by Keora Bernard
One of the best attributes of the natural haircare movement is its diversity of options. You can wear a sleek bun, an unhinged afro, or choose to lock your hair. Furthermore, naturals can experiment with edgy cuts and colors, which highlight their state of mind and/or fashion sense. However, when we think about or refer to naturals, our frame of reference tends to be Solange Knowles or Lupita Nyong’o, but not Nicki Minaj or Beyoncé. Whether we acknowledge it or not, there is a large population of naturals who choose to regularly wear wigs or weaves.
I have family members and friends who wear hair pieces or extensions for a wide variety of reasons, and it doesn’t always mean they don’t like their natural hair. An old co-worker of mine told me that weave “grows your hair.” Other naturals say that wigging or weaving gives them a diversity of options and protects their hair at the same time.
On the other hand, many of us have witnessed the unpleasant effects of improper wigging or weaving, such as the case of Countess Vaughn. For those of you unfamiliar with Countess, she played as one of the leading actresses in “Moesha” and “The Parkers”. Her love for lace-front wigs caused a “severe scalp infection” (Wilson, "Countess Vaughn Reminds Us Of The Dangers Of Wigs And Weaves"). I don’t want to shame naturals for their personal choices, but I do want them to be informed and proactive rather than reactive. Here are the top five rules for wigging or weaving:
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