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Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair
Winner of the Victor Turner Prize for Ethnographic Writing 2017
Journeying around the globe, through past and present, Emma Tarlo unravels the intriguing story of human hair and what it tells us about ourselves and society.
When it’s not attached to your head, your very own hair takes on a disconcerting quality. Suddenly, it is strange. And yet hair finds its way into all manner of unexpected places, far from our heads, including cosmetics, clothes, ropes, personal and public collections, and even food. Whether treated as waste or as gift, relic, sacred offering or product in a billion-dollar industry for wigs and hair extensions, hair has many stories to tell.
Collected from Hindu temples and Buddhist nunneries and salvaged by the strand from waste heaps and the combs of long-haired women, hair flows into the industry from many sources. Entering this strange world, Emma Tarlo tracks hair’s movement across India, Myanmar, China, Africa, the United States, Britain and Europe, meeting people whose livelihoods depend on this singular commodity. Whether its journey ends in an Afro hair fair, a Jewish wig parlour, fashion salon or hair loss clinic, hair is oddly revealing of the lives it touches.
Journeying around the globe, through past and present, Emma Tarlo unravels the intriguing story of human hair and what it tells us about ourselves and society.
When it’s not attached to your head, your very own hair takes on a disconcerting quality. Suddenly, it is strange. And yet hair finds its way into all manner of unexpected places, far from our heads, including cosmetics, clothes, ropes, personal and public collections, and even food. Whether treated as waste or as gift, relic, sacred offering or product in a billion-dollar industry for wigs and hair extensions, hair has many stories to tell.
Collected from Hindu temples and Buddhist nunneries and salvaged by the strand from waste heaps and the combs of long-haired women, hair flows into the industry from many sources. Entering this strange world, Emma Tarlo tracks hair’s movement across India, Myanmar, China, Africa, the United States, Britain and Europe, meeting people whose livelihoods depend on this singular commodity. Whether its journey ends in an Afro hair fair, a Jewish wig parlour, fashion salon or hair loss clinic, hair is oddly revealing of the lives it touches.
416 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2017
38 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 13, 2017
Entanglement is a great example of how non-fiction books about single commodities should be written. It is thoughtful, nuanced, and full of information (every page has something new). It is by no means perfect (she using the phrase demand exceeds supply, which a pet peeve of mine) and is repetitive at times (like noting the therapist/hairdresser had a degree in psychology twice). This covers most of the things you would think of (plus a lot of things you wouldn't) when it comes to wigs and hair products (there is, sadly, very little about any other uses of hair).
She notes the ephemeral nature of the social meanings that pertain to objects. Here are 2 examples: 1) the wearing of sheitel wigs among Orthodox Jewish women may be interpreted by some as a sign of patriarchy but the trend started in the 16th century as a way for Jewish women to partake in Parisian fashion in the face of religious regulations that required the covering of women's heads, and 2) the "natural" hair movement in the black community is seen by some as escaping white aesthetic norms and getting back to African roots, while hairstyle on the African continent is presented as and art and wearing one's hair naturally is a sign of mourning in some African communities (not to mention the number of steps some women go through to have "natural" hair).
Regarding market transactions, Tarlo presents many interesting tidbits. The asymmetry in the knowledge about the final price sellers and buyers have has been a constant of the hair trade (from 19th century Britain to modern day Myanmar). Some hair collectors in 1800s Britain would offer advances on hair to be collected in 3-4 years. For contemporary transactions in the US and in Senegal, women will pay for their wigs and extensions in installments. I wish she had described how these contracts were enforced. Jewish hair traders, when getting their wigs certified as kosher, are unwilling to share supply contacts with certifying rabbis in case they should sell the information or set up in competition. China dominates manufacturing but distribution is segmented: Jewish market dominated by European, American, and Israeli traders; South Koreans dominate the American black hair market; British black hair distribution by Pakistani traders. Waste hair balls are gathered in India, disentangled in Myanmar where labor is incredibly cheap (from a local women: "some people used to lend out their combings to women whose hair was too thin... Nowadays if someone is really ill we don't hesitate to cut off their hair before they die."), and manufactured into wigs in China.
