Do you burn your hair when you cut it? If so, what's your reason?

For me, it’s a practice rooted in a powerful family story. My great-grandmother, who passed away in her 40s, suffered from debilitating headaches a few years before her death. There were times when she couldn’t see or remember what was happening. She sought help from multiple doctors and specialists, including neurologists, but to no avail. This was in the 1940s and 50s, a time when many Black women faced refusal of care because of their race.

In desperation, she turned to a practicing witch doctor. This healer provided her with an elixir and other remedies that began to restore her health. The witch doctor revealed that someone had used her hair to cast a hex on her, causing the excruciating pins-and-needles sensation in her head, which affected her vision and hearing. Thanks to the witch doctor's interventions, my great-grandmother's ailments were cured.

Since then, burning hair has been a protective measure in my family, ensuring that no one can use it for ill purposes again.