Kenyan salons have certain amounts of similar traits, most of which will have you questioning your entire existence or make you reconsider having hair.
Unconsciously, different sectors in the Kenyan industry have managed to pick traits that suit them as a brand. Be it bodaboda guys, the matatu industry, our hotels, and vibandas, they all have common characteristics. Kenyan salons add to the list. We can all relate to some attributes common in Kenyan salons, just out of sheer experience or purely out of observation.
Here are some common traits in almost all Kenyan salons:
- Poster hairdo vs actual hairdo are two different things
Not once have many people complained about the false advertising in Kenyan salons. The posters on the walls or those outside the door of the premises advertise the salon. You think ‘They really have nice services’ so you go in and 38 days later, the hair you ordered vs the hair you got doesn’t match. (No shade on Kenyan hairdressers, most do quite a good job).
- Top-tier gossip
If you want your weekly dose of vitamin gossip, the salon is where you need to go. These salon guys have the best tea about what is happening in town; what mama Nani did to her kids or how baba Junior is constantly changing the women on his arm as though they were clothes. Isn’t it fascinating though, how they know everything about everyone?
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- The confused trainee
A Kenyan salon is all you need to get expertise on matters of hair and makeup. There is always that one trainee who is assigned small tasks like washing and blow-drying, hair relaxing, or braid finishes (Mtu wa Kumalizia). These trainees are almost always confused. They are unsure of what to do so they keep asking the Boss for guidance. It is quite scary especially since they experiment on an actual customer’s head.
- The ‘advertiser’
If you have been called by one of the hairdressers while in town, then you understand what this is about. Out of a million people who like to camp in the salon, there are a designated few whose job is to fish out new customers. So, they stand outside the door and call out to anyone who looks like they need a hairdo.
- Handy helpers
Most if not all salons have these kinds of people. They are always on standby for whatever job may present itself. It is no surprise when you get into a salon and find one customer being attended to by an entourage of hairdressers.
Kenyan salons are interesting. I say, every day it is risk-taking when it comes to getting your hair done in Kenya.