The one chapter that was a bit confused was on the decision of a rabbi to forbid use of tonsured Indian hair because it was seen as a sacrifice to an idol. Tarlo bends over backward to try to show that the hair is not given to idols (suggesting she believes the decision was made in error) and should be seen as ritual cleansing, even though in the previous chapter she gave instance upon instance in which pilgrims gave their hair as a sacrifice to the gods and related the myth of an ancient hero giving hair as a gift to a Hindu god.
Notes of interest:
- much hair comes from tonsure at Hindu temples (pilgrims tend to be unaware of the price their hair can receive)
- fewer women than men go through tonsuring and they often ask for less than complete tonsure (a nice example of price discrimination when it comes to exchange with gods)
- temples sell contracts to hair companies to gather the hair
- crackdown on "illegal" unofficial hair tonsuring units (most likely due to increasing value of hair)
- "the same hair can be treated as waste or a highly valued commodity, depending on the networks of knowledge and commerce in which it sits"
- beneficiaries from the ruling included rabbis who organized kosher certification services for wigs
- because wigs require special washing, sellers will often not offer guarantees if the client washes the wig herself
- sheitels a way of Jewish women to blend in with wider society while also maintaining fealty to Jewish law
- payment for hair in installments over several months in Senegal where real hair wigs are a big status symbol (and sometimes a way in which men get dates with women)
- racial labeling (like Brazilian hair) tends to be more (inaccurate) marketing than anything else
- growth wig manufacturing in Hong Kong: 8 factories and 300 workers in 1963, 422 factories and 40,000 workers in 1970
- one way to ensure provenance: be there when the hair is cut
- there still remains a lot of uncertainty of the source of hair due to the fragmentation of supply networks
- some bald men have the stubble effect artificially created by scalp micropigmentation (fine tattooing)
- in Myanmar, "monks and teams of volunteers used the proceeds raised from donated hair to repair sixteen bridges along a 42 km stretch of road."
She notes the ephemeral nature of the social meanings that pertain to objects. Here are 2 examples: 1) the wearing of sheitel wigs among Orthodox Jewish women may be interpreted by some as a sign of patriarchy but the trend started in the 16th century as a way for Jewish women to partake in Parisian fashion in the face of religious regulations that required the covering of women's heads, and 2) the "natural" hair movement in the black community is seen by some as escaping white aesthetic norms and getting back to African roots, while hairstyle on the African continent is presented as and art and wearing one's hair naturally is a sign of mourning in some African communities (not to mention the number of steps some women go through to have "natural" hair).
Regarding market transactions, Tarlo presents many interesting tidbits. The asymmetry in the knowledge about the final price sellers and buyers have has been a constant of the hair trade (from 19th century Britain to modern day Myanmar). Some hair collectors in 1800s Britain would offer advances on hair to be collected in 3-4 years. For contemporary transactions in the US and in Senegal, women will pay for their wigs and extensions in installments. I wish she had described how these contracts were enforced. Jewish hair traders, when getting their wigs certified as kosher, are unwilling to share supply contacts with certifying rabbis in case they should sell the information or set up in competition. China dominates manufacturing but distribution is segmented: Jewish market dominated by European, American, and Israeli traders; South Koreans dominate the American black hair market; British black hair distribution by Pakistani traders. Waste hair balls are gathered in India, disentangled in Myanmar where labor is incredibly cheap (from a local women: "some people used to lend out their combings to women whose hair was too thin... Nowadays if someone is really ill we don't hesitate to cut off their hair before they die."), and manufactured into wigs in China.
The one chapter that was a bit confused was on the decision of a rabbi to forbid use of tonsured Indian hair because it was seen as a sacrifice to an idol. Tarlo bends over backward to try to show that the hair is not given to idols (suggesting she believes the decision was made in error) and should be seen as ritual cleansing, even though in the previous chapter she gave instance upon instance in which pilgrims gave their hair as a sacrifice to the gods and related the myth of an ancient hero giving hair as a gift to a Hindu god.
