed day Temi!
Aug 11, 2011 @ 14:49:07
I was thinking about the same bible reference and I didn’t know what it was so I just googled “meat sacrifice idol paul” and the verse came up.. 😉 Thank God for google! I think the bible is pretty clear on this issue though, just substitute hair for food.
Here’s the passage: 1 Cor 8:4-13
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
My own jara: Regarding the biblical implications, I’ll say that since it’s something that Naija people are pretty comfortable with and don’t consider sinful, it’s not sinful in our context. Save for 2 caveats: 1) you are uncomfortable with the idea, you still believe that spirits can use the hair as a medium 2) you believe the hair is being sourced unethically- do the indians chopping their hair off realize that someone is making a fortune off of it? of course, this is a subjective point and everybody’s response to it can be different.
oya, who wants to start a line of fair trade human hair? 😉
Aug 13, 2011 @ 17:26:56
Abiola, you just nailed it.
Do you also know that some people also devote their businesses and the products they manufacture to the devil? Does that mean we shouldn’t use such?
Matthew 15:11 – “what goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean” (NIV)
But I have to add that since we know this:
– we should pray (I no be babe sha) before using them
– and probably use it as a contact point to pray for the salvation of the original owner’s soul
Cheers.
Feb 20, 2012 @ 15:11:44
Lol @ fair hair trade. I thought about that too. I think its terrible that the don’t make any profit and don’t know the hair they “sacrificed” is actually sold.
Aug 11, 2011 @ 15:46:53
I completely agree with Abiola.
If you are uncomfortable with it or the Holy Spirit has ministered to you expressly not to use it, you better not… I for one prefer the synthetics (d fibers) to human hair but doesn’t mean if I can’t use the Indian, Peruvian etal…
Aug 11, 2011 @ 15:51:17
Well, comments above partly speak my mind. U said yourself that Should we condemn used cars for this same reasons? Do u even know what that ‘tokunbo’ u are driving was used for by the first owner? My take is… don’t even think about it, don’t worry about it. It’s simply what Paul was trying to say: if they serve you food, don’t even ask for the source.. and even if you know the source… sanctify it and eat it. Tell me, are we saying something that has been dedicated to a piece of wood/stone inhabited by a demon cannot be overwhelmed by the divine blessing u pronounce on it? Is Buhda’s influence/power now greater than Jesus’? When I just touch anything… it’s blessed! I’m cannot just be against hair extensions of any kind. The point is.. be modest: don’t starve yourself cos u wanna use Brazilian… now that’s the point!
Aug 11, 2011 @ 20:16:20
Great post, and comment from Abiola. My human hair is mine, thank goodness.
Aug 11, 2011 @ 21:43:28
Great post but my dear,nobody dashed me the indian hair or lace wig I’m using,I paid for it,bought it with a price,it’s not free so I’m not owing them,what would they say,that I didnt pay them or that I did something wrong to them,they need the money if not they wont cut their hair,the rich ones don’t and i think I also go with Abiola ohhh
Aug 11, 2011 @ 21:52:56
Ha Nawa oh..I would say use wisdom..Bible says wisdom is profitable to direct..Mere sanctifying something you have knowledge of it source with the blood of Jesus is not enough..I would advice everyone to read spiritual warfare by Richard Ing..very very powerful book.
Aug 11, 2011 @ 22:28:13
lol..at the moment I have synthetic hair *Covers Face* I use a higher quality bran though. I prefer synthetic for curly hair styles because it maintains its curl pattern longer. With human hair I have to worry about brushing and applying heat..who has time for that in the summer.. #NotI lol
p.s.
Really Enjoying your blog but I have one question..
