 |
| Picture Source: Google |
I also realized that she had a nicely fixed weave on, and since I was looking for a place to fix my hair, I decided to make that the conversation starter. By the time I had contemplated on all the possible scenarios that could come up if I talked to her, she had disappeared into the next street. I quickly followed the path she took and I saw her a few meters ahead of me when I turned into the street. I definitely couldn't stop her by shouting, so I had to double my steps. Very soon she had stopped at an apartment building, and I caught up with her within that time. When I got to where she stood, I decided to go straight to the point so using the usual girl tone I complemented her on her weave. I then asked her where she fixed it and she told me she did it herself. Her first few words had a little bit of American accent but I definitely knew she was African. With her second sentence, I realized she sounded a lot more like me, and I think she also felt the same way because she asked me, "Where are you from''. I replied that I was Ghanaian and I was so delighted to hear that she was also Ghanaian. Apparently she was even in the same University as me before moving to the US. Finally I had met someone like me, who I could relate to. I didn't want to give the wrong impression so I quickly ended the conversation and exchanged numbers, with she promising to help me fix my weave anytime I was ready.
There was another time when I had travelled to another state with my husband, a high school friend of mine was living there so we decided to pay her a visit. Our conversation shifted to hair, and I started complaining about how I couldn't get a good African hairstylist in Portland. She then told me that she had long learnt how to forgotten about going to salons. At the time, she had on long box braids, and I asked how much she paid for it. 'Oh I braided it myself', I was so surprised because I didn't think it was humanly possible for anyone to braid their own hair. And I am talking long, full, box braids. She told me she stopped going to the Salon a long time ago because it was very pricey and they never got her hair fixed right. She asked me to look on youtube, and that I would find a lot of resources to help me.
Fast forward a few months, and I was now convinced I could fix my own hair. First I just couldn't find a salon that specialized in African hair especially now that my hair was natural, and also I couldn't believe the kind of prices they wanted to charge. The average price of braiding in my state is $150. For weaves, they were charging $50-$60, but I was discouraged when I looked at some of the pictures of their finished works.By this time, I had learnt to shampoo and condition my hair by myself, and with practice I learnt to braid my own hair into corn rolls before sleeping. So one day,I bought my weave, razors and needles, and I started to braid my hair into corn rolls so I could sew my weave later. A little over 3 hours, I was done, and I had my full weave on!! It wasn't so perfect but I was so proud of myself. I never ever thought I could do this. I called my Mom and showed her the pictures, and she kept laughing at me, but at the same time, she couldn't fathom it.
I realize that in Africa, there are so many services we take for granted, because well, it is cheap and easily/abundantly available. I would never take my hair off by myself, because the girl at the salon behind my house would gladly do it for less than a dollar. At every point in time in my house, we had a house help with us. It was only recently that after a terrible experience my Mom gave up on keeping a house help. Over here, most mothers actually do everything by themselves, you rarely see families with live-in helps.
I also had to apply my sewing skills here, because a basic alteration can cost more than the dress item. Very soon, I would attempt my first box braids. I really don't like the sound of paying $150 for a service I know wouldn't have cost me more than $15 in Ghana.
I do my hair myself.
ReplyDeleteHair quickly gets damaged here, that is why many go natural, it is much easier to maintain.
I relax my hair myself,I loosen my hair extension too and can make cornrows on myself too.thanks would learn how to fix hair extension bfor coming too.#wink# thank you very much TAC for the previous help I really appreciate.
DeleteI relax my hair myself,I loosen my hair extension too and can make cornrows on myself too.thanks would learn how to fix hair extension bfor coming too.#wink# thank you very much TAC for the previous help I really appreciate.
DeleteI'm still on this quest of actually making my hair myself, I have not even dared to try it but now you have sorta inspired me to. Sigh. It's going to be so tough. Like how does your hand not ache mercilessly, if I didn't fear the ache, I would have tried a long time ago. I recently braided my sister's hair and it was sooo cool. But fixing???
ReplyDeleteI hear you on hands aching mercilessly. I used to fix mine myself after I decided I cant be paying $160 for it. My hands almost died but I sit on the floor and lean my hands on the center table. It takes me about 3 hrs but since having my daughter 4yrs ago, I stopped cos there's no way I had that time to spare anymore. And even if I tried at night, I was too tired and just want to sleep.
