“Maintenance was my next headache. I knew less about hair to talk of natural hair and that was a reason for my hair loss. The pressure grew even bigger”.
Over the years, Ghanaian women have adapted the habit of fixing wigs, braids among others. Amazing names of different prices, be it Brazilian, Russian, Cambodian, Kinky, Peruvian, and more, so do the prices vary. It ranges from about 5 GHC to over 2000 GHC.
Have you wondered what a virgin hair is, to talk of Chinese virgin hair? Well, they are all hair types, from synthetic to original.
The culture of using hair from other women became a trend in Ghana until recently. It is noticed that, most women have started realizing the beauty in keeping their natural hair devoid of wigs and chemicals.
Rejoice Dogber, a young entrepreneur and a final year student at the Ghana institute of Journalism, shared her story with GhanaMatters.com about keeping natural hair, its challenges, care for hair, and advice for others.
Born into a family of women, all she saw were ladies with retouched hair and wigs. As she grew up, she joined the train, from daycare to upper primary, retouched fine silky soft hair she had. Entering the Junior High School, shaving was compulsory which compelled her mother to escort her to the barbering shop.
Rejoice continuously had a fine cut for a period, from JHS through to SHS, still with the childhood hope of getting back that silky hair shaved years back. Few months to completing SHS, she saved enough to buy wig caps and hair creams to relax her natural hair after school.
THE MAGIC PERIOD
Surprisingly, she completed SHS with a different perception about hair. “I don’t know what happened, but I just felt it was time to be the real me, well defined in my own skin and hair, one I can be proud to call my own, moreover, the human hair is a dead fibre and I see no need in disturbing it so much which chemicals. I imagined the amount of money I would waste on my hair, going to and fro in the saloon. I realized that the natural trend had started and was very encouraging.
To top it up, I returned home after high school with little hair since my housemistress shaved my hair two weeks to completing. It was again, a period where parents hardly gave money and I couldn’t afford a wig to talk of every weekend washing the hair.” she said.
She said that, it was fun after few months of keeping the natural hair and she believed it was here to stay.” I indirectly joined the better train of naturals, with few friends joining; the culture was indeed here to stay”.
Though it is difficult to make a stand of keeping natural hair, especially when your own family and friends try hard to switch your thinking, it is the best thing that can ever happen to you. Hair of your own, not heavy at all, one that brings out the beauty hidden, one that appreciates the work of the creator, most especially, and one you can walk through the rain with, without thinking.
Keeping natural hair is a healthy lifestyle, you don’t feed your hair with many chemicals which will react someday, and you turn not to lose too much hair when properly cared for.
“Come to think of it, these hair products are imported, specially made to suit their weather, their hair type, and exported to other countries to boost their economy after sales. Why should I be a victim of chance and experiment by using these creams and fetching more than enough money for a different country”? Listening to few friends, it was to me too much work to relax your hair, since it pushes you to the saloon frequently”
HARD TIMES
“I can still remember it like yesterday, my mum told me to retouch my hair because she felt I was having a hard time combing it. I never complained though. The pressure was massive anytime I combed my hair in my mum’s presence; she was ready to convince me to change from my natural hair state to a silky relaxed hair. Confusion was my best friend”.
“Seeing some old mates with wigs and relaxed hair, was more than tempting. Though I bought some wig caps before completing, the desire left once I started my natural life style, discarding them was difficult, but determination was in the lead. “
“Months in the culture, I could feel my hair was diminishing any time a comb enters; I couldn’t stand losing all that hair to the comb. I went to the saloon but before the relaxer came close to my hair, I stood and left for my house, that was after realizing relaxed hair can equally break”.
“Maintenance was my next headache. I knew less about hair to talk of natural hair and that was a reason for my hair loss. The pressure grew even bigger”.
-End of part 1. This is a two part story, GhanaMatters.com will publish the second part in tomorrow’s edition. If you like this story or have a story to share, you can contact GhanaMatters.com for exclusive coverage. –
