I have, according to me, never had great hair. I’ve had nice, shiny, fine hair. But my hair is really, really straight with a bit of a flip to the left if I let my hair grow long. With a multitude of cowlicks on the back of my head. An online definition of cowlick is so accurate: “A lock of hair that grows in a direction different from the rest and that resists being combed flat”. Or any other direction for that matter. In my case, it is not one lock of hair but many locks of hair.
The beginning of the use of the term ‘cowlick’, apparently dates from the late sixteenth century by Richard Haydocke in his translation of Lomazzo: ‘the lockes or plaine feakes of haire called cow-lickes are made turning upwards’. Lomazzo was a 16th century Italian artist and art historian. Why he was writing about cow-licks has stretched this researcher’s reach. Could Lomazzo, who started writing late in his artistic career, be possibly describing how to paint a cowlick? And who was Richard Haydocke? Professor Wikipedia had no answer for me.
P.S. ‘a leake is a dangling lock of hair. In my case it looks more like many “sticking up in all directions” locks of hair. Fortunately, Robin, my hair stylist at Arq Hair Salon on Douglas St., works them beautifully. That lasts only until I style my own hair. Cow-licks, in hair styling circles, are called whorls. Jeff, please correct me if I’m wrong. Jeff is my son and at WarBoy Hair Salon in Vancouver. Whorl is a much more civilized term, giving this hairy misadventure a bit of redemption.
But where does that term ‘cowlick’ come from? The pasture, where a momma cow is grooming and cleaning her calf? Does give my cowlicks a maternal value. On the other hand, whorls make my head spin.
“I think the most important thing a woman can have -
next to talent, of course, - is her hairdresser.”
~ Joan Crawford
WarBoy Studio
20 East Cordova,
Vancouver. Ph: (778) 989-0190
http://www.arqsalon.com (Two Locations)
Arq Hair Salon - Downtown
1317 Douglas Street,
Victoria Ph: (250) 361-4664
Arq Westshore -
115-829 Goldstream Ave,
Langford Ph: (250) 391-1600
I have, according to me, never had great hair. I’ve had nice, shiny, fine hair. But my hair is really, really straight with a bit of a flip to the left if I let my hair grow long. With a multitude of cowlicks on the back of my head. An online definition of cowlick is so accurate: “A lock of hair that grows in a direction different from the rest and that resists being combed flat”. Or any other direction for that matter. In my case, it is not one lock of hair but many locks of hair. 
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