Published: 07 July 2018

WHILE most women are celebrating the coming in of the wig-trend, which apparently has made it easy to look good even on a bad hair day, hairdressers are crying foul over loss of business.

Wigs come in different styles such as Mongolian, Brazilian, Peruvian, twist, bob styles, synthetics as well as carrot plaited wigs.

NewsDay Weekender spoke to some of the hairdressers in the central business district who were greatly displeased with this new trend which is threatening their livelihood.

"Our business has gone down these days. We have lost some of our regular customers who used to visit the salon on a monthly basis, but because they now have wigs, their visits have dwindled," said a hair dresser, who only identified herself as Clara

"A client who just left requested for three wigs and that means I will only see her maybe after three months or so, which is bad for my business."

Her colleague, Phylis who only came in around 10am only to disappear two hours later, echoed the same sentiments.

"I cannot wait around the whole day doing nothing. It is better for me to just come in when a client calls in to have their wigs done. Thereafter, I can go home and do other productive things. A wig is different from a head which needs to be sorted regularly, these wigs especially Brazilian and other expensive hairs are not easily worn out."

The hairdressers also said that the only regular customers that they were getting these days were those who wanted free hand plaiting as baselines for their wigs which costs about $3-$5 and those who needed to have their hair straightened.

"Before the coming in of these wigs we used to make good money I would go back home with $40-$50, but now I go home with $5 or less. This has made paying monthly rentals more difficult" Clara said.

However, the wig snatchers who are largely found in the CBD, have not made it easy for women and prey on their victims when they least expect it. The stolen wigs are resold in saloons to the hairdressers who in turn sell to clients.

Targeted wigs include those made from Brazilian weave which is pricier and more durable.

"Whenever I go in the central business district I make sure that I wear a hat. Imagine I had to pay close to $280 for the hair and closure before paying $15 for it to be made into a wig then someone just comes and snatches it from your head for resale," said a girl identified as Rutendo who was rocking a Brazilian wig with a hat on top.

"I blame the alleged hairdressers who buy from the thieves because they will be doing injustice to fellow women."

"We have always admired other ladies on television sporting these Brazilians and other expensive hair pieces because then the prices were exorbitant. But now when we can afford it, you are scared of wearing it in town because of these thieves. You wonder why Zimbabweans are slow to catch up with trends, it is because we are always pulling each other down," she added.
- newsday