![]() "A couple centuries back, hair was all we had to show who we are and where were from," she says. It's a special bond." And as the offerings for natural hair evolve in Berlin, Kaloga hopes to see more women of color express themselves that way. We usually sit in a room together for at least 3 hours, which gives me the opportunity to get to know them better and create a style that suits them. "And I love the connection I get to build with my clients. "I love the symmetry, clean lines, and crispness of perfect braids," she explains. When working with clients, Kaloga finds braiding to be a nuanced experience, from a technical point of view as well as on a personal level. Her go-to? "I love faux locs because they look better the longer you have them in and protect the hair so that it can grow without breakage," she says, adding that she likes to embellish with shells, thread, and jewelry as well. ![]() Showcasing the beauty and versatility of braids on herself, Kaloga gets experimental with color, weaving vivid extensions into cascading plaited styles. "There aren't a lot of places for people with natural hair in Berlin, but I'm starting to see more spots pop up where afro-haired women can get their hair cut and treated properly," Kaloga explains. Over the past few years, she's been imparting her well-honed skills and wisdom on the German capital's steadily emerging braid scene. Kaloga learned to braid from her Senegalese mom at age 7, and from then on tended to her own hair, as well as that of her three younger sisters. Trips back home to Nigeria were also pivotal in shaping her identity, helping her gain a deeper knowledge of traditional Yoruba braids-and realize how beneficial hair products "straight from the motherland" could be for women back in the States.Įducation is equally important to 20-year-old hairstylist Awa Kaloga, who works at Nya Salon, a braiding bar in Berlin, Germany. "Even though I was always surrounded by braids, I didn't always recognize the art of it," she explains, adding that she spent many of her coming-of-age years relaxing her hair to fit in at school before chopping it off and going natural. For Oye, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria before moving to Columbus, Ohio at the age of five, her hair is linked to her upbringing (she spent much of her childhood inside the braiding salon where her mom worked), as well as her heritage. Of all the intricately woven looks in her repertoire, the 21-year-old student's re-imagination of the shuku, a traditional African hair shape characterized by a tall, cone-like stack of braids and famously worn by Moremi Ajasoro, a Yoruba warrior princess, is the one she wears with the most pride. Or better yet, queen, if Tolu Cecilia Oye has anything to say about it.
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