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What It Means When Someone Touches Their Hair
Sometimes actions speak louder than words, and that’s precisely the case when it comes to someone touching their hair. Even the appearance of your hair or your haircut can send non-verbal cues, such as others can assume that well-styled hair means the person wants to be considered attractive and values other people’s approval (via Changing Minds). Former FBI Agent Joe Navarro told InStyle, “Anytime a woman moves her hands to her hair, we are immediately attracted, and we want to see what messages are there.” It is one way to look at it.
You can twirl it, toss it, run your fingers through it or hold it in the back, there are tons of ways you can touch your hair or play with it, and they can all have hidden meanings. According to Body Language Project, playing with hair is a sign of self-grooming or a way to draw attention to oneself in dating. But sometimes, it means more.
This doesn’t mean that everyone playing with their hair is flirtatious. Did you notice how often Meghan Markle played with her hair before getting married? Some people touch or twirl their hair in awkward, social situations when they feel anxious or nervous to calm themselves (via Good Housekeeping). It can be compared to a grown-up version of holding on to your blankie. It is best to also pay attention to other body language signals to confirm what it might actually mean before assuming that anyone touching their hair means they are flirting.
The key to decoding the secret to hair-touching is context
Blanca Cobb, body language expert and author of “Method of the Masters,” told Good Housekeeping, “Context is key when distinguishing a habit from a nonverbal tell.” She added that some people touch their hair when they are (probably) nervous like Meghan Markle, but some people feel their hair during non-stressful situations like reading a book, and in that case, it is just a habit. However, if someone is touching their hair in the middle of an argument, it shows discomfort.
One of the most common reasons someone plays with their hair is to self-soothe as it can be very…
