Some women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say they have resorted to braiding their hair with extensions as wigs become expensive and almost unaffordable.
The women, who spoke in separate interviews on Monday in Abuja, said they would go for less expensive hairstyles in order to look good during the Christmas period.
Miss Rosemary Akau, a hairdresser in Bwari, said most women who patronized her services of wig making had switched to braiding with extensions.
“When wigs started trending some years ago, we lost customers because people stopped making their hair; instead, they buy already braided wigs.
“This was partly because it was less time consuming because some people hate sitting for too long to plait.
“Now, the attachments have become so expensive, as well as other materials for wig-making.’’
Akau said that a good braided wigs went for as low as N10,000 to N30,000, while other wigs that were not braided went for as high as N150, 000 and above.
“So it is truly expensive.
” Now, people don’t have that luxury anymore; adding attachment to their hair is more affordable because it costs about N15, 000 and much less, depending on the style,” she said.
Similarly, Miss Lucy Ibrahim, a resident of Bwari, said she preferred to make her hair instead of buying a wig because good wigs have become expensive to buy and also hard to maintain.
She said she had braided wigs in the past that did not last long as she expected.
Ibrahim attributed it to poor maintenance with good hair products, meant to enhance their beauty.
“Plus you cannot change the style it was made into but if it is on your head; you can style it the way you want in conformity with different occasions.
“The major challenge now is that, if you want a good wig, you have to spend money and the country is too hard now for me to throw the little I have into such luxury.
“So, I will braid my hair for now and do it beautifully too,” Ibrahim said.
However, Miss Kaneng Abraham, a student, said that she preferred wigs to braiding because she could not sit for long hours to make the hair and still sit for long hours to loose it.
“I have also avoided that pain that women have to endure for days after making their hair.
“It is true that the prices of wigs have increased but for me, it is still better and cheaper than visiting the saloon,’’ she said.
A hair merchant, Mrs Deborah Ademola, who also spoke to NAN, said that the increment on wigs was as a result of increase in dollar exchange rate.
She said that some of the materials used to produce wigs were imported.
According to her, big braids and million braids wigs, which used to cost between N10,000 and N15, 000, now costs N15,000 and N30, 000, depending on the style and hair texture.
“The prices of hair making materials have increased; the fuller hair attachments or extensions which hitherto, cost N2,000, now costs N3,000 or N3,500.
“The smaller extensions which usually cost N1, 200 now goes for between N1, 800 to N2,000.
“Some wigs that cost N45,000 or N80,000, now cost N150,000 and above and many others too, depending on the quality. This is a 50 per cent increase in prices..
“Even the prices of imported ones have increased because the cost of importation is not a child’s play, especially with the exchange rate,” she said.
Some of the different wigs that trend are invisible lace, closure wig braids, million twisted wig braids and straight human hair wigs.
Others are million braids wig, full bouncy human hair, full curls wig, Bone straight wigs, Peruvian lace wig, Lace wig with waves and others.
