Braids

When I was a little boy I always wanted to have braids. When I was little, I knew that it was wrong for me as a boy to want braids, let alone ask for them. So the next best thing was to admire the braids of my friends and sometimes play with them. When I was a

When I was a teenager in high school men getting cornrows started trending. I saw this as an opportunity to get cornrows myself. It was easy to justify having cornrows when other men were getting them. It was around the time David Beckham even had cornrows. That was not necessarily successful, but he was part of the cultural shift that made it possible for men to do cornrows without being labelled gay. A label I carry without apology now.

A family friend had an aunt that had braiding skills, so I asked her to braid my hair. she agreed but charged a fee, so I had to save up to have my hair in cornrows. I was so happy after I had my hair braided. It was just straight back and I was on the moon. I have been braiding and cornrowing my hair since then.

I am partial to braids currently. I love the flexibility they provide. The different styles you can do. And the different colours you can use. It’s an exciting world of beautiful styles and textures that transform you into a different person after a visit to the salon.

Black girls have been at the forefront of braids for as long as I have been alive. I have always been inspired by what black girls can do with hair. I have often said to my hairdresser that what she does is ART. The variety of styles, colours, lengths, that black girls do with their hair is nothing short of amazing. The creativity and innovation of black girl hair inspires.

I usually get my hair braided at the Afro Corner in Cape Town. The salon is at 33 Strand Street, Cape Town.

Here are some pics of me living life in braids!