WHere do you get Caramel lattes in Nigeria 😉
http://www.mikkisoxtra.com/
Aug 12, 2011 @ 09:27:36
hahaha lol@ you covering your face. I’ve seen some amazing synthetic brands sha. lol. Mehn, there aint no caramel lattes in Naij o. I go to Cafe Vergnano at the Palms for some nice latte though. Caramel Latte is a Starbucks thing. lol
Aug 18, 2011 @ 04:39:39
OMG…I think I would have a daily conniption without my Mcdonalds Mocha Frappee… My newest love is the Mango Smoothie and I doubt I could find it’s twin in naija…but who knows..lol
Aug 11, 2011 @ 22:53:27
Nice post.i was just reading this bible chapter(1cor 10:23, 28-31) which can be linked with the verses abiola outlined and it says in vs 23 that Everything is permissable but not everything is beneficial. it goes on to say in verse 28-31:
28 But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake–
29 the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience?
30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Aug 12, 2011 @ 01:34:49
This is a very powerful post. I actually missed the program when they showed it on BBC. It’s so true and i will henceforth learn how to pray and soak the hair in the blood of Jesus. Thanks for sharing Temi.
Aug 12, 2011 @ 09:01:57
Hi. Let me quickly point out here that not all indians are buddhists and not all human hair is sourced from indian temples.
I should know this because i have been selling human hair for a little over two years now and i do not buy temple hair. I buy exclusively from a family whose business for over four generations has been growing their hair strictly for for the purpose of selling. And they do not go to the temples to donate it. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to get hair from them on a steady basis, one has to pre-book in large quantities at a time because one can only get so much from such a venture, as opposed to temple hair which is very easy to source.
Original Brazilian hair on the other hand is very rare and expensive and is not sourced from temples.
Any which ways, blessing your stuff when you purchase them is supposed to be a lifestyle, and should not be limited to just human hair.
Just my two kobos 😀
Aug 15, 2011 @ 18:11:52
How can I get in touch wif. You madam?
Aug 18, 2011 @ 13:32:46
hey Sameera. So sorry im just responding: temiville@yahoo.com
Aug 12, 2011 @ 09:56:43
Temi, first I’m inclined to say used cars and all is hardly comparable to scarificed human hair…I see where you’re coming from, but we really can’t compare.
In my opinion it falls in the category of “personal conviction” but its defo got me thinking being a human hair *virgin* myself.
Great blog btw.
Aug 12, 2011 @ 16:13:52
Interesting
Aug 12, 2011 @ 16:45:21
wow about you being at the oriental on wednesday. i worship there on sundays. if you are going to be there then i will have to look for you.
About the human hair, me i have never really like weave as they stress me out, i am a naturalista and i love it.
http://www.secretlilies.blogspot.com
Aug 13, 2011 @ 22:13:47
Here I was reading the post and enjoying it till I saw the Indian woman’s picture with her hair being cut and all I could think was, “Gosh! Wish I could have that hair for free!” Lol… Oh well, like Nutella said, blessing stuff when you purchase them should be a lifestyle. I try to do that on my stuff.
What time are the services at Water Brook?
xx
Oh btw, I just remembered a story my friend told me. Apparently, her aunt had a dream while she had a weave on and in the dream an Indian woman appeared to her saying, “Give me my hair!” True Story. Lol, I’ve scared you guys abi? Hahaha!!! Not my intention. Just sharing.
xx
Aug 14, 2011 @ 20:31:48
i’m wearing braids at the moment… i used to hear scary stories as a child of people who got possessed by demons because they wore hair extensions. i believed then, not sure i do now. but then, i only rarely wear human hair (weaves in general) bcos i need to wash and oil my scalp frequently to prevent dandruff.
Aug 15, 2011 @ 09:50:19
Hmmm…. Temiloluwa. Your blog is awesome and I like you even without knowing you. I have human hair and use them. Not only that, I have made profit from selling them. My hubby is totally against it’s use and has said so. I really didnt listen (sighs) cos I know his disposition to jewelries, attachements and the like so I felt I had to go with my conscience which did not judge me for its use and sales. However going through the link you posted I begin to wonder… I will do more ponderings on this.
Thanks for a beautiful post.
