Making information available in all places

I KEEP my hair short.

I have developed a good working relationship with my barber Tendai.

During the first days I used to explain to him the haircut that I wanted.

I remember how difficult it was to describe a haircut that I had seen and how I had admired it.

Mind you he could not call some of the people so he could see the cuts.

I am one for adventure, so some of the cuts were from the media! I can hear you laughing. I am just sharing where some of my ideas came from.

Tendai is patient. I guess that is why that he has a good clientele.

When I go for my haircut, no let me put in a more appealing way, when I go for a retouch, yes, it is a retouch. Is it not that I now have a trade mark haircut that Tendai just do retouch or a redo. Do you think haircuts are not important as the other hairstyles? They are so important and greatly valued.

Back to me describing the cut that I wanted to Tendai.

After I went on and on and he was listening patiently, he finally asked if he could cut my hair as he thought that he had a cut in mind that suited me and also that would go hand in hand with my maturity.

Could I trust him to do that? So I thought that suppose I did not like the cut that I would end up with, what would happen? It is different from a hairpiece that can then be removed.

The adventurous individual within me took the leap of faith. As he was doing my hair, it did not look like anything was happening. But then when he finished, I was in awe. I loved the cut and I thanked him many a time before I walked out with a big smile and a boost in my confidence and self-esteem. I have never looked back ever since. Now when I go to the barber shop, I am so relaxed. I just sit and relax and wait for the eureka moment!

The good thing about having a haircut is less work.

I love labour and time saving issues! Getting a haircut is probably one of the best decisions that I made regarding saving time.

All it needs is a wash, drying, occasional oiling, combing and I am good to go.

During the first few days after a cut, I can get away with not combing and still look good. With the hot flashes that occasionally visit me as I approach menopause, the cut is good not just for my physical health but for my mental health well being too.

I have not stopped admiring well done braids and weaves but I admire them on others now. I am content with my cut.

My youngest daughter Chido on the other hand is still in her adolescence and she loves her visits to the hairdresser with whom she has developed a relationship.

When her hairdresser cannot do the hairstyle that Chido has in mind, she refers her to someone who can assist.

Chido and I are at different points of the seesaw. While she can sit for hours on end to get her hair done, for me it is about 15 minutes and I am done. Chido is experimenting with colour on her head.

The last time I bought her braids she just wrote the colour code on a text message and the number of packets that she wanted.

As the shop attendant started getting the braids out, it was the colour that struck me.

The girl must have witnessed the look on my face because she said I could confirm with the one who had sent me.

So, a quick call to Chido, “Just confirm what the braids that you have requested look like.”

I could hear the smile in her voice as she confirmed the colour. The shop attendant assured me when the hair is done, the braids would not be as bright as they looked in the packet.

The day Chido went to get her hair done, I had somehow prepared myself to see a different daughter with some colour on her head.

I must confess that the initial days were difficult. I would have forgotten that her head had a colour code and would surprise when she walked into a room.

Now that I am used to her colour, she has just told me that she would like another hairstyle and has again returned to a new search. I am sure that it will not be black braids, I am waiting to hear what the colour will be.

In a training for service providers working in the reproductive health area, we had an opportunity to discuss adolescence. One challenge that affects those on adolescent stage is lack of information on reproductive health.

So we were discussing how important it is for young people to have information on reproductive health to make informed decisions remembering that the decisions people make in their adolescent years have a major bearing on the rest of their lives.

It is important that such information is available in the places that young people frequent.

Hair salons and barber shops are places that young people frequent. These can be formal or informal ones, but these people have a client base of young people.

Suppose the hair dressers and barbers are equipped to disseminate information, the message would get far.

This is whether it is for a short time with the barber or a long stay as one gets very long colour coded braids.

Besides being on different sides of the see saw, reproductive information is a must.

There is a biological clock ticking in every individual with different amounts of hormones that can affect decisions. Relevant information in small or large amounts is key.