In 2009, singer Solange Knowles gave a memorable interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show when she told the queen of talk that she would be stopping hair treatments and weaves and would embrace her natural hair from then on.

This decision would subsequently attract criticism, as she was taunted by people on social media calling her afro “dirty” and “unkempt”, with one leaving a searing comment that she had the hair of a homeless person.

It is perhaps because of this sort of criticism that a lot of women have opted to wear faux natural hair in the form of faux afros, braids and even dreadlocks.

In a heated debate on US talk show The Talk last year, some women who keep their hair natural voiced their concern that wearing faux natural hair is a cop-out, as it is the same as wearing weaves.

Some experts in the natural hair industry disagree with this, and Natural Hair Expo operations manager Khothatso Lesaoana says there are some benefits to it.

“I don’t think that natural-looking weaves are about us losing the plot. A lot of people that wear weaves do so either as a form of protective styling for their hair or to enjoy the look, even though they may have short hair themselves.

“Weaves used to be straight and long, imitating the relaxed hair look. A lot of people have felt that those weaves do not represent their look as Africans, hence the rise of natural-looking weaves.”

Lesaoana says there are various legitimate reasons why people opt for faux natural hair, and that these vary from protection of the hair to preservation.

“A lot of people who wear natural-looking weaves, instead of the natural hair itself, tend to find grooming of natural hair to be difficult.

“Some are transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, and want to minimise the breakage of their hair as it tends to be more dry and prone to breakage while transitioning.

“There are others who prefer weaves instead of braids for natural hair, in order to preserve their hairlines.”

These faux natural weaves, Lesaoana says, come in a number of styles available on the market such as faux locs, afro weaves, braid weaves and straight afro weaves, which look like long natural hair, corn rows that are stitched on, and many more.

“It’s not always possible to achieve the same look with one’s natural hair because of differences in length, texture and hair type,” she says.

“A big afro look, for example, can’t be achieved by a person with short hair, and they may wear the weave because they love the look.

“The most important thing about natural hair is ensuring healthy growth, even while wearing a weave. Follow a good hair routine, find products that are suitable for your hair type and avoid excessive heat and pulling on hair when styling.

“One also needs to be very patient as healthy hair growth doesn’t happen overnight.”

Women wearing natural-looking weaves may also speak about how far we have come in embracing our own African looks, Lesaoana suggests.

“We didn’t have weaves that look like our hair, so representation of black hair was lacking. There was also an underlying tone that black, natural hair isn’t beautiful and that there was no market for it.

“Little black girls grew up to want hair that’s completely different from their own hair. Today, a black woman who loves coily black hair can buy a weave that looks like it, whether it be for protective styling or just an afro they don’t have.

“A little girl can see her own hair represented on TV or on her mother’s hair and understand that her hair as it is, is desirable.”

Lerato Selepe, the brand manager for Jabu Stone, which produces natural-based hair care products, agrees.

“At the end of the day, hair is an expression of the soul and one’s personality. It all depends on the type of hair that makes a woman feel beautiful and confident at that point in time, whether it’s a weave or natural hair.

“The natural-looking weaves only present women with more options and flexibility to choose from in their quest to express themselves.

“Most women, in my opinion, often go for natural-looking extensions as opposed to their own natural hair because the hairstyle they want at that particular point in time would require some time to achieve, whether it be the length, exact colour, and so on.

“The women usually don’t have the time and patience to wait for their natural hair to reach the length or condition they require.”

Itumeleng Mogatusi, also from the Natural Hair Expo, adds that the deeper issue here is representation.

“I think we are at an exciting time where African women are embracing the texture of their natural hair. In the past, there was only one standard set to define beautiful hair and that was relaxed, straight hair,” she says.

“So, we are not losing the plot, but embracing ourselves and use natural-hair weaves to express ourselves.

“Now, more than ever, African women are looking for natural hair and even dolls to buy for their girls with African hair because the biggest problem has been representation. And now we have it,” she says.