The first month of a baby’s life is a time of great celebration for the Chinese, when many “firsts” are traditionally carried out, like the “Full-month Celebration”, the official naming, the first bath and the first haircut. Shaving a baby’s hair when it turns one month old is still a common practice.
The traditional shaving of a baby’s head is highly symbolic. The hair on a newborn’s head is the “birth hair” that has grown in the womb and carries once-in-a-lifetime significance. Shaving this hair allows parents to keep it for luck and protection of their child. Parents are supposed to take the hair, bundle it with a red string, and store it safely as a symbol of good fortune.
Some believe that tucking the “birth hair” into your baby’s pillow will help it sleep well. Others turn the downy hair into a commemorative calligraphy brush (Tai mao bi) to pass it down as a family heirloom. Alternatively, you could just deposit it as a keepsake in your baby’s souvenir box.
The most auspicious time to harvest the birth hair from your baby is between 24 days to one month after birth. When a baby reaches one month old, the Chinese call it “Man Yue” - full (man) month (yue), and the milestone is usually celebrated by parents buying oily rice or cakes for friends and relatives.
If a baby is still largely hairless at one month old, parents can let the hair grow to about 3cm long, the shortest length at which a brush can be made, says Winnie Chui, an experienced Tai Mao Bi maker in Mong Kok.
But a Tai Mao Bi can only be made from a baby’s first growth of hair. This is due to the belief that the hair grown while the baby is still in its mother’s womb (Tai) is charged with both mum’s and baby’s “Chi” (life force) – an invincible combination.
According to Winnie, there are five different types of hair on the human head, correlating to the five types of fortune (五福臨門 - wealth, health, longevity, serenity, beatitude).
When harvesting the baby’s hair for making Tai Mao Bi, Winnie stresses that it has to be done in five steps - front, back, left, right and all parts - (for girls, the back must be cut first). Once all the hair has been cut and sorted, it is then soaked in disinfectant to kill any bacteria which may cause the hair to rot.
Then Winnie begins the painstaking process of assembling the brush. The key section of the brush is the middle, which comprises hair cut from the front of the baby's head - or back if it is a girl.
The remaining types of hair are then placed around the brush in a certain order to complete the "head" of the Tai Mao Bi. The whole process takes around 65-80days.
The type of handle the hair is mounted on is also important.
We suggest that parents make a pair of brushes. We call it “文武筆” (The Scholar pen and the Sportsman pen) in the hope that the child will be champions in both the class and the playing field.
We will compose a pair of chinese couplets based on the baby's name, and engrave them on the brushes.
Brush handles can be made from a variety of materials, but rosewood and ebony are the most popular choices.
The type of handle parents choose also determines the price of a Tai Mao Bi, which ranges from $688 for a Cloisonne handle, from $988 for a wooden handle. “It is not important how much you spend on the handle for a Tai Mao Bi, because each brush is one of a kind,” explained Winnie Chui. “For the owner, a brush made with a simple rosewood handle is just as valuable as one made out of gold, so the choice of materials for the handle is purely based on personal preference.”
Winnie said that parents who ask her to make a brush for their child may not necessarily believe - or even understand – in the power of the Tai Mao Bi, but do so because they feel it is a unique gift for their child that is rich in culture. Because many people do not understand how and when to use their Tai Mao Bi, Winnie Chui says that when she goes to a client’s home to cut their baby’s hair, she also explains to them the history and techniques of when and how to use their Tai Mao Bi.
Taimaobi-Making Procedures
How does baby hair turn into a Taimaobi?
There are more than 20 steps involved in creating this traditional handicraft. We make Taimaobi at ourworkshop in Hong Kong. Taimaobi products can usually be finished in 10-12weeks.
We also provide home-visit Baby's First Haircut service. We have immense experience and can assure that parents needn’t worry about any matters regarding their baby’s first haircut. If you purchase anything for $1288 or above, the baby haircut will be free. Please call our hotline 54081768 for further enquiries.
Does shaving my baby’s hair make it grow back thicker?
It is popular wisdom passed down from parent to parent that shaving a baby’s head can make the hair grow back thicker and healthier. Getting a haircut can stimulate hair to grow faster.
Should I shave clean or get a buzz cut?
It is probably advisable to avoid using a razor to shave your baby’s head, since a razor can easily cut his or her scalp, or worse, remove a layer of skin. Using a trimmer is much safer, and unless you’re really traditional, there’s no need to remove all the hair completely, when a neat short buzz will do.
Umbilical cord / Lanugo seal
The chop is engraved with the baby’s name on the bottom and contains a piece of the umbilical cord , along with some locks of hair, sealed inside. Because the cord represents the bond between mother and child, it is believed to bring good luck and wealth.
