'I love playing with difficult hair'

Hair-care specialist and stylist Jawed Habib only thinks about hair, day in and day out. Metrolife recently caught up with this hair expert, who loves to play with tresses and teach others the tricks of the trade. 

“Hairstyling is a big part of the complete personality. Everyone’s day starts with hair. The moment you look into the mirror, you slip your fingers into your hair. If your hair falls right, you automatically feel good,” says a confident Jawed. Ask him about how Bangalore stands in the hair-styling industry, and he opens up, “Not as open and experimental as Mumbai and Delhi. Bangalore is till ‘Bharat’ and not India; India is only Delhi and Mumbai. In the south of the country, everyone tends to prefer long, black hair and thus, they avoid any chemicals or styling.” He adds that the styling in the City is too limited. Often, people just add a few layers or steps to their hair.

He does clarify that the IT effect has changed Bangalore and people are slowly ready to experiment. Talking about the business of hair, he says that the scenario will always keep expanding. “This is simply because the country has 1.2 billion heads of hair to cut,” he jokes.

Talking about his concept of ‘Hair Yoga’, Jawed elaborates, “The media has made the business of hair just about products and services. My concept revolves around simple knowledge of hair. This includes getting up early in the morning and drinking enough water to keep the body and hair hydrated. For good hair, one needs to consume grains, milk and water. But today’s lifestyle is all about fast food.” 

The monsoon might be a pleasant season for everyone, but it wreaks havoc on the hair, says Jawed. “Hair is flat in the monsoon. We need many layers, steps, fringes and flicks so that even if you tie your hair, the fringes will add style to your look,” he details. He states that not much can be done with long hair — which is the norm in the City — apart from some layering. “The styling in South India is too simple. Please go and play with colour, because colour adds to your personality,” he’s quick to add.

Ask him about his favourite clients and Jawed says that he loves working on difficult hair. “I love playing with difficult hair, since it’s a challenge and fun. I especially love working on people who think that nothing can be done to their hair,” claims Jawed. His favourite celebrity clients include Laloo Prasad Yadav and anyone who has a charming personality. 

Hairdos and hair-styling are getting costlier day by day. He says, “Watch any film before Zeenat Aman — hairstyling was about pins and flowers then. She is the one who made people realise that loose hair looks nicer. That changed the hairstyling scene in our country. Then, steps and layers came into the scene. I’m guessing those and other similar styles are coming back into fashion. Thus, there is a change in the cost for all styling.” Jawed’s passion for hair comes from his family background. He says that this passion increased after he started teaching. “People have come and shared their stories with me and that has helped to strengthen my base in this field,” he sums up.