Are you in an Abusive Marriage with your wigs?

Imagine a woman who is married to an abusive man. She desperately wants to leave the marriage, but she is not financially empowered, and has no plans to get empowered. She really hates her abusive husband, but is forced to stay there because she has no means to support herself. 

Her husband was the one who financially incapacitated her. She wants to leave. She can’t leave. She hates herself

She depends more on the man even in the horrible situation, causing her to become worse, forcing her to depend even more on the man. She finds herself in a vicious cycle hard to break out of.

This is the same situation many people are facing when it comes to wigs and their receding edges.

How to Use Wig as a Protective Style For Your Natural Hair

We encourage naturalistas to rock their natural hair without the use of extensions, wigs, and other attachments added to the hair. However, we also understand that there are several factors that can determine when naturalistas would use either wigs or extensions. Some of these reasons could include;

• The need to rock a different hairstyle without using heat tools on the natural hair
• The versatility of wig styles
• Having a tight schedule without ample time to tend to one's own (Although you should follow a regular routine for great results) 

What other reasons do you use wigs? let me know in the comments below.

That being said, we would talk about how to use wigs as a protective hairstyle for your natural hair, and in the next blog post, we would address the use of extensions as a protective hairstyle.

How Wigs are Damaging Your Natural Hair!

Wigs can cause immense damage to the in terms of traction alopecia hair when they are;

• Worn/installed the wrong way
• Stay on too long 
• Rest tightly on the head
• Worn without a wig cap

If you have to use wigs, here are a few steps you can take towards using the wig protectively as opposed to in a damaging way. 

• The wig should never be worn directly on your natural hair. Instead, a soft wig cap must be used before all wig installations.
• Ensure the elastic band of the wig cap does not sit on the edge of your hair, else, you risk your edges being eaten up slowly.
• Your wig itself should not have bands that are too tight around the edges as well. This would put tension on the edges causing rapid breakage.

Do's and Don't of Using Wigs

Naturalistas who truly want to do right by their hair can actually adopt the Green House Method even while wearing a wig. Also, don't just use the wig to cover up unkempt hair, your hair should be in a healthy state before a wig installation. 

To save your edges, do not use hair bond or glue directly on the frontal of your hair to obtain that natural look or feel. We advise using a wig that has a pre-installed frontal, which you can simply wear without damaging your edges both during installation and removal. 

How to Restore Your Hair After Wig Damage

If your hair has been damaged by the wrong use of wigs, you can bounce back. With careful routine, patience, and the right products, your hair can gradually regain its volume, curl, and length. 

• Completely halt the use of wigs.
• Follow a routine suitable for your hair
• Visit a trichologist for a thorough examination of your hair 
• Use the right product combination 

To sum it up, using wigs protectively can actually help retain length, and reduce frequent manipulation of the hair. 

Has using wigs benefited you or damaged your hair? Let me know in the comments below.  

Trichology Corner: How Wigs are slowly killing your Hair

It is the new trend for ladies in this day and age to wake up in the morning, go through their daily beauty routine, whip out the wig, cover their head, head out of the house, work for their daily bread, come back home at night, take the wig off, and go to bed… every single day… and the cycle continues!

Now, we are not here to talk about your routine or lifestyle choices. We are just going to take out one element from that cycle and elaborate on it… the wig!

Why the wig?

It is simple
It is convenient
It is versatile… you can basically change your looks every single day of the month
It covers secrets… if you know what I mean
It is affordable… in most cases

Anyone can use a wig, whether your hair is healthy or not, natural or not… as long as you are alive and breathing, and can basically walk around with your head intact, you can use a wig. All you need to have is a head!

So why on earth are we writing about the wig on the trichology corner?

Simple! Like many other things in life, we have begun to abuse this interesting invention, and it is beginning to set many women back on their journey to healthy hair. To make it worse, many people don’t even know their wigs are the source of their problems in life with their hair!

I handle these cases very regularly. There the lady is, sitting in right front of me, paying for her hour, complaining, and the major source of her problem is right on her head!

So why do we frown at the constant use of wigs, as hair and scalp specialists

Any source of constant friction around your edges is bad for your hair! Many women now put on and take off their wigs countless times during the day. They adjust, readjust, and set it well to look good. To top it up, this is done every single day. We forget that the inner parts of wigs don’t have smooth satin or silk surfaces. They are basically rough on our thin and fragile edges. The effect of this constant friction on each strand might not be seen by our physical eyes like when we swipe cutlass on wet grass, but the results is always evident months down the line.

Long and short of the story…

Constant wigging causes Traction Alopecia!

If you had Traction Alopecia, constant wigging will make it worse, and your hair will recede further. If you didn’t have Traction Alopecia, constant wigging will start you on the journey to Traction Alopecia, and that is something you don’t want to deal with

So am I saying wigs are bad? Definitely not. But wigs are supposed to be buffers for your hairstyling options, once-in-a-while look changers, etc. It is surely not to be used every single day, as a hairstyle alternative, nor something to cover up for our laziness.

So if we care about the health of our hair, let’s develop better attitudes towards wigs. They are to be used, and not abused!

Is there any scalp disorders, hair shaft disorders, or any hair science topic you would like us to trash out on Trichology corner? Please, let us know in the comment section.

N.B: Remember that when it comes to hair care, there's a lot of fact, fiction, myth and reality on the internet. In the event of any confusion, it is advised you see a professional hair care expert.

Atilola Moronfolu (HPT) is a certfied hair care expert and a holistic practitioner of trichology certified and accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and Mahogany Hair Revolution, Los Angeles, California. To book a hair clinical appointment with Atilola in Lagos Nigeria, send a mail to hairconsult@africanaturalistas.com or call 07061141501.

Meet Kiitana - And Her Protective Styles

One of my favorite Youtubers and personalities on Instagram lately, is Kiitana. She's a young Nigerian lady, who also coincidentally lives in Atlanta. I can't remember how I came across her, but I really enjoy watching her crochet braids and protective style tutorials. For those of you in Nigeria, she just so happens to be in Nigeria and will be attending a natural hair event tomorrow, so check it out if you can!!!

Anyways, I'll share a couple of her videos with you and I hope you enjoy them.

Remember to always make sure your own hair is well taken care of, cleansed and moisturized with all your protective styles!

Berry Dakara.

Tips for the Wig Enthusiast

Hey ladies, happy Friday!

Wigs are a fabulous low manipulation/protectictive style. They come with the convenience of pre-done hair whilst giving you ease of access to your scalp and strands.