Aug 16, 2011 @ 15:30:08
I would have to sorta agree with TessAlot….. Comparing used cars to hair is a bit extreme.
i think its a matter of personal conviction and what God has instructed you to do…I believe God deals with everyone on an individual basis…so what goes for A wouldn’t necessarily fit in with B (bar any general rules like thou shalt not kill, steal etc)
but another thing i believe is that our consciences never deceive us… if deep down there is a feeling of unease about using human hair then you have your answer….on the other hand if you don’t think twice about it and you have no concerns or unease, you also have your answer.
God will help us.
Aug 17, 2011 @ 00:50:43
Wow! This is interesting ‘cos I’ve just spent the last hour looking for styles to do with the Brazilian hair I’m about to buy. In fact, I’ve just spent today and yesterday negotiating with the seller. Now, may I say that I have NEVER done Brazilian hair before in my life. Why? Because 1. I do not like jumping on the bandwagon, so just ‘cos it’s fashionable to do Brazilian, I must do it too? MBA, not me. 2. My family church is MFM, a church I’ve attended for the last 11 years until I moved away from home recently. Pastor Olukoya and my own pastor Antony have both preached against using human hair and I’ve used similar documentaries like the one you watched to back up their points. MFM is a ministry that’s very spiritually sensitive when it comes to things you wear on your hair and body, due to its deliverance ministry nature, I guess. In actual fact, MFM does not condone the use of hair extensions at all, be it expression or yaki or Indian hair. lol. So the point is, these two reasons have deterred me from Brazilian until very recently. I remember telling a friend(who attends MFM too) these reasons and she said pointed out that the Premium human hair are not so “clean” either and that they’re a lot of things we use as consumers that we don’t know their history bla bla bla. I also got sick of spending so much money on Premium extensions and the likes (it’s dearer in Dublin) and still end up being sold fake hair that would last only a month and I’d throw it out. So I decided to give Brazilian hair a go, more than anything, because of the lasting nature of the hair. I purchased one a couple of months ago that I wasn’t so satisfied with so I never used it but I’m about to buy new ones…as in, I’m meant to put the payment into the seller’s account this week. But having read this post now, I really don’t know. I’m going to have to seriously re-think this Brazilian business. I think it’s about being personally convicted though. If and when I go ahead to buy the hair, I’ll make sure I pray over it and soak it with the blood of Jesus.
Interesting you mentioned Pastor Tony Rapu. He’s the mentor of the pastor of the church I now attend and I believe he actually started this church, Jesus House in London and another one in the States. I’ve heard so many great things about him.
Aug 19, 2011 @ 06:39:40
All the bible scriptures mentioned above have linked to the issue. What I know is that everything will do must edify God. I personally don’t wear Brazillian hair, etc. I admired those that wear it as they usually look glamorous. When I wanted to buy the hair, I was about to be given the money but Holy Spirit convinced me and spoke to me that :all is vanity’ and why do I need to edify my beauty using someone else’s hair’. I wanted to disobey the voice of God but everytime I was tempted to buy d hair, God will convince me again. So, I have decided to stick to my braids, ghana weaving, etc. It’s all about Holy Spirit convinction. Some Christians don’t rily see anything wrong with some things until Holy Spirit convince them personally.
Aug 22, 2011 @ 12:50:14
First of all, Temi I want to say this is a write-up well done. Then now I’ll proceed to explain what brought me here; so here goes. I use Brazilian hair and I quite like it, but lately I thought I should try Indian hair. And the search began. Then I remembered that Indian hair is sacrificed to gods, so I stopped to google if Brazilian was sacrificed to gods. Anyway, one click lead to another and here am I…
But what you’ve said has made me re-think this ‘hair’ business. The principle of your head being important enough to be guarded is something everyone knows but, we still forget to apply it when it comes to matters of hair and other aesthetic products. God help us all. Amen! And as funky said I think we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to personally lead us about issues like this.
