How Hair Shaving After Death Remains a Psychological and Cultural Mourning Ritual in African Culture
Hair, in both traditional and modern societies, remains a form of self-expression that often reflects the chapter someone is going through in life. From braided styles and shaved heads to bold colours, wigs, headwraps or natural hair choices, people use hair to express emotion and personal transition.
“In our culture, when somebody passes away, we have to shave our heads,” says Mwanawasa, from Zambia’s Nguni community.
“I had dreadlocks, now I have short hair, that’s what we do,” he says.
For some, shaving one’s hair after death may seem extreme or old fashioned. But across many Southern African communities, particularly within Nguni and Sotho-Tswana cultures, the ritual remains one of the most visible signs of mourning and respect.
“Either you shave bald or you shave however you want, that’s our culture,” Mwanawasa explains.
WATCH: In My Culture, we cut our hair when someone passes away….
New beginnings: Culture meets psychology
Though the the act is rooted in tradition, modern psychology is beginning to unpack why rituals like this continue to matter in today’s world.
In a study titled The psychological significance of shaving hair as a ritual during mourning within the Ndebele culture, Zanele Margaret Tshoba explores the deeper emotional and cultural meaning behind the ritual within Ndebele communities.
The research found that rituals such as this often help grieving families process loss, express emotion publicly and restore a sense of healing and structure after death.
” For there to be a new self, the old self must ritually die
According to the study, participants viewed the shaving of hair during mourning as a symbolic transition into a new chapter of life, representing healing, change and the hope of moving towards a better emotional state after loss.
“Shaving has to do with the fact that we are crying and we have sent off the deceased, now let us enter into a new situation that is better, one that focuses on wiping off our tears because we have sent off the deceased and they are gone,” said Mr Skosana, a participant in the study.
“The reasoning behind shaving for me is to remove something that has passed and to enter into something anew. So that that someone won’t dwell on the past,” shared another participant.
The study further notes: “This is consistent with Davis’s (2008), assertion that for there to be a new self, the old self must ritually die. Hence, shaving off hair signifies an expression of removing an old identity. People grow to be ‘part of’ each other and hence when one dies a part of one’s self perishes as well. Hence, shaving of hair is significant as it signifies the portion of one’s self that dies as well.”
A symbol for communities to support those in grief
African mourning practices are usually collective. Symbols like cutting hair and wearing black create a visible language of grief that the community members can immediately understands. This allows them to support those in mourning.
Even in modern city life, many young Africans continue to honour these customs while balancing contemporary identities. Some may no longer shave their heads completely bald, while others trim only a section of hair. But the symbolic gesture remains deeply understood within the community.
For many, seeing someone dressed in black or with a freshly shaved head is sign that a person is carrying grief. In many African cultures, these visible symbols encourage the community to respond with greater gentleness, patience and support during one of life’s most painful chapters.
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