THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HAIRSTYLES OF YESTERYEARS AND TODAY BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN

In the good old days, our fore mothers had their own ways of beautifying their heads with so many different hairstyles which have gone into oblivion these days. The hairstylists that time were not making use of hair attachments before they could style the hair for their customers. And the hairstyles back then were always attractive and beautiful. In Yoruba land for instance, there were so many hairstyles plaited for people by our fore mothers who were the stylists back then styling the hair for the womenfolk and young girls alike. According to Mrs Kudirat Kazeem, who is an hair weaver and a stylist says that, Yoruba hairstyles have all undergone a lot of changes completely these days owing to the fact that our women or girls can hardly plait their hair without adding the hair attachments to them which was not in vogue in those days. Hair styles like Suku Ijebu and Suku Ologede or Alagbagba have been modernized to suit the modern hairstyles. For example, Suku Ijebu and Suku Ologede or Alagbagba look a bit alike after plaiting, it is just that Suku Ijebu originated from Ijebu land just as the name implies while Suku Ologede or Alagbagba originated from Egba land. These two hairstyles were plaited without hair attachment by our mothers who were stylists in those days. But unfortunately today, the hairstyles have been modernized because they now plait them for our ladies and girls with hair attachments. It should also be emphasized at this juncture that Suku is an hairstyle plaited and referred to as Curve all over the world today without people knowing it. And it is plaited from the bottom of the head to meet at the center of the head. Another popular hairstyle back then is called Kolese and is being referred to as All Back hairstyle today.
Suku Alagbaba and Suku Adimole plaited without hair attachments are being referred to as Sleeping Deep today in English. There is another hairstyle called Ipako Elede which is plaited from back to the front. But unfortunately, this hairstyle is no longer in vogue and demand. Another hairstyle back then in Yoruba land is called Koroba. It is normally styled by dividing the hair into four parts and plait them separately from the head downwards on both sides. But the unfortunate thing is that this hairstyle is no longer in demand anymore as well. This is an hairstyle called Concord and it is styled to the back and front of the head. Hair styles like Eko bridge, Orisabunmi and Owonifaari are no longer in existence anymore today. Another hairstyle in those days is called Kojusoko or Ojonpeeti which is normally styled from the left to the right but it has already been faded away today. There is another style called Patewo in those days but it has been modernized today to suit the demand for the modern age. Patewo is styled from the downwards of the head upwards on both sides to meet at the center as if clapping the hands.
But all in all, from my findings, things are no longer the same in the hair business world as most of the hairstyles in the olden days have gone into oblivion and some of them being modified to suit today's modern age. Most of our womenfolk and young girls alike do not want to have anything to do with the olden days hairstyles anymore because they are regarded as inferior to the modern age ones forgetting that all the hairstyles today originated from the hairstyles from the past. Every hairstyle done with the hair attachment is traceable today to Suku Alagbagba, Suku Ijebu, Ipako Elede, Kolese, Patewo, Orisabunmi, Eko bridge and Kojusoko which all our hairstylists and hairdressers must all be giving credits to.
Mrs Kudirat Kazeem learnt the art of styling and plaiting the hair from her mother. She studied Education majored in Yoruba at the University of Lagos, Akoka Yaba, Lagos. Joblessness in the country is what made her to go into hair styling and plaiting business which has been very rewarding for her today. Kudirat Kazeem hails from Abeokuta and she is happily married.