It’s hard to tell what is authentically natural and what is just riding on the bandwagon. PHOTO | FILE
Long before Lupita had the world going gaga over super-cropped
African hair, we already had songtress Wahu turn seemingly untended
baby-locks into a super chic trend.
Many would thus
assume that all it takes to rock their look is a simple wash and go. But
as 26-year-old Lynette found out when she first got her short, curly
afro, that was not the case.
“I
thought it would only be a matter of shaving my hair and not combing
it,” she says. “I was in my final year of school and an intern, so not
only was I super busy but also strapped for cash. I thought this do
would be cheaper and easier to manage, but not only did it take me six
different products to finally settle on coconut oil, I was also
surprised that it actually took longer to style than the hair I’d
shaved!”
At about the same time that
natural hair became a trend, sporting dreadlocks had been long embraced
in mainstream culture, “Nowadays, I smile when I hear someone say that
they are going to get dreadlocks because they are ‘tired’ of managing
hair,” says Liz, who’s been spotting her dreadlocks for the last three
years.
“As a matter of fact,
dreadlocks are the last thing you should get if you do not have the
time, energy and money for hair maintenance.
They
are definitely not an easier way out! When I first got mine, I had to
go to the dresser every two weeks for re-twists, which cost me about
Sh1, 000 on every visit until they firmed up. Mind you in those first
months they didn’t look very good; I actually wore a human hair wig,
which cost me about Sh10, 000 until I was confident the locks didn’t
look all spiky and weird.
My hair grows pretty fast, so even now I have to go to the salon every month. So it’s not like I’ve been saved from that.”
A LABOUR OF LOVE
Is
it easier and cheaper than having chemically treated hair? “There’s not
much difference in price,” says Liz, “but it definitely takes more
time, especially in the styling thought process.
To
be versatile you need to be looking out for different techniques. Let’s
just say that locks require a lot of TLC(tender loving care), which
translates to an emotional investment! But then again, I didn’t get
locks for an easier way out. I got them because they express my
identity.”
Georgina Kimani, a fashion
stylist with a penchant for putting together chic afro-bohemian
combinations, terms working with natural styles as “a labour of love.
Some
days everything will work and on others nothing seems to cooperate. For
example, before we get the hang of natural hair, most of us will have a
difficult time finding products that work, especially because we have
never really known our hair types,” she says.
When
it comes to fashion, the definition of ‘natural’ varies; to some it
could be being afro-centric, to others it could be grunge or bohemian
inspirations, while to others, like 34-year-old Linda, it could be
inspired by social movements. Linda tells of the day she resolved to
make sure that the clothes she bought were not manufactured in a ‘sweat
shop’, “It was my own form of activism against modern-day slavery,” she
says.
“It’s like how some vegetarians
don’t eat meat because animal slaughter is brutal. But can you imagine
how hard it is to determine where and how every piece of clothing you
bought came from and was made, especially here in Kenya?!
I
literally didn’t have any options. It’s probably easier to do that with
food, right? In the end it ended up just being a thought but I did come
across this woman who sells 100 per cent cotton t-shirts, but they cost
like eighty dollars a piece… so I gave up on that.”
With
her hippie agenda dying a natural death, Linda, who also a sports a
short, natural afro, decided to commit to wearing more clothes by Kenyan
designers, “I do that mainly because I personally know the designers
and it’s good to support them. Even though they are a tad costly, they
are also unique. Paying for exclusivity doesn’t hurt.”
As
for the hair, Linda says she doesn’t put that much work into it, “…and
because of that I realise that it looks dry. I’ve been meaning to go to
this guy who I’m told is a natural hair whisperer but then I’m told
every visit is Sh2, 000, so I’m still thinking about it. Meanwhile, I
just plait matutas at night, undo them in the morning and sometimes I
don’t even comb it.
It works for me,
but I can understand why anyone would want to perm of weave their hair.
Maintaining natural hair can be… a pain.”
Stylist
Georgina admits that even those (cool) grungy naturalists who look as
if they’ve just thrown weird items of clothing together have usually put
some thought into it. “The irony in that however, is that one needs to
have a natural skill at doing so. If you do it simply because it is a
trend, it will eventually fade away once the trend passes. Plus, you
will not be comfortable.
