Here are seven things we have learnt about how women relate with their hair.
1. The obsession with hair does not stop with age. Once they grow out of pigtails and become the sane, cultured young women that most of them like to believe that they are, hair still consumes their thoughts and actions.
“The oil gets replaced by relaxers, moisturisers, masques, shining balms, gels, araagan oil, conditioners, strengthening serums, henna treatment, wax treatments, keratin reinforced shampoos, mineral boost colour defence repair creams, organic plant marrow
(what is that again?) hair balms, the list is endless!”- Rashmi Chugh
The obsession with hair does not stop with age. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
2. Self-medication is the norm with hair matters. Most women self-medicate to grow lustrous manes. “How many times have people recommended cod liver oil for hair growth? My guess is several times, along with keratin and protein capsules,
Vitamin K, Vitamin E, A,C, D and the other alphabets that might get missed out. And yes, the avocado, gelatin and oily fish along with soy products which when consumed are supposed to give us that shiny thick hair that we see regularly in all shampoo ads.”- Rashmi Chugh
3. Men do not really care about women’s hair. A quick survey by Rashmi Chugh revealed exactly that. According to Rashmi Chugh, they are all apparently looking everywhere else but your hair!
Men do not really care about women’s hair. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
4. It is a love-hate relationship between hair and women: Take Eunice, who hated her Afro when she finally cut off her relaxed hair, but is now totally in love with her new hairdo. "I have a 6-month old Afro that I am totally in love with, but that is not
how the relationship started. A few minutes after my sister chopped off my beloved tresses upon my instructions, I almost went into a panic attack on seeing the short tufts of copper-brown hair left on my head." -Eunice Kilonzo
5. Mothers often live their hair dreams voraciously through their daughters. Jacqueline Kubania’s hair woes began when she was a toddler. “I would bawl my eyes out every time I had to have my hair blow-dried or plaited or touched in any way,
and I wanted nothing more than to shave it all off but my mother would hear none of it.” - Jacqueline Kubania
Mothers often live their hair dreams voraciously through their daughters. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
6. Not all salon visits are treasured experiences. Dreadlocks often mean freedom from constant salon visits . "I loved that I no longer needed to comb my hair in the morning, and that I could get away with not setting foot in a salon for several weeks." - Jacqueline Kubania
A happy , dreadlocked woman, freed up from salon visits. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
7. Auntie Google will not save women from hair woes. Eunice Kilonzo turned to Auntie Google for tips and advice on how to manage her natural hair but found the information overwhelming!
“There were many theories online: wash with shampoo, don’t wash with shampoo, wash hair daily, do it once a week, co-wash (washing with conditioner only), use liquid oil, coconut oil is the holy grail, use gel to define the curls, hot oil treatment, use avocado as treatment, shave every month, use protein treatment, just wash and go, make twist outs. This was too much!”- Eunice Kilonzo
The answers do not lie in Google Searches but in experimentation and self-discovery. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
