Virus rejuvenates a spiky hairstyle

NAIROBI, Kenya — The coronavirus has revived a hairstyle in East Africa, one with braided spikes that echo the virus’s distinctive shape.

The style’s growing popularity is in part due to economic hardships linked to virus restrictions — it’s cheap, mothers say — and to the goal of spreading awareness that the coronavirus is real.

The hairstyle had gone out of fashion in recent years as imported real and synthetic hair from India, China and Brazil began to flood the market and demand by local women increased.

But now, in a makeshift salon beside a busy road in Kibera, a slum in the heart of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, 24-year-old hairdresser Sharon

Refa braids young girls’ hair into the antennae-like spikes that people call the “coronavirus hairstyle.”

“Some grown-ups don’t believe that the coronavirus is real, but then most young children appear keen to sanitize their hands and wear masks. So many adults do not do this, and that is why we came up with the corona hairstyle,” Refa said.

Kenya’s number of confirmed virus cases hit 700 as of Monday. With the widespread shortage of testing materials, however, the real number of cases could be higher. Health officials are especially worried about the possible spread of the virus in crowded slums.

Mothers like Margaret Andeya, who is struggling to make ends meet, said the coronavirus hairstyle suits her daughters’ styling needs and her pocket. Virus-related restrictions have stifled daily work for millions of people with little or no savings.

“This hairstyle is much more affordable for people like me who cannot afford to pay for the more expensive hairstyles out there and yet we want our kids to look stylish,” Andeya said.

It costs about 50 cents to get the braids, while the average hairdo costs $3 to $5. That’s money most people in Kibera cannot afford at the moment.

The technique used in braiding the coronavirus hairstyle is threading, which uses yarn instead of synthetic hair braids. This is the secret to making it affordable, residents said.