HUMAN/BRAZILIAN HAIR

A few years ago a guy asked me why I had to fix my hair when my pretty friend (who was standing beside me) was wearing her long and natural hair. I casually replied him saying, ‘you can buy your hair if it won’t grow’! (Remember lyrics of the song Unpretty by TLC). We laughed about it but I meant it and to buttress my point look around you and tell me if you don’t see 4 out of 5 Nigerian women with fake hair on?!

There’s a running joke that women are now valuable in the kidnapping industry in 9ja, reason being that they carry from $500-$1000 on their hair all in the name of ‘I must fix Brazilian hair’. So if you need some quick cash and have run out of ideas, kidnap a lady, ask her to loosen her hair, and then release her and sell the hair for at least $500. 

(Disclaimer: 

9jaspitiout blog is not liable for crimes committed out of experiment or any crimes out of content posted here):D

I watched a preview once on national geographic or was it discovery channel, of the sale of human hair across the globe; apparently women in India have their hair shaved as a religious sacrifice to a high power for ‘different reasons’ ranging from thanksgiving for blessings to pleas for blessings in areas of their lives to sale for a few chips (Benjamins). What is disturbing about this act is that most of these women believe their hair is tossed into the bin and discarded of; little do they know that it makes its way around the world to different continents of which my humble Africa is no exception. Some of them willingly give their hair away knowing it will end up in other continents. Matter of fact it is also said that some of this hair comes from corpses!! My goodness….just imagine the hair of a corpse of on your head?? Yikes! Indians are not the only country involved in this horrifying act, apparently investigations conducted by British pop star Jamelia, traced its way to Russia where girls as young as 13 are shaving their hair for a few pounds! These poor people are coaxed into selling their hair and given peanuts in comparison to the actual price at which their hair is sold off at. It is estimated that in the UK alone, a whooping £65 million a year goes on hair extensions. What that money could do for an economy?!

human hair being processed...

It’s quite sad to see how desperate people have become for money that they would shave their hair for a few pennies though my sympathy goes to their impoverished lives as some can’t afford to feed a day. I won’t ostracize myself from being one of those that has fixed these hair extensions, taken off possibly some poor lady in another part of the world trying to make a living. God forgive my vanity but no be me ask for am, no be me buy am but na me dey fix am sha and honestly my hair really could do with extensions! :D.. I know some ladies who wouldn't fix any other hair that isn’t ‘Brazilian hair’ or lace wig (as if it’s been always available in the market!) Please give me a break! Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity says the preacher! My man Ecclesiastes, he was right even in 2000BC!

Anyway ladies if you want to keep buying these human hair extensions feel free but please try to determine the source of the hair (I know your thoughts, as if that wouldn’t be a herculean task).

In the words of Jamelia: Whose Hair Is It Anyway?!

P.S: I’ll try to add ‘not using human hair extensions’ to my resolution for 2012, for now make I rock the wan wey my mama give me..hehehe…