Checkout the amazing hairstyles of Namibia's Himba tribeswomen (Photos)

 The Himba are a tribe of pastoralists who live in Kaokoland, a vast stretch of land in northwestern Namibia and bordered by Angola to the north and the Skeleton Coast and Atlantic Ocean to the west. Like other tribes living in the area, people depend on their cows to live and as a result, a Himba man without a herd of bovine companions isn't considered worthy of respect.

But while the Himba lifestyle catches the eye, it's the elaborate hairstyles that really set them apart. Himba women use a lot of different things, including hair and straw, to create their dreadlocks,'
According to the photographer Eric Lafforgue,A young girl typically has two plaits of braided hair called ozondato, the form of which is decided by her oruzo - the clan she is descended from on her father's side.'

'Women take several hours each morning for beauty care and sleep on wooden pillows so they don't ruin their hair in the night. 'The first task is to take care of their dreadlocks.
'Then they cover themselves completely with a mixture made from ground ochre and fat, called otjize. 'It acts as a sunscreen and insect repellent. If they do not have enough butter, they use vaseline. The red colour that it gives to the skin is considered a sign of beauty and they smear the mixture all over themselves - not only on their skin and hair but also their clothes and jewellery.'

A few wear a single plait which means they are one half of a pair of twins, while the smallest children tend to have shaved heads, although some have special haircuts that indicate they belong to a clan where taking care of goats with small ears is taboo - a tradition that extends to eating their meat. 

Lafforgue is also keen to debunk the myth that Himba people don't wash.

'This is wrong,' he insists. 'If they have access to water, they’ll take a bath, but as they live in arid places, it is a luxury. Himbas who don't have water use smoke to purify themselves and their clothes, which they "wash" by putting them into a basket with some incense made from the wood of the commiphora multijuga tree.'

'If you see a teenage girl with strands hanging over her face, it means she has hit puberty and therefore has to hide her face from the men. 

This girl's braids are tied back, indicating that she's ready to be married

This man's single plait indicates that he is unmarried.Football shirts are now a common sight a Himba man in a Brazil shirt,'But he didn't know anything about the football team or the World Cup as TV and electricity still haven't arrived in his village.' 

When a woman has been married for a year or has had a child, she wears the erembe headdress, which is made from animal skin, on top of her head.'Keeping the elaborate dreadlocks in perfect shape is a challenge in itself, with women spending several hours a day tending to their hair and complexion.

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