DeleteNow I found a nigerian student that does it for me for $70 and even comes to my house. Now I'm searching for someone to relax it cos that one too hurts my hands though it only takes an hour.
it's not hard to learn how to braid hair at all! i always encourage my friends to try it. we should lose the idea we have especially in Africa that it's not possible for someone to do their own hair. It is VERY possible & infact, you'll probably do your own hair better than someone else will. Just watch youtube videos on braiding your own hair.practice on your head, buy a mannequin head and practice on it, practice on your friends. there are tutorials for ALL kinds of braids on youtube- braids, twists, weaves everything. one channel i found helpful is called 'black women's hair'; another is 'worldofbraiding'. you can also buy dvds on braiding from a woman called marquitta breslin. I started learning how to braid hair in november last year when i came here from ghana & guess what? not only am i now doing my own hair but i'm getting wild income from braiding hair for people around me. it's a sweet life :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a most thoughtful post, one most Africans in diaspora take for granted or don't quite take into consideration before the move.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the UK now and will be making a move finally in Jan and i signed up for sewing classes in Nigeria in August and would go their on specific days (close off work and weekends) cos i want to be able to make cute native dresses for my kids when the start coming (getting hitched in Dec)- so, i am getting prepped :)
As for my hair, i already made up my mind i'd manage that by myself- i have on the cutest old school corn-rows Nigerians call "Shade/ Sade" - the corn rows themselves are veeeerrrrryyyyy tiny and braided with your natural hair- they look almost packed up in a long-brushed-up-look and the back of it has long single braids right down to my bottom and its funny when the white people ask me if the braids are my natural hair in awe- over and over! I can't loosen it myself anyway cos i think you need the particular person who braided the corn rows to loosen them and the first time i did try to loosen Sade myself, my hair got badly damage with no visible progress at loosening and i had to stop off at the salon to actually loosen hair before going to work and so, if i was going to be here for three months straight, i would have to carry the hair for that long (which was the initiative in the first place).
Keep right on TAC.
You always make a most interesting read :).
Interesting
ReplyDeleteThere was this popular story back when I was in secondary school in Nigeria of a girl who always had clean and beautiful braids on but no one ever saw her make her hair. They said she was a witch and that she was able to achieve it by waking up at night, taking her head off of her neck, putting it between her tighs and making beautiful weaves on her head and then she'll put her head back on . Thinking of it now, that's just the way we are as African. Instead of finding answers to things we don't understand we attribute it to witchcraft. Maybe the girl just could braid her hair herself and she'll choose to do it at night but not with her head between her tighs.
ReplyDeleteCouldnt stop laughing with the story cause if u attended a boarding school in d west about d late 90's and early 00 then dis story will remind u of the jolly old days.........I have been wearing wigs because i cant stand d pain of sum one touching my hail now, do it my self dat has to be a trade worthy of learning
Delete^^^Yeah, I once heard that story.
ReplyDeleteI braid my hair myself; I've been doing it since I was eight. No one taught me how to braid/plait, I learnt by observation.
So one Saturday, on the balcony, I placed mirror in front of me, cutting comb in hand and voila, I started practising on my hair and I became perfect in the act.
When I get tired, I allow others handle it but when I crave for braiding my hair, I do it myself.
I used to do suku(braid forming a ponytail), 2 sukus(and base), all back(and base), patewo(and base), 2 step(atimes 3/4 steps), Evelyn King etc.
I use mirror for the frontal part and my sense of touch for the back and areas the mirror can't reach. The only time I won't use mirror is when I'm doing single braids with my hair. It's fun and at times, very tiring but I'm used to it!
My family are already used to it but for others who haven't seen such, it shocks them!
I have not been to the salon for the past 2years.It wasnt not easy at first but it keeps getting better and better.Now I can braid and fix weave on myself that people dont believe when I tell them I do my hair myself.It's saved me a lot of bucks.
ReplyDeleteYou sure went to a boarding school in the late 90's to early 00's
ReplyDelete