Friday, April 14, 2006

The Quest for the Perfect Hairstyle

The thing about not being at work is that I have a lot more time on my hands. And that often means more blogging. Today is Good Friday and I had looked forward to this holiday weekend, despite the fact that it kind of feels that we have been on holidays more than we have been at work recently.

I was itching to take out my latest Ghana braids (and believe me, "itching" is the right word). On the whole, I LOVE my hair. My hairline though, especially at my temples, has been my major concern. Years of being burnt by relaxers, plus the stress from frequent braiding has taken its toll on my hairline. Though quitting relaxers has certainly helped, the re-growth is not happening as fast as I would like. And now, my ever-increasing reliance on Ghana weaving as a style option has not helped.

Back in Boston, I wore my hair predominantly in twists, twist-outs, afro puffs and afros (relatively low-stress styles). Now, that I'm back home, I suppose I'm adapting to the more stylistically-conservative environment (although this is rapidly changing) as well as to the more formal dress codes of my current job. Another factor is the relatively cheap costs of getting your hair done here. That means that, unlike in Boston where I would have kept any hairstyle in for as long as I could aesthetically get away with it because I had to get good value for money, here in Lagos I can put tiny braids in and take them out two weeks later.

So, where does this all leave my hair? Well, my hairline is very much under siege and I need to find some other staple hairstyles.

4 comments:

afrohomo said...

My younger sister had some serious hair issues too. She used a popular cream that contains Indian Hemp. Lots of girls back home use it and I hear it works.

You might also consider "adimole" weaving. It's hard to describe but it's different from the regular hair weaving. It's closer to the ground and looks like basket weaves.

Good luck!

Ore said...

I think I have seen adimole. Will find out more about that.

Thanks!

adefunke said...

Adimole = Didi. I used to do that a lot when I was in Uni, my signature style was 'Suku Ologede', the stylist (onidiri) had the softest touch, I would be out like a light half-way through the first plait and I never had to take a pain-killer afterwards. I'll try and post a pix.

Try and stay away from those styles that stress your hair line. All back + Ghana weaving = killer combination. Why don't u try threading your hair, and have them 'brush' the front? Also you can get the stylist to always start your hair with a brush when you weave it, that way no stress on the front. Also use attachment sparingly. I am told that Virgin Hair Fertilizer is good, also Emily Millionaire (I forget the name of the exact product). Remember to eat well.

Ore said...

Funke, thanks for your suggestions. Yes, please, try and post a picture.

I will try some of the other styles you suggested. I haven't threaded my hair in forever, but have been thinking about that since I saw the pics posted on naijablog.