As I was there I noticed the Samburu ladies all shaved their hair at the front, almost like they were mimicking traction alopecia. This greatly amused me because,the thought of traction alopecia or receding hairlines makes any woman shudder Among natural hair circles, traction alopecia looks abnormal and we massage a mix of oils on our hairlines to avoid this condition. Yet this women proudly shave off the front of their head and it looks amazing!
Would you dare to shave the front of your hair? Hope the start of the week is treating you well ;- )
All Pictures taken by me..should you wish to use them, email kurlykichana@gmail.com
ETA: Those women have lovely bone structure
ReplyDeleteThis is not a fad. It is not a style that is widely followed. It is a way of life for the Samburu people. You don't see folks in Nairobi or any other places sporting this look. For a lot of people traction alopecia is a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post...like the photo's
ReplyDeleteI think Northern Kenya has some of the coolest naturals. From the Mohican-like Turkana hair cuts and now this! But I still prefer to keep my hairline.
ReplyDelete@Jacqui..That they do...they are very lean and not because they are in drought areas but they bodies are adapted to their environment to be lean and hence lovely bone structure
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, As you may not be aware, trends and fads mainly evolve from culture. Mohicans gave rise to Mohawks which you may or may not know have been a big trend with quite a few celebrities and local Kenyans embraced it with vigour. Ummm I may be wrong but I doubt a hairstyle is a way of life for people..By missing the point I was trying to make by embracing culture, you have gone out and decided to put ideas into your head that we were trivialising traction alopecia. That my dear is very wrong,we Kurly Kichana have tried to educate ladies on all forms of alopecia and we do take it very seriously!
@Mbugua Thanks.
@Thrifting Diva...Its amazing right...they have great hair and you can imagine they do not have to do much to it. Hahahaha I prefer my hairline as well
amazing that KISS(keep it simple Sista) works no wonder when dudes grow long hair its effortless for them, now try telling that to a PJ like me and whose hairline has to slicked and look neat always, no wonder my edges are suffering, but am learning#babysteps
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love that your job takes you to such 'exotic' places within our border. I wish you saw elephants too... at least I'd have liked to see th pictures :)
ReplyDeleteI imagine that in this culture a high forehead is considered beautiful, regal. I'd shave my head bald before I dare to create illusion of a prominent forehead. It's a beauty standard to which I am not accustomed.
ReplyDeletei think it's because they love high foreheads and receding hairlines give the look of a high forehead.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, but I don't get how it goes with Traction alopecia being a fad?!
ReplyDelete@Kinky_lockz....You have no idea how sad I was about not seeing elephants..oh well maybe next time
ReplyDelete@Erika and Anon..yeah I think this is why....it does look very pretty on them :-)
@Anita...Ummmm I believe that the Samburu women shave the front of their heads, which in natural hair circles is so scary...in the sense of traction alopecia.At the end of my post I mentioned if anyone would dare do this as a fad.
The lady in the second post looks beautiful! The shaved-back hairline, the earrings and the statement neck-piece! :) Honestly, I would rock this look at some point. For ladies with traction alopecia; if you're daring enough...you can rock that receding hairline!
ReplyDeletethe neck pieces are amazing, i already have a long forehead so no thanks but im sure if i lived there i would be rocking the style proudly.
ReplyDeleteOh thanx I get it! Love your blog, and love that unlike most bloggers you still reply to comments! Bless!
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth I would shave my hairline.. And I think it will come to be a fad sooner than we think... and I love the see-thru earlobes (already getting there with my heavy earings). My spirit is at home with such an expression but my biggie is commitment to one style..
ReplyDeleteThanks Kurly Kichana I am so excited to discover your blogg. Have a 15cm fro from what was possible 20cm! Its breaking and from the sounds of it, y'all about to save it!! Thanks ladies!!