As a little kid living in Kogi state, I remember seeing Wodaabe women with their long luscious hair and caramel-colored skin. They always dressed the same way, with same tattoos and henna designs. When we moved to Lagos state, I noticed that quite a number of Lagosians patronized Wodaabe women for their hair dyes and concoctions that was believed to made hair grow. Our landlady was one of these customers. Unfortunately, her hair never grew past her neck area. This could be because using products alone can’t make your hair grow, how you take care of your hair is much more important. However, these Wodaabe women with long & shiny hair do some things to their hair we can learn from. See Wodaabe women hair growth lessons below.
Moisturizing: Wodaabe women apply Mai Shanu (cow butter from raw cow milk) on their hair to soften it & also add shine. We may not have to go looking for Mai Shanu, but we must not forget the importance of moisturizing our hair regularly with water, natural oils & butters. Instead of Mai Shanu, you can use Shea butter or even mango butter to seal in moisture into your hair.
Wodaabe Women Hair Growth Lessons – long Nigerian hair
Shea Butter
Protective Styling: One of Wodaabe women hair growth lessons is that of protective styling. All the Wodaabe women I have seen usually have their hair in stylish plaits. Because of the hot weather in the northern part of Nigeria as well as their religion, they sometime protect their hair in loose scarves. Now that the harmattan is here, protect your hair with low manipulative styles if you can.
Decorating: Multi-colored small & medium-sized beads, cowries, bones, etc usually decorate their hair. These beads are arranged at the tips of the braids & also wrapped around their foreheads. So, whip out your Alice bands, scrunchies & other accessories & let’s get stylish.
REFERENCES
Feature Image: FineArtsAmerica
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com.ng/2014/07/examples-of-fulani-african-female.html