The traditional shaving of a baby’s head is highly symbolic. The hair on a newborn’s head is the “birth hair” that has grown in the womb and carries once-in-a-lifetime significance. Shaving this hair allows parents to keep it for luck and protection of their child. Parents are supposed to take the hair, bundle it with a red string, and store it safely as a symbol of good fortune.
Some believe that tucking the “birth hair” into your baby’s pillow will help it sleep well. Others turn the downy hair into a commemorative calligraphy brush (Tai mao bi) to pass it down as a family heirloom. Alternatively, you could just deposit it as a keepsake in your baby’s souvenir box.
The most auspicious time to harvest the birth hair from your baby is between 24 days to one month after birth. When a baby reaches one month old, the Chinese call it “Man Yue” - full (man) month (yue), and the milestone is usually celebrated by parents buying oily rice or cakes for friends and relatives.
If a baby is still largely hairless at one month old, parents can let the hair grow to about 3cm long, the shortest length at which a brush can be made, says Winnie Chui, an experienced Tai Mao Bi maker in Mong Kok.
But a Tai Mao Bi can only be made from a baby’s first growth of hair. This is due to the belief that the hair grown while the baby is still in its mother’s womb (Tai) is charged with both mum’s and baby’s “Chi” (life force) – an invincible combination.
According to Winnie, there are five different types of hair on the human head, correlating to the five types of fortune (五福臨門 - wealth, health, longevity, serenity, beatitude).
When harvesting the baby’s hair for making Tai Mao Bi, Winnie stresses that it has to be done in five steps - front, back, left, right and all parts - (for girls, the back must be cut first). Once all the hair has been cut and sorted, it is then soaked in disinfectant to kill any bacteria which may cause the hair to rot.
Then Winnie begins the painstaking process of assembling the brush. The key section of the brush is the middle, which comprises hair cut from the front of the baby's head - or back if it is a girl.
The remaining types of hair are then placed around the brush in a certain order to complete the "head" of the Tai Mao Bi. The whole process takes around 65-80days.
The type of handle the hair is mounted on is also important.
We suggest that parents make a pair of brushes. We call it “文武筆” (The Scholar pen and the Sportsman pen) in the hope that the child will be champions in both the class and the playing field.
We will compose a pair of chinese couplets based on the baby's name, and engrave them on the brushes.
Brush handles can be made from a variety of materials, but rosewood and ebony are the most popular choices.
The type of handle parents choose also determines the price of a Tai Mao Bi, which ranges from $688 for a Cloisonne handle, from $988 for a wooden handle. “It is not important how much you spend on the handle for a Tai Mao Bi, because each brush is one of a kind,” explained Winnie Chui. “For the owner, a brush made with a simple rosewood handle is just as valuable as one made out of gold, so the choice of materials for the handle is purely based on personal preference.”
Winnie said that parents who ask her to make a brush for their child may not necessarily believe - or even understand – in the power of the Tai Mao Bi, but do so because they feel it is a unique gift for their child that is rich in culture. Because many people do not understand how and when to use their Tai Mao Bi, Winnie Chui says that when she goes to a client’s home to cut their baby’s hair, she also explains to them the history and techniques of when and how to use their Tai Mao Bi.
Taimaobi-Making Procedures
How does baby hair turn into a Taimaobi?
There are more than 20 steps involved in creating this traditional handicraft. We make Taimaobi at ourworkshop in Hong Kong. Taimaobi products can usually be finished in 10-12weeks.
We also provide home-visit Baby's First Haircut service. We have immense experience and can assure that parents needn’t worry about any matters regarding their baby’s first haircut. If you purchase anything for $1288 or above, the baby haircut will be free. Please call our hotline 54081768 for further enquiries.
Does shaving my baby’s hair make it grow back thicker?
It is popular wisdom passed down from parent to parent that shaving a baby’s head can make the hair grow back thicker and healthier. Getting a haircut can stimulate hair to grow faster.
Should I shave clean or get a buzz cut?
It is probably advisable to avoid using a razor to shave your baby’s head, since a razor can easily cut his or her scalp, or worse, remove a layer of skin. Using a trimmer is much safer, and unless you’re really traditional, there’s no need to remove all the hair completely, when a neat short buzz will do.
Umbilical cord / Lanugo seal
The chop is engraved with the baby’s name on the bottom and contains a piece of the umbilical cord , along with some locks of hair, sealed inside. Because the cord represents the bond between mother and child, it is believed to bring good luck and wealth.