Notes of interest:
- much hair comes from tonsure at Hindu temples (pilgrims tend to be unaware of the price their hair can receive)
- fewer women than men go through tonsuring and they often ask for less than complete tonsure (a nice example of price discrimination when it comes to exchange with gods)
- temples sell contracts to hair companies to gather the hair
- crackdown on "illegal" unofficial hair tonsuring units (most likely due to increasing value of hair)
- "the same hair can be treated as waste or a highly valued commodity, depending on the networks of knowledge and commerce in which it sits"
- beneficiaries from the ruling included rabbis who organized kosher certification services for wigs
- because wigs require special washing, sellers will often not offer guarantees if the client washes the wig herself
- sheitels a way of Jewish women to blend in with wider society while also maintaining fealty to Jewish law
- payment for hair in installments over several months in Senegal where real hair wigs are a big status symbol (and sometimes a way in which men get dates with women)
- racial labeling (like Brazilian hair) tends to be more (inaccurate) marketing than anything else
- growth wig manufacturing in Hong Kong: 8 factories and 300 workers in 1963, 422 factories and 40,000 workers in 1970
- one way to ensure provenance: be there when the hair is cut
- there still remains a lot of uncertainty of the source of hair due to the fragmentation of supply networks
- some bald men have the stubble effect artificially created by scalp micropigmentation (fine tattooing)
- in Myanmar, "monks and teams of volunteers used the proceeds raised from donated hair to repair sixteen bridges along a 42 km stretch of road."
January 18, 2025
*4.5
I really really enjoyed this book, it’s written with a casual tone that makes it easy to read but is also very well researched. The knocking off of .5 is because some of her observations/ comments came off a little off but only very slightly. It was really interesting bc the books goes into the history of hair styles/ textiles, the trade, feelings, racism, exploitation etc. I can safely say that hair is used for far more things than I ever realised.
I really really enjoyed this book, it’s written with a casual tone that makes it easy to read but is also very well researched. The knocking off of .5 is because some of her observations/ comments came off a little off but only very slightly. It was really interesting bc the books goes into the history of hair styles/ textiles, the trade, feelings, racism, exploitation etc. I can safely say that hair is used for far more things than I ever realised.
January 6, 2021
This was incredibly well researched, and as a beauty writer a real source of joy to read. I am kind of surprised I haven't heard of it more often when hair stories come up.
February 25, 2017
Wow. This is well written and incredibly well researched, exhaustively perhaps. It is scholarly but without being dull or pedantic. It is extremely informative and also manages to suck in a reader as well.
I have no real personal experience with wigs , extensions or hair loss. This was a whole new world to me, as is realizing many people around me are probably wearing someone else's hair.
Tarlo follows hair, from being gathered, sorted and produced into a variety of products. She profiles people who work in hair from all over the world. It is an invisible business as one executive tells her. It also has a long, rich and mostly secret history, mainly because few people considered it worth documenting. The wonder of hair, it's strength, flexibility, personal and religious qualities are examined with a open mind. Sacrificing one's hair for religious or moral reasons as well as economic reasons are detailed. The role hair plays is more significant than we realize, every culture seems to have some rules and taboos about hair. Oddly enough this brings diverse cultures from Orthodox Jews, Hindus, African and Asian people of different religions together in ways that they rarely realize or think about. it is the ultimate cultural exchange.
I briefly collected my own hair, from brushing, while reading this book. Incidentally my own hair would have very little market value as it is dyed. But I amassed enough for a dog wig, one of the many consumer items Tarlo mentions in her book
I have no real personal experience with wigs , extensions or hair loss. This was a whole new world to me, as is realizing many people around me are probably wearing someone else's hair.
