Since he was young, Taiwanese craftsman Xianyi Chan has always been fascinated with wood and woodwork. Together with his brother, from a young age, they started making wood hair clips and hairpins for money. But people asked him: “You are selling us hairpins, but before we put them on, we have to comb our hair. Please make us some combs.” So due to public demand and enthusiasm for his products, he started making wood combs.
At this time, he didn’t know that years later, when things take an unexpected turn, the wood combs that he pours his heart and soul into would be his lifeline.
The unfortunate moment that changed Xianyi Chan’s life
A few years ago, Xianyi Chan developed a severe toothache, and when he visited a dentist, they asked him to see a neurologist. The neurologist discovered a benign tumor in his ear. Though it was not malignant, he had to undergo surgery because a benign tumor can still grow to an enormous size, and this tumor was affecting his trigeminal nerve.
This surgery has a half-half chance of success, but Xianyi Chan made it. Sadly, his facial nerves were affected, and he lost motor function in half of his face. He even had to hold his eye shut with tape when sleeping.
How a wood comb massage helped Xianyi Chan
Determined to regain the full function of his face, Xianyi Chan started his rehabilitation journey. At first, the therapist used her hands to massage him, but this triggered a memory about the Ancient Chinese wood comb massages.
He told his physical therapist about this ritual of the wood comb, and she learned how to do it. Xianyi Chan would come with his custom-made comb and get his daily 30-minute massage.
Four months down the line, he was brushing his teeth when he noticed the paralyzed side of his mouth twitching. He didn’t believe it at first, but when he looked in the mirror again, he saw another twitch. “I saw my face twitched. I was so happy. I felt like I had just won the lottery.”
Two more months later, Xianyi Chan regained full function of his face. It was a miracle.
The benefits of using a wood comb
We know that wood combs have several benefits over metallic and plastic combs. First, they don’t cause static or frizz because they don’t have static or frizz. On the other hand, plastic and metallic combs may cause static, which leads to hair breakage.
Other advantages of wood combs include:
- Improving blood circulation
- Boosting hair growth
- Removing dirt and foreign material
- Reducing dandruff and itchy scalp
- Its durability
Plus, wood is environmentally friendly.
People in ancient China were ardent adherents to the ritual of wood combing; even Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo had a poem about it. Dongpo combed his hair a hundred times before sleeping, and Xianyi Chan suggested that we comb our hair for three to five minutes every night and every morning.
“In the old days, combing hair was a daily routine, a very natural thing to do,” he says. “Modern people ignore it and have lost it. It has a significant impact on our health.
Xianyi Chan says that people sometimes feel rejuvenated after combing their hair because wood combing adjusts your body’s qi or energy. He says a wood comb massage helps release the congested qi under your skin, which gets expelled through your sweat pores. And once you regain your qi balance, you get a clear state of mind and improve your digestion, immunity, and endurance.
Because of this, Xianyi Chan takes wood comb making seriously. His process of making the perfect wood comb takes several thorough steps.
The art of making quality wood combs
Every wood comb Xianyi Chan produces is handmade and made from carefully selected wood. He primarily uses black and purple sandalwood, which he selects according to color, weight, and aroma.
Xianyi Chan and his team then cut the wood into blocks and placed them to air dry. This step takes months — sometimes years — but Xianyi Chan wouldn’t have it any other way. Many manufacturers speed up the drying process using wood, but Xianyi Chan says the heating process damages the wood.
After drying, they draw patterns on the wood block and use thread saws to bring the wood combs to life. They then sand the comb manually to create smooth cone-shaped teeth — a design that helps you maximize the benefits of wood combing.
Xianyi Chan also asks his artisans to show up unburdened, leave their stress at the door, and make the wood combs with love. “Anything handmade has a heart. When there’s a heart, there is feeling, and it has power.”
He also believes trees are virtuous and sacred because they protect and provide. They help humans and the environment from the day the seed goes into the soil, throughout their lives, and even after they die.
Xianyi Chan believes we should emulate trees and live virtuous lives. Virtue, conservatism, and integrity will someday bring us fortune and blessings.
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