Hair on Smith street please!

"Woza sisi! Come sweetheart, imali encane nje! Siyaluka siyashesha!"
Such things can only be said to a black female walking down Smith street in Durban, as a clear and embarrassing indication that you are due for a hair change, if not that, what you already have is not working for you.

We find these street braiders quite annoying to deal with on our daily visit to town as they shove their withering home-made placards (which I call 'street-hair-moodboards') in your face and hustle for business be it rain or sunshine. It's a competitve booming street enterprise but also a fast remedy to a college girl who needs a quick fix at a cheap rate or that lady who has only a tight 35mins to spare in her lunch break! These ladies chose to get out there and be mobile salons that come to you. Afterall, that is the modern way of doing things nowadays 'bringing it to you'.

Many black women will religiously hand over atleast R900 to purchase a decent packet of weave and get hair done every month and get their hair did. I on the other hand got a chance to take on the streets and get myself a R50 hair do from our ladies. In my mind I had always wondered where they actually sat down to braid peoples hair, because many as they are on every corner and sidewalk of Smith street, there is no sight of the actually art of braiding being done.

She clasped my hand and lead the way into an old tall building on commercial, I went in to find a little hidden wallstreet empire of salons within the building! In a few minutes my hair was done and I was good to go...though a few of my friends and I have now decided to cut our pricey crowns of glory and heed to the good ol' cheap 'fro' after a long period of straightening, braiding, styling and dying...heuw!

The art of hairstyling and hair is a strong and growing obsession and industry at large; Indian, Brazilian, Asian, sinthetic... whatever, you name it they get it! Durban streets are infested with capable hands and these women are there to stay!