Of hair and Philippine culture – part 2

I didn’t fully realise how important shampoo was for many Filipinos until the quarantine. Once, I was doing groceries for my mother and when I saw her shopping list, most items were vague, but there were detailed instructions on which brand, color, and size of shampoo to buy.

A conversation with Jerard Eusebio, a colleague from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, is also illustrative. He asked me what shampoo I use, explaining that he went to a particular supermarket because his regular shampoo was only available there, and wondered if others would similarly go the extra mile.