Why do African women always have such strange curls?

I sat in a small salon that was beautifully decorated in the city of Dakar - the capital of the Senegal Republic. Walls are decorated with curtains of colors: red, orange, purple, pink, blue, black and gold. Sitting in a chair in front of a mirror is a woman with colorful clothes from head to toe. It is Tata - hair stylist.

Tata customers are preparing for the baptism of their niece and she expects the new hairstyle to convey the solemn atmosphere of the event. She presented Tata with her favorite hairstyle, after which Tata would show her the hair patterns on her phone, both "hot" trends from TV shows, magazines or she caught on the road. .

And the hairstyle that the guest chooses is a curling hair with a black gel to fix the style. Tata uses a metal-made comb (like a toothbrush), a needle, thread and a large number of locally produced artificial hairs are swinging in front of the chair. After styling the customer, she uses a splint and fire to remove "inaccurate" fibers .

Apparently the combination of chemicals in hair products has been greatly improved since the hair of the "pop king" Michael Jackson caught fire in a Pepsi promotional video, the cause of the "accident". This is believed to be due to the flammable properties of hair clipping wax on hairdressing products.

Legend Michael Jackson with typical curly hair.

Currently, 3 companies have factories located in Dakar to produce synthetic hair fibers, the most famous of which is Kanekalon with the long-standing brand Darling Hair. Although owned by Lebanese businessman, Darling Hair is supervised by Koreans and uses Japanese chemical formula. However, this is still an African brand product, produced in both Senegal and Kenya.

Walking along towns and villages across the country, it is easy to see images of synthetic hair that are stacked in shops or in the market. They are sold for about £ 1.75 per pack. This fiber is also exported to other African countries and the US.

Not only inventing the most impressive curls in the world, Senegal people also completely changed the definition of "natural hair". In Dakar, when referring to natural hair, the woman not only refers to the initial state of their hair, but also refers to the hair they always crave, which can be purchased for use in 5 to 6 The year with the price is not cheap.

This trend in Africa is called Cheveux naturels - a luxury industry. To get Cheveux naturels-style hair, many women will have to spend more money than they can afford to pay. But they are still willing to accept and will not be able to feel happy without them.

Curly hair is a symbol of fashion and social status.

"If I had that much money, I would have bought a new computer or something useful for my life than investing in my hair," Muza, an African woman, shared. According to her, many Senegal women do not matter whether they are more beautiful or worse with this hairstyle, but it is a symbol of fashion and social status.

The average cost for a Cheveux naturels hairdresser costs between £ 175-350, 3 to 4 times higher than the monthly income of Senegal workers. But why are they still willing to spend so much money?

"If a man wants to pursue the woman he loves, he will have to promise to invest in her cheveux naturels hairstyle. That's why every woman always has a few boyfriends at the same time. , to ensure that one of them will provide free hairdressing money to you at any time, " said a Senegal girl.

"Sometimes we have to hire cheveux naturels for special occasions. This hairstyle is the dream of every Senegal woman. It makes them more beautiful. Many women will feel inferior if they don't get cheveux naturels. So, they constantly ask their husbands or lovers to invest in cheveux naturels every day, ' said Senegal hairstylist.

The average cost for a Cheveux naturels hairdresser costs between 175-350 pounds.

While Senegal women are tired of cheveux naturels, men of this country are extremely opposed. They argue that cheveux naturels are the cause of stress in relationships, even breaking marriage. They accused women of misplacing priorities, only wanting better hair instead of caring for their families and children. It can be said that cheveux naturels becomes the "obsession" of Senegal men.

However, their attitude goes against their point of view because they are the ones who desire to see more beautiful and attractive women. " Men can say they don't like it, even hate cheveux naturels. But they can't deny that they're always attracted to women with cheveux naturels," Muza said.

Many Senegal men acknowledge that they cannot fully understand the meaning of what women wear on their heads through their hairstyles.

Of course, Senegal is not the only country in Africa that has a complex "hair culture" . Most Afro women have vertical spiral hairs like the architecture of unique buildings.