Jun 01, 2012 @ 06:00:49
That’s why I don’t fix indian Hair but I fix others
Dec 31, 2012 @ 01:52:33
Thanks for sharing. I heard this first from Chris Rock’s Movie “Good Hair” and from there I’ve kinda been searching for information regarding the origin of the hair we place in our heads. This is really a great discussion and if we didn’t want to please God we wouldn’t go to great length to try to figure it out. I think others may have cited the reference from Acts 21:25 stating we should keep ourselves from things offered to idols not just food. The Holy Spirit won’t tell you anything contrary to God’s word, so its important to take heed. I wear weaves as well, but mostly synthetic the kind you can heat, while my natural which is w/o chemicals grows out. I encourage everyone to keep search for the truth and don’t be afraid of what you discover. Shalom
Jan 31, 2013 @ 12:39:45
If you really want to make heaven,abstain from every kind of hair attachment. God doesn’t mistake by given ur normal hair. Pls Gód loves u, so repent , if not u wil regret it after DEATH.
Sep 04, 2013 @ 10:42:51
I think when we talk about beauty, one has to look at a lot things we add to our body just to look beautiful, that God did not create us with like piercing, jewelry etc its not only hair we add to this body, God created us with. if you are saying stay away from hair, than we have to stay away a lot of things, like painting nails, eyebrows etc, and leave them the way God created them. I think Abiola have said it well. according to this versus 1 Cor 8:4-13 and this one 1cor 10:23, 28-31
Jan 31, 2013 @ 12:58:53
Thank God for Wonderful’s comment, nomatter what Devil is doing in d life of women, TRUTH WILL EVENTUALLY PREVAIL.
Mar 13, 2015 @ 06:35:47
Today I cut my hair short and natural due to the fact that, it was not growing well because I’m so attached to wigs that I can’t even go out with my natural hair, then I realized that I cut my hair to start it afresh but still going back to these so called wigs. wow! Not until I met with my Pastor to go and check church chairs for church when God spoke through our conversation. We just realized that it’s like we’ve put wigs/extensions as our Idols for we cannot do without them. The other time I cancelled my shift just cause I didn’t find my wig. After the end of a conversation, I and my Pastor removed the wigs & felt proud of our natural beauty. She ended up saying that we were wearing these old women without knowing, and indeed! That was true. We decided to take a
picture and all we could see was 2 innocent girls shining in their glory. People!!!
We end up wearing these stuff indicating to God that we’re not proud of how he made us by covering ourselves with someone’s hair or whatever on top of our glory… The head is a Crown. That’s why we pray bless me from the Crown of my Head to the bottom of my feet. Don’t place anything on your a Crown. To make matters worse, the hair that is sacrificed to be donated to other gods. God forbid!!! Be proud of your own natural hair. Amen!
Mar 20, 2015 @ 12:54:41
Thanks for sharing. As for me , each time I got human hair, I reacted to it and had to take it off. I just use synthetic. I definitely will share with my daughter.
Dec 05, 2015 @ 03:30:53
It seems that it would be the Lord’s love and mercy for someone to have the privilege of wearing a wig to cover lost hair or thinning hair due to illness or human deficiencies. We are here to help each other. Those who donate their hair to help someone in distress is kind thing to do. I personally do not have a problem with wearing makeup or jewelry or a few extensions in my hair now and then. I almost bought a human hair wig tonight. Before the bidding ended I starting reading about how women sacrifice their hair hoping for favors from their Gods. I changed my mind. I decided my money could be spent better else where. I don’t know where the wig I was interested in came from but I don’t want to chance supporting anything that is offensive to God. Christian women should avoid extremes and should ask God to reveal our motives in the way we dress ourselves. We trim our hedges, paint and decorate our houses. Is it wrong to bring out our natural beauty with color or curls? Who has perfect natural color and health? I thank God for makeup, scissors, perfume and clothes that can help bring out our best appearance. May the beauty of the Lord show from the inside well as the outside. It’s important that we don’t get out of balance. A question to ask ourselves is, are we enhancing the Lords beauty or distracting from it by being too extreme? What is the first thing people will notice when you walk in a room? You or Him?