Fashion-forward youngsters setting 'hair-burning' trend

DHAKA - To the uninitiated, the unusual technique that uses fire to set and cut men's hair might seem shocking.

Adonis Makeover Salon, a famous barber shop in Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka, introduced the trend last year. It has attracted the attention of more and more youngsters.

The hair-burning frenzy has since spread elsewhere in the city, with more salons offering the same fiery service.

Adonis Makeover Salon, located in Dhaka's upper market Dhanmondi, is now a well-known destination for hairstyle lovers.

The salon's barbers have been trained in the technique of spraying flammable liquid on their clients' hair before setting it alight.

They use combs to brush the hair while it is still burning and smoking.

The salon's barbers said there is nothing to be worried about regarding any negative effects of using fire for styling hair.

They said the chemicals they use are totally safe.

Long been used

Hairstylist Mohammad Hossain, also the owner of the salon, said such hair-burning techniques have long been used in stylish hair cutting salons in various parts of the world, especially in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Turkey.

He said the technique is mainly used for setting the hair properly and giving it shape for further styling.

"I always look for something new to impress my young customers. Keeping that in mind, we introduced this new hairstyling technique using fire last year," Mohammad Hossain said.

Sazzad Hossain, a young architect, said he had such a haircut and was told that it looked really stylish by his friends, who are also now flocking to the barbers to have the same cut.

"Look at my hair style now. You can easily see how much cooler I look now and the spikes look perfect," said the architect.

Traditionally the hair burning technique was used centuries earlier as a way of burning away lice when there was no cure and it was also used to style and smooth hair as there were no hair dryers at the time.

Barbers use the technique to expertly tame frizzy hair and burn away dead ends, while the healthy hair remains unaffected.

Mohammad Hossain said they sent their barbers abroad for training.

He said they have received a great response from their customers. Dozens of people specifically request the fire cut every day at a cost of about $5 depending on the type of style.

XINHUA