Sunday News (Zimbabwe)

Decorating a small bathroom

- Amanda Ncube

WEAVES can be tiring, short hair may not suit you as much you think, your natural hair may be of a nice texture that is difficult to maintain or you just want to have dreads that’s why you come up with these excuses. Dreadlocks, dreads, locks, or whatever your term of choice for them may be; are essentiall­y sections of hair that haven’t been combed, brushed, or handled at all (that was then) now the hair is twisted or they crotchet it into the desired design. Crocheting has become very popular in the dreadlock community as a way to tighten up all your dreads and pull in most of the loose hairs on the surface of the dread. To the untrained eye, crocheted dreads have the appearance of being mature. So dreads that are only weeks old may appear years older. Reason behind having dreads Economic — Save money by growing dreads with hassle-free maintenanc­e that keeps money in your pocket. No more frequent trips to the salons /barber shops and purchases of expensive wigs, weaves, braids and an assortment of chemical products.

Another dreads benefit is that hair that is grown together to form a tight loc (dread) holds more strength. Less damage can be done as compared to when you have on weaves and braids.

Faster hair growth — It is said that hair grows faster with dreads. If you have slow hair growth then dreadlocks are the solution you are waiting for. Say goodbye to combs that just damage your hair.

Dreads are a style that won’t go out of style. It has its own identity as everyone’s dreads are different, beautiful and unique in their own way.

Dreads may be gorgeous if well taken care of, the misconcept­ion people have is once you have them on you can relax and save your pennies, but just like any other hairstyle maintenanc­e is key. There are different kinds of locks, the thick, the spaghetti thin, the long, the short, the unhealthy, the healthy and the well groomed. Having long locks is the goal of everyone who has dreads on. This takes years of maintenanc­e and patience. This is how you can attain healthy locks Get a good hairdresse­r/locktician This is so important especially in your beginning stages of growing your dreads. You want a hairdresse­r that can give you great advice and recommend healthy products. If you’re cutting off the last of your perm and going natural so that you can start locking, or if you are twisting your already natural hair, please have a real conversati­on about your hair objectives and your desired look with with your stylist to them twisting your hair. Make sure you feel comfortabl­e with her or him, and get a sense of how knowledgea­ble they really are about dreadlocks, make sure they know what they are doing. Get good hair products You cannot rely on your hairdresse­r to do all the work for you. Get hair moisturise­rs, oils, sprays and necessary products to keep your dreads on fleek. Keep your scalp moisturise­d and massage it at least for 5 minutes every other day. Don’t retouch your dread ALL the time We all like the fresh look of a retouch, but if done too often it can start to create breakage and thinning at the root. Look around for new styles that you can try out to stay in love with your hair in between retwists/retouch — it’s the perfect time to experiment with your look. Night care is essential Just like with any other hairstyle, sleeping with a head wrap or net or whatever (a silk wrap to avoid breakage) is so important. Locks tend to shed a lot, and protecting your edges and your scalp is crucial. A head wrap helps keep the moisture in your hair and scalp, as well as protect your hair from pillow friction. You need to be patient Having nice long healthy dreads isn’t a process that will happen overnight. Locking your hair is a journey and it’s a little different for each person. Some people’s hair locks faster than others. Thicker hair tends to lock faster. The good thing is that if you nurture and take good care of your hair then the growth will come. It really will.

For the rest of us who know dreads will not look good on us, we can go for the faux locks. These have been trendy for a while. Rihanna, Megan Good and Nomzamo Mbatha have been spotted in these faux locks among other celebritie­s. When you are tired of them you can always go back to your preferred hairstyle. HAVING a small bathroom can present challenges when decorating but when done correctly a stylish and elegant bathroom can be created.

When decorating or designing a small bathroom avoid making it look busy. Use peaceful and soothing colours such as white, cream or off-white. Such colours create a calming feel in a small bathroom. You can add personalit­y to an all-white bathroom by tiling the walls which you consider as the focal point. In this bathroom design, a mix of coloured tunnel tiles in a brickwork pattern covers the wall, adding colour and movement for a fresh small-bathroom decorating idea. The Greek key tile pattern on the floor adds interest to the bathroom decor and removes the need for a colourful rug.

Add a row of contrastin­g or decorative tile to act as a backsplash and add interest to an otherwise unadorned bathroom. This small bathroom decorating idea is also great for budget-friendly remodels since you need only a small amount of tile.

Make a small bathroom feel larger with a wall-mount sink. The small bathroom decor idea free up floor space and give the room a unique and unexpected look.

When you know what you are doing mix prints and textures in your small bathroom decor. Here, a textured rug and metallic stool add flair to the navy-and-whiteprint shower curtain. Stick to a single colour when decorating a small bathroom with multiple prints and patterns.

Strengthen your small bathroom colour scheme by adding different colourful towels, folded in different designs to wall-hung storage units. The unit add storage to a small bathroom without taking up floor space.

The addition of mosaic tile behind the open shelves adds colour and texture. Use the bathroom design idea to display or stow away toiletries as desired. A classic white sink, toilet, and light fixture will balance the space, while touches of black ground the feminine colour.

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