Question: Which of these ladies has natural hair?
Answer: None! None of them do!
Fellow Volunteer Ruth (FVR) and I are mesmerised by Kenyan women’s hair. Given that we work at a women’s organisation, we have free reign to let our imaginations run riot. A typical clandestine conversation at a meeting might go thus:
FVR: Is that one real?
Me: No way!
FVR: And that one over there?
Me: Can’t be…
FVR: And that one?
Me: I have no idea. What even IS that?
FVR: Is it a toupe?
————–
Or thus:
Me: Carol was telling me about her son this morning.
FVR: Who’s Carol?
Me: You know, Carol. The women who sits upstairs. With the short hair.
FVR: Don’t you mean Carol with the long hair?
Me: No, no. She has short hair.
FVR: I’m pretty sure she has long hair.
Me: But I spoke to her this morning. It’s definitely short!
RVF: It’s long. I promise you, Carol has long hair.
Me: I’m off to prove it.
[Returning]
Me: Oh. It appears to have gone long.
————-
This happens regularly. I did a double take when my boss, previously of long, thick braids, turned up to work with a GI Jane buzz cut. And I walked right past one of my favourite colleagues when her thick glossy bob became, overnight, inch-long frizz.
You won’t find an estate in Kenya without a ‘beauty salon’ plying its wares. Getting their hair done is THE beauty regime for women, no matter their income bracket. But how must it feel to dramatically change one’s hair style on a regular basis? What is the upkeep like? Do styles vary according to wealth and age? Not that it matters, but what do men prefer? And – doesn’t it HURT?
And so, to get some answers, I tagged along with my friend Qui to get a haircut in her local salon. It’s not often that one enters a hairdresser’s to be greeted by an anxious man declaring ‘We have a situation…’ (the water had run out). Or that you have an appointment for 2.30pm but don’t end up being seen until 5pm. Or that your hairdresser deals with four clients concurrently (we were swaddled in bed sheets and lined up on the orange sofa like patient ducks). But I came out the other end only 500 bob (£4) lighter and armed with notes and a camera full of pictures. I spent the next day at a wedding, pointing at women and declaring ‘That’s a weave. That’s a wig. Those are lines with an extension. That one there is a VERY bad braid’ while Qui nodded proudly. So…
Here is my probably-inaccurate-but-darn-it-enthusiastic guide to Kenyan hair:
Style #1: the Relaxer
The hair is brushed mercilessly and a chemical treatment pasted over it, left for two hours and then washed out. Hair is then either straight or, with a perm, curly. This is done twice a year, with many conditioning treatments in between, because it massively weakens the hair. The price? Only a few hundred bob. The result? Hair is flattened and less frizzy.
Style #2: the Braid
There are two types here. With both styles, most women add varying amounts of synthetic or natural hair to the braid for length and thickness.
Firstly, the Afro-kinky, as modeled on Qui’s cousin Catherine. This is more like natural African hair; curly and frizzy. It is very cheap to put in, with the synthetic hair additions costing as little as 50 bob a packet.
Secondly, the Sangita. This is done with straight, smooth hair additions. This type of braid is more expensive – up to 350 bob a packet (and much more if you want human hair).
Braids are very popular, particularly among young women, because they are low maintenance and can last up to two months. Hair can be washed, but this can loosen the plaits. Again, braids are damaging, as they are often so tight they break the natural hair. As a result, it’s best to let hair rest for two months between restylings.
Style #3: the Line
Lines are essentially braids attached to the scalp. You only need about an inch of hair to attach the braids to, as Lady at Hairdresser #1 (LH1) shows. They take less time than braids – LH1’s took about 20 minutes – but they don’t last as long as braids; only about a month.
The Line is probably the cheapest type of hairstyle – around 300 bob – and therefore more popular among those with less money.
Style #3b: the Ghanaian Line
These are lines which have extra hair added the further down the head they go, so the hair becomes thicker. They are more technical than normal lines, requiring an expert, so they are more expensive and take longer (around two hours). But they do last longer than lines – around two months. There are fascinating varieties of Ghanaian Lines, with some elaborately woven into top knots and side pony-tails. I’m assured that they can sleep despite these lumps on the back of their heads, by wearing a big headscarf. I’ve normally only seen this hairstyle on well-to-do women, young and old.
