Trend alert: Weaves for men

Just when you thought you have had it with straight men wearing make-up, gay men in satin blouses strutting in heels, hold your horses because here comes a new shocker — men wearing weaves.

After all the wrangling and twitching of noses towards women with weaves, calling them everything nasty from horsehair to dead people’s hair, now tables have turned and men’s espousal of the weave is shocking — and they are even going through the trouble of getting the front trimmed for their foreheads to look real.

A lot of younger men are balding now more than ever given lifestyle habits and modern foods. If you are struggling with loss of hairline and you want to maintain the younger look, opt for the man weave.

Created by Atlanta-based designer Reco Chapple, who is known for his stretch dresses and beautiful ball gowns, the man weave’s market price ranges between $75 and $125 (Sh7500 – Sh12500).

Well, it might be cheaper than a woman’s lace wig but then again, it is only for the pate. If you go full head then it is a different story altogether. Remember to budget for the barber’s addition of hair follicles to make it look fuller and more natural. Oh, what hypocrisy!

The before and after is very impressive that a man would actually be sitting with a weave in front of you and you would not notice it.

It is technically a modern day version of a toupee for an African male. Just like women have to grow some hair out to blend into the weave, the men need to grow the side hair and completely shave off the balding section.

You know how men’s accessories occupy very little space in the bathroom cabinet — this is about to change because all the products needed to make this man weave a success, range from a shampoo, conditioner, goo glue and many more, even dye for the hair and the beard so that they can match the colour of the weave.

The reality is that a couple can now budget on how much they will spend on weaves in a particular month seeing that if the man’s toupee glue is over, he can use her lace glue just the way she uses it to stick the lace wigs.

By the way, the toupee glue is recommended if you are athletic, because you move around a lot so you need a stronger fix.

Picturing a full alpha male wearing a weave is very disturbing. Women have issues scratching their scalps when they have weaves on and that is why you see them tapping their heads like they are killing a fly.

To avoid such tapping scenarios, it is recommended you glue around the hairline and the forehead and leave the middle to give you access when you need to scratch.

With the man weave many things are bound to change. Most men who swear to never sit in a salon waiting for their woman’s hair to get done, because “that is a place for women with too much hair and gossip being exchanged” might have to rethink their outlook of life. You might think it is the bald men who are looking for a solution, but even men with hair have the nerve to sit in a salon chair and get a weave!

So is this the 21st century the era of reversed roles? As more women are going natural and some embracing the completely short look, the men are not only covering the bald head but also adding a weave on full hair!

Men have even alluded that they prefer women with “natural” hair because they will not feel any bumps when they try get romantic by running their fingers through the women’s hair.

Now, will it be the men whispering, “do not touch my hair”?  Or will men now wake before the women they ended up with after a party so that they do not see the mess of hair?

Whatever the case, the man weave will at most change the way men and women relate, and at the very least, change the way men treat their hair, literally.