Tarlo follows hair, from being gathered, sorted and produced into a variety of products. She profiles people who work in hair from all over the world. It is an invisible business as one executive tells her. It also has a long, rich and mostly secret history, mainly because few people considered it worth documenting. The wonder of hair, it's strength, flexibility, personal and religious qualities are examined with a open mind. Sacrificing one's hair for religious or moral reasons as well as economic reasons are detailed. The role hair plays is more significant than we realize, every culture seems to have some rules and taboos about hair. Oddly enough this brings diverse cultures from Orthodox Jews, Hindus, African and Asian people of different religions together in ways that they rarely realize or think about. it is the ultimate cultural exchange.
I briefly collected my own hair, from brushing, while reading this book. Incidentally my own hair would have very little market value as it is dyed. But I amassed enough for a dog wig, one of the many consumer items Tarlo mentions in her book
May 18, 2024
I can now say for sure that I know more about hair than I ever needed or wanted to. Nevertheless, I did realise how little I actually knew about hair and particularly the way it’s traded. From hair extensions to human hair ropes and the role hair plays as a vital source of income to the necessity of human hair wigs for alopecia suffers; this book really covered everything. What was really interesting to me was the fact that the hair trade is still largely invisible and those involved want to keep it that way. Not because they’re all dodgy, but just because there’s such a taboo around human hair. No one actually wants to think about the fact that their hair extensions have come off an unknown head many miles away, so it’s just not talked about. But boy was it talked about a lot in this book. I’m never going to be able to look at hair extensions the same way.
February 2, 2017
This is one of the best of the focused one subject histories that I have read. There are an incredible amount of interesting facts about hair and the way that the author has organized them leads the reader to feel like doors are opening at every turn. Every time that I was sure that there was not much more that could be said about the history of the relationship of humans to their hair, she produces entire new lenses through which to view this intimate and peculiar fascination.
October 2, 2021
Ever wonder what happens to hair when it’s not attached to a head? It’s made into ropes and wigs and clothes and all kinds of things. Tarlo interviews people across the world who work with hair, either turning it into something else, or collecting it and keeping it safe. But this book is more about the wig industry than anything else, which is a bummer.
April 28, 2020
I don't know what other reviewers are talking about when they say this book is mostly about wigs. As it turns out, wigs and hair extensions are a major driver of hair-based interactions in the world, and have been for a very long time. It's natural that there's a great deal about wigs in this book, but there is so much more to be found here. Tarlo explores people's personal connections with hair through history, religion, economically, emotionally, geographically, through medical issues, weddings, and other life transitions. I've learnt so much about how humans relate to hair from this book.
Tarlo frames all this information around her travels, but never puts emphasis on her own experience. It's all about what her contacts are saying. She follows a network of people from lone wig makers, to wig manufacturers, to temple barbers and the the people they're tonsuring. She goes to villages in Asia where everyone works in hair, and chic London hairdressers. There's a huge cross section of the world depicted here, centred around hair, and their voices are all heard.
Ultimately I come out of this book with an enormous sense of relief that I can do whatever I want with my hair (generally nothing) because a lot of people aren't able to have that kind of uncomplicated relationship with their own. Hair is really, really complicated, and I didn't realise just how much until I read this book. I'm very glad I read it.
Tarlo frames all this information around her travels, but never puts emphasis on her own experience. It's all about what her contacts are saying. She follows a network of people from lone wig makers, to wig manufacturers, to temple barbers and the the people they're tonsuring. She goes to villages in Asia where everyone works in hair, and chic London hairdressers. There's a huge cross section of the world depicted here, centred around hair, and their voices are all heard.
Ultimately I come out of this book with an enormous sense of relief that I can do whatever I want with my hair (generally nothing) because a lot of people aren't able to have that kind of uncomplicated relationship with their own. Hair is really, really complicated, and I didn't realise just how much until I read this book. I'm very glad I read it.
