Ever played four pics, one word? If you saw pictures of a fog, cracked lips, a very dusty car and perhaps the fruit popularly called agbalumo, what word would be the answer to the riddle? Yup! Harmattan. Harmattan is finally here and it seems to be compensating for it’s tardiness with intensity. It is colder, dustier and drier and so you need to take good care of yourself by drinking lots of water, keeping warm in sweaters, socks, blankets or duvets and using lip balm or lip gloss regularly to avoid dry and cracked lips. You also need to in the words of #OurFavOnlineDoc, apply cream so you don’t look white and frustrated like an unpaid masquerade’. Since you are liable to pay more attention to your skin during this rather harsh weather, I’m here to remind you to afford your hair some tender love and care too, otherwise it would dry out and break and you might experience traumatising hair loss. Luckily here are six protective hairstyles to try out so you don’t experience such trauma.
- Braids: This is a highly flexible and protective style and can take many forms such as the very common box braids or corn rows. You could choose to reminisce on your early school days with hairstyles such as police cap, patewo, shuku either using your hair or doing them in Ghana weaving with some attachment to make it even more stylish. Hoop earrings look great with this style and they look even better when the braids are already accessorised with beads or chains.
2. Crotchet: This is a very fast and beautiful style to make and does the job of protecting the hair from breakage as long as the twists or corn rows underneath are not too tight. It is also a great style for covering bald or thin edges. Crotchets done this season should be taken out after about 4 weeks.
3. Faux locs: They are one of the most protective styles because they cover the entire length of the hair and what’s more?, the older they are, the better they look. This is perfect, especially if you don’t have time to change hair styles so frequently.
4. Wigs: These are so perfect for the season because you can effortlessly remove them when you get home and let your hair ( which would most conveniently be in corn rows) breathe and they are super easy and convenient to brush and put on when you need to go out again. If you haven’t invested in wigs, I really don’t know what you are waiting for. In this day and age, you have to own at least one wig, having two or more is definitely not a bad investment either.
5. Kinky Twists: These, just like faux locs, protect the entire length of the hair and is perfect for short hair. They are mostly shoulder length hence they give off a very natural look. This style should last you for 4 – 6 weeks.
6. Threading: You can thread your hair into what is commonly called the ‘olori‘ hairstyle. This hairstyle was also rocked during our childhood days and called ‘kiko’ and is perfect for the harmattan in that even as they protect the hair they also afford it some growth in length as well as volume, not to forget that when decorated with beads and fabulous hair accessories they do indeed make you look like an African Queen.
Your hair has high affinity for moisture but the harmattan is strongly against this love and won’t allow it bloom. You, however, have to play the part of a rather successful Friar Lawrence and ensure that those two actually get to be together. While rocking any of the styles above ensure you spray water on your hair from time to time and use essential oils to lock in the moisture. Leave in conditioner should be a constant and close friend of yours and when you’re not outside wear a satin bonnet which will also to help preserve moisture and prevent breakage.
Have a lovely hairmattan season.
Lots of love,
Amara.
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