Men, this is why women wear weaves, wigs

I bumped into an old friend of mine at Garden City mall the other day. I was excited that Nywele creative had set up shop on Thika Road so I had to check the shop out.

Anyway, I met my friend just outside the shop and he was actually surprised that I was a “partaker” of hair that is not naturally mine (read fake hair).

Why do women put those things in their heads? He asked. Then went on to give me some statistic of how 80 per cent of men like women in natural hair yet 90 per cent of the female population adorns themselves in wigs and weaves.

This is not the first time I have heard both men and women asking why some women insist on wearing wigs and weaves yet we look better in our natural hair.

This conversation really got me thinking about wearable hair and what men assume is the reason women wear wigs and weaves.

Before I get into the details of why women wear wigs, let me just start by clarifying the biggest misconception that people have about women who wear ‘fake hair’; those of us who wear wigs and weaves don’t wear them to dupe people into believing that it’s our natural hair.

I myself have short hair and when I am having a bad hair day or I just feel like giving my hair a break, I just put on a wig: there’s no way on earth that when I bump into people I expect them to think that my hair miraculously grew to shoulder length in a fortnight.

So why do women really wear wigs and weaves?

TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL HAIR

Most people assume that women wear wigs and weaves because we don’t love and appreciate our natural hair and they couldn’t be more wrong!

The number one reason why women and even celebrities wear wigs and weaves is to protect our natural hair. Not every woman in a wig is bald or has bad hair underneath.

Wearing a wig or weave gives our natural hair a break from daily maintenance routines that may cause damage and weaken the hair such as heat, breakages, chemicals etc.

Imagine having to blow dry your hair every day or sit under a drier every week just so that you don’t walk around looking like you are having a never-ending bad hair day.

Such things do more harm than good to hair and that’s why we opt for weaves/wigs. In case of hair loss or damage, wearing wigs is a great way to protect the hair as it grows back or heals.

FOR VERSATILITY

Unlike men who can wear the same hairstyle from birth to the grave, women cannot stick to one hairstyle and we need to be versatile with our hair.

In line with protecting our natural hair, wigs and weaves give women room to play around with length, color, and texture without worrying about having to interfere with our natural hair.

We can move from Rihanna short to Shakira long depending on our mood, or from our natural hair color to a Nicki Minaj pink just to make a statement.

At times we just want a fresh new look and wigs/weaves help us achieve this.

FAKE HAIR LOOKS AND FEELS BETTER THAN OUR NATURAL HAIR

The fact of the matter is that weaves and wigs look and feel better than our natural hair. But this is not to say that we hate our God-given hair.

Some women have kinky hair that freezes with the slightest hint of sweat, so wearing a wig or weave allows them to have straight hair that lasts throughout the day.

Others have really thin hair so wearing a wig or weave gives them more volume of hair thus looking and feeling great.

So instead of struggling with our natural hair and losing confidence because of how our hair looks, why not embrace some hair extensions to boost our confidence?

The next time you see a woman rocking a wig or weave don’t be quick to judge and throw stones, because that is a woman who understands the importance of looking good and loves her natural hair enough not to damage it by trying too hard to look good.

And ladies, let’s not forget why we wear wigs/weaves in the first place, consult a stylist to get wigs/weaves that suit you (just because it looks good on someone else it doesn’t mean it will look good on you).

Don’t stay with that weave on for too long that it starts smelling and remember to give your hair a break from the wigs/weaves.