Index of Paper Presentations for the Parallel Sessions - Academy of ...

older, they become less interested in exciting changes and challenges, and conclude that age thereforecorrelates negatively with openness to change. Given that 18 - 35 year-olds accounted for almost 90% ofthe respondents (Table 1); and despite the fact only 13% of the respondents identified the need for variety,fun, and fashion as their reason for using hair extensions (Table 5), it is reasonable to conclude that theresults partially support the hypothesis that women use hair extensions as a sign of modernity.Other reasons for using hair extensionsIn addition to the reasons discussed above, other reasons were also given for using hair extensions.The findings revealed that ‗low maintenance‘ was the most commonly cited reason for using hairextensions. Forty one percent of the women cited easy maintenance as their reason for using hairextensions (Table 5) while over 77% strongly agreed and agreed that hair extensions are easier to maintainthan natural hair (Table 6). Most women acknowledged that the texture of their natural hair made itdifficult to manage as it required bothersome combing and styling which demanded more time; hence theuse of hair extensions. Some of the respondents indicated that using extensions makes their hairstyles lastlonger, for example, when they use the braided styles which tend to hold longer when they are done usingextensions than when they are made entirely from natural hair. Just over 28% of the respondents stronglyagreed and agreed that hair extensions are cheaper to maintain than natural hair (Tables 5 and 6). Thissuggests savings in costs are due to the hairstyles lasting longer and therefore negating the need tofrequently hairstyling. Whilst this may be true for some women, it is noteworthy to mention that theresults also show that 55% of the respondents disagree and strongly disagree with the notion that hairextensions are cheaper to maintain than natural hair whilst 16% are neutral (Table 6).These findings are consistent with previous studies. The challenges posed by the texture of Africanhair are acknowledged by Keita et al. (2005: 26) who describe African hair as having a ‗dry and frizzyconsistency‘, which does not easily lend itself to different methods of hair styling. According to Khumalo(2005: 11), combing is a part of the daily grooming of African hair, as if it is left long enough withoutcombing, the hair will ―...spontaneously irreversibly intertwine...‖ with the result being thick dreadlockswhich are irregular. In this regard, in the respondents may be justified in referring to the inconvenience ofthe grooming requirements which their natural hair demands.