HAIR OIL MAGIC

A young South Asian girl revels in her family’s ritual of hair oiling.

Meenu always looks forward to Sundays, when her mother gently massages sweet-smelling oils into her hair. To Meenu, this feels like “floating stars twinkling around her heart!” and washing the oil leaves her hair shiny and soft. One Sunday, Meenu decides to mix up the magic oils all by herself but struggles to re-create the magic of her mother’s concoction. When her slippery hands lead to a mishap, a disappointed Meenu cries in frustration. As her mother gently washes her hair—without the oils—the magical feeling returns, to Meenu’s surprise. Biji, her grandmother, explains that the magic lies in her mother’s love and in passing down this shared ritual. Mommy explains that her mother used to oil her hair, as did her mother’s mother, stretching back many generations. A happier Meenu basks in the warmth and love of her family and treats her mother to her own Magic Hair Day. This is a sweet, deeply relatable story centered on a common South Asian ritual. Cartoonish illustrations depict large-eyed characters and swirls of color—appropriate, given the theme of magic. Cultural markers—the kara, a stainless-steel bracelet worn by the women, and framed pictures of a turbaned man and the Golden Temple—cue the family as Sikh.

A tender celebration of the simple traditions that bind families.