Style #4: the Weave
The Weave is a partial wig attached to the natural hair underneath by gluing, heat-bonding or sewing. It can be short, long, curly or straight. A weave is chosen when someone wants to add length, but nothing else, to the hair. It’s popular for special occasions, as you can style it if it is long.
It takes around an hour to add a weave, which then lasts for around two months. But it is expensive. If you really want a fancy look, you need to go for the most expensive human hair weaves, costing up to 3,000 bob and sometimes even more – the cheaper varieties end up looking plastic. It’s also high maintenance. It needs to be washed regularly, as does the normal hair underneath it, otherwise it will quickly develop split ends and become frizzy. As a result, ‘good’ weaves are normally worn by the richer in society, and seem to be popular among older women.
One benefit of the Weave is that it is less invasive than the other types of hair, as the natural hair can grow freely underneath.
Style #5: the Wig
Like the Weave, a style for the older woman – possibly due to the damage done to their hair over the years? It is different to a weave as it is simply pulled over the natural hair, without any attachment. The long baby above costs 2,000 bob. My friends convince me they can tell the difference between a weave and a wig. I’m not so sure…
Styles #6 – #106
Of course, there are a million variations on these themes, and themes I’ve not even mentioned. Dreadlocks don’t seem to be that popular, although I’ve been informed that they are coming back into fashion among trendy, wealthier women. And I’ve hardly seen any natural Afros; one woman told me that the natural hair scene is growing but still small, as most Kenyan women are so used to relaxers, braids, lines and weaves. She’d even heard Classic FM radio declare that having natural hair ‘is a no no’. Of course, many women, particularly in rural areas, just go for all-out shaved heads because it’s so cheap and easy to maintain.
But one thing’s for sure – the hairstyles put a lot of pressure on natural hair. This is why a lot of African women have receding hairlines. And I’m told they DO hurt, especially the first night. I’ve seen colleagues massaging their heads after getting new braids done, and they tend to have startled expressions in the first few days. (Mind you, not that we Western women aren’t prepared to suffer physical pain for beauty too…)
Plus. Have you ever wondered why women desperately wear plastic bags over their heads when caught out by rain? It’s not total vanity. Apparently, when all these different synthetic hairstyles get wet, they smell. Of dog. Badly.
I’m still fascinated by the ability to spend an hour and a few hundred bob in a salon and come out looking like a different person. My friend Qui admitted that her friends do a double take when she goes for something new. In the interests of seeing what it’s like to radically change one’s style, I went straight for the day. (Actually, that’s not the reason. The hairdresser brushed out the curls and I looked like Diana Ross). The result? It felt odd not having my familiar frizzy barnet. I felt older, quieter, perhaps classier?
So, what do Kenyan men prefer? Of course, it varies wildly. But a quick straw poll revealed that they like their women natural. A subsequent google led me to a discussion board on the topic. A choice extract on weaves: “Is it just me or are all girls in Nairobi wearing those ugly things on their heads? Man, it’s disgusting. I have resolved that i will have nothing to do with girls wearing weaves and already three have been expelled from my list until they get better hair.” Are you listening, ladies?!
On that note, why haven’t I mentioned men’s hair? Simple. Save the occasional lines and dreadlocks, especially on the Coast, they all shave their hair. Boring!
Thats so weird, I was thinking of writing on the very same subject after my friend and colleague, who does regularly change appearance, turned up this week looking positively Egyptian! Brilliant transformation that caused me in shock to say ‘you look different’ which she immediately took as a compliment, phew.
Ingenious! I think I need a smartphone adapted version of this so I can properly identify haircuts on the matatu/ street etc
well, when did you get the time to do all that researcha and do I need an Equity card?? Very entertaining.. let’s hope our colleagues never het their hands on your blog!!
i’m so much more informed now, but can’t stop staring at everyone’s hair trying to figure it out. great post!