Is It A Must For Nuns To Cut Their Hair

[sr.christinaosf]

St. Claire got her hair cut when she embarked on her new life, but I'm personally not aware of any rule within the Franciscan movement. 

I cut mine when it starts coming out from under my veil cap.

[Mhairi]

I agree it is an individual choice for many. For my friend who wears a veil, it is a case of a community friend who is a hairdresser and comes every 8 weeks or so to cut the sisters’ hair. She always asks for a short cut but one decent enough to manage with if she was suddenly admitted to hospital. She says her veil stays on much better when her hair is short and is thankful when the hairdresser comes! 

[Antigonos]

I think it's worth remembering that, until very recently, grown women didn't sport short hair, and indeed, "putting up one's hair" was a sign that a girl had become a "woman", just as boys exchanged short pantaloons for long trousers.  Wearing one's hair loose was also customary for unmarried women; after marriage, depending on the time period, hair was either completely covered or some kind of cap was worn.  During illnesses which had high fevers, hair was cut to relieve "the pressure" on the brain, too.

So, having let your hair grow for years and years, cutting it off was a significant event.  Nowadays, there's much less symbolism.  But for those orders who wear the traditional wimples and veils which don't allow for a single strand to be seen, it's much healthier to keep the hair very short, otherwise it can begin to fall out, as the closed-in condition and the weight of the layers of cloth on the head are not conducive to keeping hair follicles healthy.

[gloriana35]

 It never ceases to amaze me that the oddest of topics undergo continuous resurrection for 10 years. 

[Pax17]

I think the oddest topics are the ones in which people have the most curiosity.  When I was a kid in the 60s, one of the first things I heard about religious sisters from Catholic schoolmates was that "Sister doesn't have any hair."

[gloriana35]

:D Mine was in a tail when I wore a veil. 

Somehow, I'm laughing, remembering "A Right to Be Merry," by Colettine Mother Mary Francis. When she entered the Poor Clares, one myth was 'they never use soap.'

[Antigonos]

Those who remember the book "The Nun's Story -- which was set in the 1920-30s -- the virtual shaving of the head was mentioned when Sister Luke, as a postulant, happened by the room where the "barber nuns" were plying their trade.  The scene made quite an impression.

[tinytherese]

On 4/25/2022 at 10:17 AM, Pax17 said:

I think the oddest topics are the ones in which people have the most curiosity.  When I was a kid in the 60s, one of the first things I heard about religious sisters from Catholic schoolmates was that "Sister doesn't have any hair."

My high school art teacher shared with our class how she attended a school growing up which was taught by religious sisters. Students took turns trying to lift up their veils to see if they had hair.

My teacher felt nervous about doing it, but it was her turn. I don't think she saw hair but after she finished peaking, the sister froze in place. My teacher feared she'd turn around and punish her. After a while, the sister went back to business as usual. Maybe she figured out what happened, but chose not to do anything about it.