June 10, 2017
The blurbs on this book try to convince you it's not all about wigs, but it's all about wigs. To be fair, it's a really interesting book about wigs. I had no idea how extensive the human hair trade was, from hair ritually shorn to wads of hair pulled from combs and painstakingly hand-separated and sorted by length. I think it's interesting how most hair comes from India, China, and parts of Southeast Asia, and yet lighter colors are so prized. In my own country, blond hair is fairly common, and yet it's hard enough to get people to take your hair as a donation, much less for sale. I look at the hair clogging up the combs of my long-haired friends and boggle at the amount of money they could make if they lived in a place the hair buyers visit. From the inner workings of the hair trade, I also learned about the end product. It's not all fashion and chemotherapy patients. There are cultural norms (especially among African-American communities), religious uses (I did not know, for example, that some Orthodox Jewish women wear wigs that look like their real hair), and even a quick stop by a hair transplant clinic. If you like biographies of things, this is worth a read.
October 22, 2017
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.
Hair might not seem like such an interesting topic for a book but this one proves that (mostly) human hair has many uses and goes into detail about how it is big business as well as a natural head covering.
From its roots (pun intended) in religion and it's significance in many cultures the subject of hair is covered although the wig industry is the most prevalent topic. The author shows her own love of learning even if her own hair is not featured. She meets people who are far off the beaten track as well as exploring what hair means in her own neighbourhood and her home country.
The book gives a fascinating insight into the business and the trade of hair which I was completely unaware of before I started reading this. It also shows the poverty that forces people to sell their hair as well as the multinational companies who exploit this.
It has a secondary narrative running through it with a good resolution which was a good diversion. I was more entertained than I thought I would be and didn't hesitate in giving it 5 stars.
Hair might not seem like such an interesting topic for a book but this one proves that (mostly) human hair has many uses and goes into detail about how it is big business as well as a natural head covering.
From its roots (pun intended) in religion and it's significance in many cultures the subject of hair is covered although the wig industry is the most prevalent topic. The author shows her own love of learning even if her own hair is not featured. She meets people who are far off the beaten track as well as exploring what hair means in her own neighbourhood and her home country.
The book gives a fascinating insight into the business and the trade of hair which I was completely unaware of before I started reading this. It also shows the poverty that forces people to sell their hair as well as the multinational companies who exploit this.
It has a secondary narrative running through it with a good resolution which was a good diversion. I was more entertained than I thought I would be and didn't hesitate in giving it 5 stars.
March 20, 2017
Interesting book about where hair for wigs are found, (I know on your head, some times!!) why people sell hair, and who and how it is processed. There have been controversies in the past about what hair is useable. There is a section on why animal hair is no longer used for wigs. (As far as we know.
July 28, 2025
Extraordinary - one of my favourite non-fiction books of the year so far. Interesting and original sociological study through exploration of hair - history, religion, culture, class, race, trade, politics. I was riveted, challenged, and it certainly made me look at the world differently. Love the inclusion of pictures.
January 4, 2020
Well written, based on extensive research and travels. The author tells the unthinkable story of human hair and let us inside of an almost secret world. I enjoyed the religious and historical facts and highly recommend!
December 30, 2021
This an extremely niche book. Given that if your open to learning about new things this book is amazing. It covers so many ranges of the industry and it’s history. It’s weird that I enjoyed this book so much but I did lol.
February 23, 2017
the author's voice was unbearable. She put herself front and center. ugh. She needs take writing classes from Mary Roach.
September 23, 2017
not what I expected--I guess I didn't read the review carefully enough. This isn't about hair so much as it's about wigs and wigmaking.
March 22, 2019
Will not look at hair the same way again after this.
August 23, 2020
A decent read. I felt some topics had more shine and were more researched than others. But, I did learn a lot about the way different cultures approach hair and haircare.
March 21, 2021
Absolutely enjoyed this book. A fascinating and thorough examination of all things hair, highly readable, even to the generally “no thank you” non-fiction reader.
February 23, 2022
An awesome ethnography!
Read
February 24, 2023i can't really review this because i read this for english & didn't read it all, but it was interesting. not something i ever imagined reading.
gave-up-on
June 28, 2023read the relevant chapters then had no desire to e-book the rest.
May 21, 2024
Reading this book feels like a journey mixed with laughter, “wow” moments and nauseating feelings from time to time. Really, really good book.
