Why Ghana's natural hair fashion is bad for business
In Ghana, natural hair is as much of a fashion choice as it is a political statement.
The
style says: "I am a confident woman" to the wider world, with the
chemical-free twists, cornrows, locks or braids asserting each wearer's
individuality - all without having to rely on chemicals.
But it has a downside.
Across Ghana, hairdressers specialising in perms, Jheri curl, leisure curls and European-style hair extensions are struggling to fill their salons.
"I can say I have lost about 50% of my clients who have opted to
style and maintain their natural black hair," St Claire Adotey tells
the BBC. "This has really affected my business."
Ms Adotey has
been a hairdresser in Accra for more than 20 years - not to mention a
decade in the Ivory Coast - and used to have more than 12 clients a day.
This has reduced drastically, to just three clients a day on
average - which means the chemicals she has invested her hard-earned
cash in lie unused, in danger of going to waste.
"[It's] not just
me: I think other hairdressers are suffering a similar fate," she says,
resigned. "Our customers are no longer interested in using chemicals to
perm or curl their hair."
Another salon owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she has
also seen a decline in her business. Her solution has been to also
venture into styling natural hair and also selling natural hair
products.
Manufacturers of chemicals for hair straightening have
also been affected in the sale of their products and most of these
companies are shifting to making products for natural hair.
Of course, where one business suffers, another thrives.
'I couldn't bear the heat'
"For
the past seven years almost every day we have a new client, we see two
or more new faces," Ernestina Emefa Agbley tells the BBC.
Her salon is about five miles from Ms Adotey's and yet, could not be more different.
With
many Ghanaians embracing the potential of their natural hair - as well
as the fact it is healthier, cheaper for some and more easily managed at
home - she has seen a flood of new clients to the Akuwaa Hair Spa,
eager for her expertise.
"A lot of people walk into the salon now
so I can boldly say our clientele has increased. A lot more people are
hopping on to the idea of keeping their natural hair and locks as well,"
Ms Agbley says.
Naa Akuyea Shika Pappoe is just one of the women who threw out the chemicals in favour of a natural approach.
"I
switched to natural hair seven years ago when I was pregnant with my
daughter and I couldn't make the salon visits because my first trimester
was quite trying," Mrs Pappoe says.
"I could not handle the discomfort of going to a salon, washing my hair and the heat from the dryer was unbearable."
For
Mrs Pappoe, it is not just the time saving - trips to the salon have
halved in length, and are now only monthly - but also about how healthy
and strong her hair is now.
"Even when it rains, I don't have to
worry about my hair getting wet and because it is my own hair, I have
gotten to know how to handle it," she says. "Rain cannot damage natural
hair but with a permed hair, there is very little you can do.
"The
hair becomes limp and kind of plastered on flattened your head. You may
have to go back to the salon to get it back in shape.
"If you
have relaxed hair, once it is flat you have to go through the whole
process of curling again but with natural hair, with a few pins, you can
just tuck it in and style."
There are downsides though.
Mrs Pappoe admits the difficulty with natural hair is the combing - especially if you have very kinky hair.
For
some, it might not be that cheap. Mrs Pappoe estimates she spends twice
what she may have done in the past maintaining her hairstyle.
But it's worth it, she says.
"It
is definitely more authentic - that's me, who I am as a person. I've
grown to love the versatility; I find it very versatile as against
relaxed hair. There are so many things you can do with natural hair when
compared to permed hair."
Nana Efua Fremah Baidoo's natural hair
story is different: She switched because she could not find the right
product for her very coarse hair.
"I was just fed up. I had to be
visiting the salon very often because none of the hair chemicals was
suitable for my hair. When I switched to natural hair, it was less
expensive to style," she explains.
But its new-found popularity is an issue - as prices have now risen.
"Because of the hype, it has become expensive maintaining natural hair," she said.
For some people, embracing their natural hair goes beyond a fashion statement.
In the 1960s and 70s, wearing natural hair was very much a political statement in the US.
More
recently, Miss Jamaica, Davina Bennett, went viral after wearing her
hair in an afro during the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. For many, it was a
statement about black pride.
But for Akua Djanie, known as
Blakofe, a Ghanaian writer and TV presenter and currently the deputy
head of the Ghana Tourist Development Company, embracing her natural
hair is neither a fashion nor political statement.
"It is a way of
life. God created every race with a particular type of hair and it
makes perfect sense to me to embrace that," she told the BBC.
BBC
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