hair

And for my next act, something completely different!

I got my hair braided a month and a half ago. It was much different than the time last fall when I got my hair braided in a village. Here’s a picture of that time.

Basically, I had sort of thick cornrows all over my head. It didn’t take very long at all to do, and did keep me cool, but of course it looks a little ridiculous on a white person. (The scalp showing through the hair always looked little silly to me.) I wasn’t really going to do it again, but my hair this summer is very, very, very long. I was mostly managing the heat by keeping it in two braids or off my neck, but it was getting tedious to take care of. (I’m growing it out for Locks of Love. Probably.) So, when I got to Diourbel and my friend Ellen told me that she was going to get her hair braided (with weave!) the next day, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Ellen teaches a business management class at a local hair salon/beauty school. Taco, on of the women in charge, started both of our styles, but then the women who are students at the school took over. They did an amazing job, and were super-fast. I’ll try to embed a video of us getting it done. Ellen got multi-colored weave, which actually ended up looking fantastic. I don’t know how she pulled it off. I asked for really tiny braids, which end up sort of looking like normal hair from far away. It took a long time, three hours one day and three hours the next (I had to do some interviews, and they were kind enough to schedule around me), but it was completely worth it. Also, it didn't really hurt me at all. I guess me and my sister pulled each others hair so much as kids that my scalp is numb?

The shells we got braided in our hair are cowrie shells and they are good luck. I took most of my braids out a few weeks later, but I still have a few in, including the shell. (It’s not gross, I wash my hair frequently, jeez.)
Here are our before, during, and after pictures!
[Left: Ellen, before.]
Yes, all the posters have white models.
[Taco showing Ellen the weave.]

[Ellen, mid-braiding]

[Me, yes, my hair is hideously long.] [Mid-braiding, and then Ellen and I posing later with some kids. And the final 'After' picture, a few weeks later, at Ellen's birthday party.]