Hair today, gone tomorrow...

Tumie Modise | Monday June 2, 2014 18:19

I once tried a weave, about seven years ago. The hair piece, as they call it, didn’t come cheap. I paid an arm and a leg to have it sewn to my head and after sitting down on a salon chair for close to three hours, my new hairdo was firmly in place. There is just something about salon mirrors. Just Like jewellery store glass displays, they can be very deceptive! I walked out of that salon feeling like a star but I had no idea what awaited me a few hours later, and I am not referring to the disapproving looks I got from my then 7-year-old daughter here. In short, my journey with the weave lasted exactly 21 hours!

Weaves look beautiful at a glance and for us ladies; they are probably the next best thing after slimming pills. Nonetheless, I have long made peace with the fact that while they look great on Beyonce and a bunch of other ladies, these inventions were just not meant for me…and of course, some other ladies too although they may never openly admit it.  That night I hardly slept. My scalp started itching, what’s worse, I even had difficulty placing my head on the pillow as the thing had been sewn onto my plaited hair very tight.  I scratched, I patted; I tossed and turned until night turned into morning. But worse was to come. Throughout the day, my scalp was not only pounding and itching but the weave was now even irritating my face whenever it came into contact with my skin! The moment I got home, the weave was off.

A week ago, I was at the University of Botswana on some errand.  As is the norm at this institution, it took me half an hour to find parking. Just my luck, when I finally reached the admin block the person I was scheduled to meet had already gone for lunch, and so I waited in the lobby for close to an hour.  The wait was worthwhile, because almost immediately a weave parade of some sort began! Doesn’t hair grow on girls anymore? I felt old, only a couple of years before when I was the same age and studying at the same institution, only adults wore wigs and weaves! Somebody asked me the other day what the difference between a weave and a wig was. It’s simple, a wig is like a disposable hat and wearers generally avoid walking under trees. They are allergic to wind too.

What happened to a good old perm, locks and even straightened hair? Don’t shops sell Dog Martin tablets anymore? I have nothing against weaves, I only have a serious problem with the way some sisters have become slaves to this craze and how even girls as young as 24 years old are balding overnight! I am no hair expert, but fact of the matter is that weaves cause a whole lot of damage to scalps and most ladies seem oblivious to this fact.

It’s month end, whoever doesn’t believe me should visit any salon, any day. The right time to visit would be during the day when most people are at work. Weave addicts avoid being seen when their hair gets done and if they had their way, I am sure they would rather prefer to have their hair done in the comfort of their homes, far from the prying eyes of the public! Privacy is very important to them, and it is for a good reason too.

With half of their hair missing already, for most of them; their hairlines only start somewhere near their ears. But still, most still swear by weave and it is simply because, for the not-so confident, it gives them instant wings and for the aesthetically challenged, it turns them into instant swans! God save our scalps..