So the thing is: I’m getting hungry for braids again. You know the whole Nigerien thing? I’ve done it a few times, and although it takes about six hours (or more, depending on how much mesh I want to use) to braid my hair, it lasts for about four weeks which is absolutely amazing… The only bad thing about it is that it tears pretty badly on my not-very-African-but-oh-so-Scandinavian-hair, which is why I try to to do it all too often…
For those of you wondering what I’m talking about, here’s a historical recap:
1995 - Just braids, no mesh (although when this picture was taken, I had already started taking them out)
1998 - Red mesh and lots of it! Loved it…
2000 - Tried a packet of curly brown mesh and left the rest natural. Worked well and lasted for a month.
2001 - Six packets of curly brown mesh. It took four sets of hands and six hours to finish this hairdo, but it was soooo worth it! My cousin who was visiting Niger with me wasn’t all that sure to begin with, but when she saw the results, she had her hair done too, but with a darker shade.
Since then, I haven’t braided my hair and I can feel it in my veins that it’ll soon be time to do it again. When I was in Norway, I found some great blond mesh (which you can’t find at the market in Zinder - here I can only choose between black (which doesn’t work on me), wine red and brown) and can’t wait to have it inserted, but considering the heat, I think I’ll wait until the warm season is over…
4 users commented in " Time for a new hair-do…? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHello is it true that some mesh is coming from Horse neck hair
I heard that years ago
Where did you get those mesh ?
Is that why you raising these horses to cut their mesh
I’ve heard about horse mesh too but the one they sell in Niger is artificial, and so is the one I bought in Norway (which I haven’t used yet).
Lol, no we do not keep horses to use their mesh - but I am thinking about braiding their mane with artificial mesh one day when I have way too much time available (whenever that day will ever come…). Besides, black is not my color, so Arwen & Sahara get to keep their manes!
Some of us use horse hair to fix water pipes… (although I usually prefer teflon)
I had braids done once, during a trip to Barbados. I didn’t use mesh, it was just all my long hair at the time. But they didn’t last long, with my every day hair washes the braids were starting to get rouined, so after a couple of weeks I had to take them apart. But they’re so much fun!
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