Hair, Hair, Hair!

Here is the much awaited blog on tresses...

Since moving to the village, I have been amazed at how many times my hair has been the topic of conversation.  It all started shortly after I moved in to the apartment and Allen walked in to find me with my head in the sink washing my hair with shampoo.  This is a must for my hair but not something that my dear African friends do but every couple of months and even then they don't use shampoo.  So she inquired what I was doing and why?

Many conversations have revolved around how I get my hair to do that... or which salon I use here... or questions from my staff on can you plait (french braid) my hair like yours?  And for the record I did french braid Allen's hair into pigtails!

On Palm Sunday, my friend Sarah, Alyssa and I were in Masaka at church.  The only three white ladies with everyone else being from Africa. The pastor was preaching on why Jesus had to die... and he brought up the story of the woman pouring the oil/perfume on Jesus' feet and wiping it off with her 'expensive' hair... we white girls thought this was hilarious because we grow our own hair...it is not expensive.... the thing of value in the story was supposed to be the oil/perfume!

As I was chatting with Nakafero last night, her mother was inquiring where I got my hair done so this opened the door to a lengthy conversation on my locks!  I explained that my hair grows like this... curls and all...and that the expense for us to get it cut and colored.  I just had it in a ponytail so I took it down and they 'played' with my hair... amazed that it was so soft like a baby's hair.  I then told them how it is well known in my culture to have young girls with really long hair.... they did not believe me so I had to find pictures of some of my former preschoolers with long hair... they also wanted to know why the boys didn't have long hair like the girls.

I inquired about her hair which was  plaited in the local fashion ... she said that she has hers done every 2 months.... it takes all day and a lot of pain to put the plaits with extensions in... then about a month after she goes back to have it touched up.  At two months... she goes back to have the plaits and extensions taken out...which takes 4 to 6 hours.  Then her hair has to 'rest' for 2 weeks before starting the process again.  This entire process costs anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000UGX...which is rather pricey by village standards when one of the mats that Nakafero makes and spends a month making normally sells for 20,000UGX.

Most of our little ones and even teenage girls have their heads shaved to cut down in dirt, bugs, and infection.  I asked Nakafero... why go through this process... why not just shave you head like Nagawa... she laughed and said a woman's beauty is in her hair.

So there you have it ... the scoop on locks in the village!