What really makes the look is the comfortable laid-back aura one exudes.
If
it looks like you are trying too hard then you are basically like a
hipster on a marketing campaign. But the most important thing here is to
note that natural, in the sense of style and fashion, is not achieved
by not caring about how you look.
That’s why it costs as much time as any other passion does.”
NATURAL GOES SKIN DEEP
Since
the advent of barely-there nude colours, natural make-up has become a
roaring phenomenon. But probably only a woman would understand why we
use make-up to attain a no-make-up look. So, to ask a question only a
man would, why not simply go without make-up? “I don’t understand
women,” notes 40-year-old Richard, “because I see this young girls,
maybe five to 10 year olds, and they have this gorgeous long natural
hair and glowing skin and then I wonder, why do women grow up and start
straightening their hair and covering their beautiful, black skin with
make-up?”
When we put this question
to Anna, a receptionist at an advertising agency in Nairobi, she says,
“First of all, young girls are not hormonal, so they don’t have skin
issues,” she laughs.
“But honestly, I
would probably only go without make-up if my skin was super smooth,
which it’s not.” Seven out 10 women we asked agreed that women who can
afford to go without some cosmetic help usually have ‘good’ skin. Five
used the term ‘being comfortable in their skin’.
So
how much does it take to naturally attain a youthful vitality from the
inside out? Georgina points out that for starters, make-up is not
supposed to mask who you really are.
“It’s
supposed to enhance your beauty. I think it’s more important to work on
the skin underneath and then either go make up free or lightly
accentuate some areas.”
Nancy Mumbua,
a dietician and wellness consultant based in Nairobi, notes that the
mark of our times is the many expensive products and cosmetics fortified
with ‘extracts’ from natural sources and thus promising wondrous beauty
results. “There is nothing wrong with using these products as they play
an important role in keeping the outer layer of skin and hair hydrated
and healthy.
However, they are too
dense to effectively absorb into the inner layers. Science and
experience has proven that using secondary (processed) sources does not
nearly do the wonders the primary (natural) sources can. By this I mean
that everything you require for inner beauty can be found in the
contents of your plate. Besides, nutrients are better absorbed by the
body when consumed directly from the food they naturally occur in.
So for example, it’s better to eat an avocado than to use a product with avocado extract.”
While
eight of the 10 polled women admitted that the biggest impediment to
them eating healthily was the lack of time and discipline to plan and
prepare for the meals, six said they tried it and on top of being
time-consuming, found the experiments to be too expensive.
VALUABLE, NOT EXPENSIVE
“For
example,” says one of the polled women, “I started taking this evening
primrose oil supplements which I was told would not only be good for my
hair, skin and nails, but would also help manage PMS symptoms. A pack of
60 tablets cost me Sh2, 800 and I was taking two a day.
After
two months they stopped being a priority on my shopping list and
eventually they got cut off, especially because I couldn’t tell whether
they were working. I opted to take yoga. My kids and I also started a
vegetable and flower garden in the backyard. Both of these cost time and
space – but the body and soul benefits are worth it.”
“In
terms of food costs,” Ms Mumbua concludes, “it’s really about where you
are shopping.” True to the word, we came across a bag of organic rice
in an up-market store that costs Sh4, 200 per kilo (believe it!) whilst a
similarly wholesome kilogramme of brown rice costs about Sh300 in a
‘regular’ store.
“A natural lifestyle
is not a hoity-toity affair,” says Linda. “When you think about it, how
much does my grandmother, who lives a natural lifestyle up country,
spend on food and clothes? Not much.”
Georgina
reiterates the same point when it comes to fashion and style. “I have a
few favourite high-end stores with superb minimalistic pieces but you
also wouldn’t believe the quality gems I have found lying on top of a
mtumba heap for Sh50 a piece! In terms of beauty products, organic tends
to be more expensive because they don’t have preservatives and harmful
chemicals.
They are also supposed to
be made in a more ethical manner. The thing is it’s hard to tell what is
authentic and what is just riding on that train. So it takes a lot of
online research and trial and error... which takes commitment.”
Whichever
your definition of a natural lifestyle, be it awakened by a some kind
of an inner enlightenment, a search for identity or purpose, a rebellion
to the mainstream or a just a love for the trend, it takes passion,
persistence and an investment on the soulful value of expression.
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