March 17, 2017
Title & cover misleading as 95% of the book is devoted to the wig industry.
May 26, 2021
Muy interesante. Este libro es una antropóloga que desde siempre ha tenido una fijación y curiosidad por las prácticas de los humanos con nuestros pelos. Quizás el libro debería aclarar en su título que más que sobre el pelo es sobre la industria de las pelucas, pero no me decepcionó porque yo, así como ella, también estoy obsesionada con el pelo. Todo lo de los templos de la India donde recogen melenas de la gente que hace tonsura (raparse como ofrenda religiosa), todo lo de las pelucas en las comunidades judías ortodoxas, todo lo de la industria de las pelucas en China, en fin, todo me dejó con la boca abierta porque había muchas cosas que no sabía.
October 23, 2016
Emma Tarlo's book on hair is certainly interesting, and at times captivating. However, I found myself initially confused about the purpose of the book. I knew it was about hair, but at no point did the author mention what he wanted this book to be about, which is usually pretty common for non-fiction, and helpful for anthropological texts. I initially was uncertain if the book would be about hairstyles throughout the ages, or attitudes about hair through history. It wasn't until I reached the section on "black hair" that I realized the book was really about the uses of hair in hair products such as wigs, weaves, sheitels, toupees, etc. As I came to understand the purpose of the book, I became more absorbed in what the author was trying to convey.
As a piece of work, I find it to be fascinating, and I definitely know more and think more about hair now than I did before. I appreciate the author's discussion of the cultural importance of various cultures' hair practices. However, the writing style was a bit off putting as she often rambled a bit without making it clear what point she was trying to make, and she included a lot of exclamation marks, where I did not think they were needed. I'm being a bit nitpicky here, but both of these things led me to believe this was her first book, which to my surprise, it was not.
Given the coverage the author includes, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand the artificial hair industry, but I would also recommend back-up texts too, because her writing is hard to get though at times. I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
As a piece of work, I find it to be fascinating, and I definitely know more and think more about hair now than I did before. I appreciate the author's discussion of the cultural importance of various cultures' hair practices. However, the writing style was a bit off putting as she often rambled a bit without making it clear what point she was trying to make, and she included a lot of exclamation marks, where I did not think they were needed. I'm being a bit nitpicky here, but both of these things led me to believe this was her first book, which to my surprise, it was not.
Given the coverage the author includes, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand the artificial hair industry, but I would also recommend back-up texts too, because her writing is hard to get though at times. I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2017
very well done!!
July 18, 2024
Library-borrowed.
Not what I expected when I picked it up! Reading the blurb, I thought this would be more about hairstyling (in the realm of braids, dyes, maybe a hair bracelet). What I got was an extraordinary dive into the hair trade (wigs, hair pieces, extensions, implants), the people fueling it and the people profiting off it. Chapter after chapter, it opened a lid over parts of the world and the people living there I'd have never discovered otherwise.
Absolutely a solid reference for anyone interested in the subject. Super readable!
Not what I expected when I picked it up! Reading the blurb, I thought this would be more about hairstyling (in the realm of braids, dyes, maybe a hair bracelet). What I got was an extraordinary dive into the hair trade (wigs, hair pieces, extensions, implants), the people fueling it and the people profiting off it. Chapter after chapter, it opened a lid over parts of the world and the people living there I'd have never discovered otherwise.
Absolutely a solid reference for anyone interested in the subject. Super readable!
January 3, 2017
This book was a goodreads giveaway. It is not the type of book that I would usually choose but I am always interested in trying new types of books. I anticipated that it would be vaguely interesting. However, I thought the book was excellent. It appears well researched and is well written. It contains a substantial amount of information about hair, its cultural and historical significance. It was an excellent and fascinating read.
December 13, 2016
Reads like a more academic Mary Roach, and I mean that as a compliment. The author takes her anthropological skillset to lots of weird hairy places, from the temples in India where it's collected to the hair show in Jackson, Miss where it is dyed, fried, and laid to the side. A good read for anybody interested in poverty, work, beauty culture or underground commerce.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews