Trending hairstyles in the township

On almost every pavement in townships like Gugulethu and Mfuleni, shipping containers have been turned into hair salons. Some are salons where women can get their hair and nails done and some are barber shops, mostly owned by foreigners, where men queue to get their hair cut.

Walking through the top deck of the taxi rank in Cape Town, you pass numerous hair shops where you can either buy hair or get your hair done. Most of the hairstylists find their customers by standing at the taxi drop off points which enter the taxi rank, and showing them a poster with different hairstyles that they can choose.

The Madiba haircut made famous by former president Nelson Mandela with a shaved line running along the side. Other haircuts that are similar to this one can have two or three lines. This haircut is mostly popular amongst young men like Sinethemba Makakheta, but women are doing it too.

The soft dread is popular among women who want the big hair trend. Thembela Ntongana has short synthetic soft dread hair sewn on to her own hair, but the soft dread can also be braided on to hair. Soft dread also comes in bigger thicker curls. (Photo by Thembela Ntongana)

Vuyiswa Maneli shows off the twisted braid, known as “itwist” in the township. This popular hairstyle uses synthetic hair bought from cosmetic shops. Depending on the size and length of the braids, up to five packets of synthetic hair can be used. Doing the twist can take up to five hours and some customers go back to the hairstylist to finish up the following day. Like other braids, the twist is plaited or braided on to the customer’s own hair and it can be tied or styled in many ways.

Stacey Naledi Lipindhi who runs the hair salon does the razor cut which is similar to a hairstyle called the boy cut. Also made with synthetic or human hair, the razor cut is a short hairstyle which does not need much maintenance. The customer’s own hair is plaited into rows using wool, and synthetic or human hair is sewn onto the plaits. The synthetic or human hair is then cut with a hair clipper to create the style the customer wants. Unlike hairpieces, the razor cut is maintained by simply spraying Oil Sheen on it to make it shine, and curling it every few weeks if it goes straight.

Dreadlocks are popular with both men and women. Nosiviwe Qampi is having her locks twisted. Grooming dreadlocks takes time because the locks have to be twisted one by one. There are many ways to style dreadlocks and the style can last for weeks.

Sisipho Dlulane does the simplistic, manageable, age old hairstyle called cornrows. Cornrows are plaited rows which can be done in different patterns and mixed with different hair colours. Also using synthetic hair, cornrows don’t take a long time to be done and are a popular hairstyle among both females and males. Males tend to do cornrows using their own natural hair, as done by international hip hop artists.