 Macy |
 Fairytale  Maria |
Pop it in Shania or Destiny. Curl it in Afro Kinky or Macy. Vamp it in Fairytale or Hollywood. No doubt about it, wigs can turn heads. And the choice is more and more glorious. For Londoners, just stroll through Brixton, or down East Street market off south London’s Walworth Road or north-eastwards to Dalston’s High Street on any shopping day. If this isn’t your manor, you can always search the web for inspiration, consult your favourite hairdresser, or flick through the latest black hairstyle mags like Spell or Modern Hairstyle.
 Motown |
A decent piece will cost you around £20-£30 to buy (although you can get cheap synthetic ones for as little as £6). (If you’re unsure of fitting it, get a hairdresser to fix and style it for you.) Modern classic styles like the popular ones created by Sensational (supplied by Feme in the UK - see their website) will set you back £20-£40 for human hair, £20-£30 for synthetic. Do-it-yourself Instant Weaves - a kind of hairnet wig in all styles that weaves with your own hair or cornrolls - are the ones selling like hotcakes this summer. The American Motown Tress selection online at Wigs.net do a good range of human and synthetic styles for around £20-£50. Designer names, like Revlon, can go up to £100s.
Natural hair is big at the moment. Human hair wigs can save you money in the long run because they last longer and you can wash and style them like normal hair. “It takes three to six hours to get braid or weave extensions which last two to three months, so I choose a human hair wig when I’m broke because they save time and last longer,” says London student Polyanna. Synthetic wigs can be washed too, but usually in cool water only and just dipped up and down rather than rubbed. You should never brush them when wet either. But the vital thing with wearing wigs and extensions is to revive your own hair in between styles. Also, look after your wig when it’s resting.
London shops: African Dreams, 31 East Street, Elephant & Castle, SE17. Beauty Choice Hair, 33 Atlantic Road, Brixton, SW9. Ace Afro Hair & Beauty, Peckham, SE15. Hair & Beauty Care (Afro specialists), 28 Kingsland High Street, E8. Or visit: www.feme.com; www.blackcareuk.com; www.Afrocare.co.uk; www.abantu.com (Maria wig) |
Why not join the flamboyant fools and dress up for Halloween’s ‘spooky time’ in a party or costume wig? Hire a period piece or goth rock horror for £50 per week from Angels Costume Hire (recently moved from Shaftesbury Avenue to north-west London), or look up the African-Caribbean stockists or other novelty outlets who also stock fun and bizarre creations. For ultra wild colour and fantasy, there’s Fairytale at 3wisheslingerie.com/wigs or Cyber Hot Pink at saucydelights.co.uk Speciality transgender coiffures can also be found at various websites - try Wigqueen first.
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Angels Costume Hire, tel 020 8202 2244 or at: www.angels.uk.com |
Eat for Immunity and Food is Medicine are certainly two of the most appetising-looking food books on the market. What’s more, they deal with foods that heal and boost the immune system. There’s a specific section on HIV and Aids in Eat for Immunity that also includes over 300 immune-boosting recipes and foods. Try the Vegetable Cocktail recipe or any one of the delicious salads or desserts recommended as HIV superfoods. Food is Medicine takes us through actual foods like garlic, honey, and oily fish, outlining the health benefits, with additional sections on skin, bones, and other body systems as well as some healing recipes to make.
Immune Boosters is a pocket guide of miracle juices that include scrumptious bionic blends like Power Pack (beetroot and strawberries), Tummy Tickler (apples and blackcurrants) and Ginger Zinger (full of lime, carrots, melon and ginger).
If you want emotional and psychological support, The Art of Getting Well contains first-hand stories to instruct and enlighten anyone trying to improve their emotional and mental well-being in the face of chronic illness. It’s written by a nurse and journalist who himself has lived with multiple sclerosis for years and is upbeat and lively in style. A genuinely practical step-by-step guide to self-help on all levels of managing a chronic condition that also points readers in the direction of various alternative therapies and self-care exercises.
Eat for Immunity; Food is Medicine both £14.99 hdbk, £9.99 ppbk (Duncan Baird Publishers) at most bookshops. *See below for Readers Offer.
Immune Booster £4.50 (Octopus publishers) at most bookshops.
The Art of Getting Well by David Spero, £21.99 hdbk; £14.50 ppbk from Blackwell online at: www.blackwell.co.uk or tel Deep Books distributor on 020 8693 0234.
*DISCOUNTED FOOD BOOKS READERS OFFERFood is Medicine: RRP = £9.99; Offer price: £7.99
Eat for Immunity: RRP = £9.99; Offer price: £8.99
To receive your copy of either discounted paperback at the special price including postage and packing), please call Duncan Baird Publishers on 01962 841570 quoting Positive Nation magazine special offer.
C is for conditioner, cream, control, and citrus. All these elements make the latest hair care products from MOP (Modern Organic Products) one of the freshest-smelling beauty ranges available on the market. C-System uses organic orange, mango and grapefruit, rosemary and alfalfa in its conditioners, shampoos, and conditioning mists. Boys and girls will love the vitamin-drenched Finishing Paste, and for sensitive hair and scalps Clean Shampoo is gentle and colour-safe.
C-System Clean Shampoo £9.50, C-System Hydrating Shampoo £9.50, C-System Styling Conditioner £10.50, C-System Finishing Paste £9.95. From good healthfood stores and www.hqhair.com
For stockists call 01282 613 413.
