“Dark and Lovely:” A trip to the hair Salon

Today I made a trip to “Dark and Lovely,” a local hair Salon in Cape Town. I have decided to make my transition from relaxed to natural hair through braids; this way, my hair wouldn’t look so crazy while I am transitioning. I wanted to get micro braids to start off, but I didn’t want the braids to be too thin because it’s a pain to take them out. I asked the hair stylist to give me medium sized micro braids (see pictures above). My hair only took 2 ½ hour to complete. I’ve never heard of that before!

What I found interesting about hair Salon’s in Cape Town is the mixture of men and women stylists. It’s common to misidentify these salons as unisex; however, the salons are designed to be suitable for just women. Barbershops are often located next door to or near by. The women at these salons are mostly trained professionals in braids, twists, and dreads, while the men are usually the ones to do relaxers and roller sets. I found that very interesting because in the states, particularly Boston, there are very few men who are professional stylist in Salon’s.

While at “Dark and Lovely,” a few “bootleggers” came into the shop to sell all sorts of products. One lady, in particular, came in with a bag full of clothes. She was selling leather pants and fur jackets. My first thought was, “WHAT! This is South Africa, people will be hot in these outfits!” The woman’s tagline surprised me the most. She kept saying, “If you buy these leather pants and fur coat, people will mistaken you for an American. Everyone in America is wear this today.” I sat quietly and laughed to myself, because I knew that leather pants were out of fashion since the late 1990s. I am so happy that no one in the Salon fell for her tagline. lol

I really like “Dark and Lovely.” I might have to come back to get some new braids in 6 to 8 weeks. Did I mention that it only cost me 300 Rands, which is equivalent to $40 dollars! With the hair included! The stylist provided me with the hair. I love South Africa.