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By Elizabeth Adegbesan

Before now, you would hardly see any student with overgrown hair.

It was percieved as a habit not worthy of one recieving good moral and academic training. But that time is gone. In fact the vogue now is growing bushy hairs and beards.

The rising trend of male students growing their hairs may seem stylish to some people, given the fact that most youth are quick to adopt celebrities’ looks in vogue.

Unfortunately, the rising cost of haircuts are mostly responsible. Most students resolve to keep their hair for a longer period of time to cut costs.

Speaking to Vanguard’s Economy&Lifestyle, Omoruyi Favour, a Polytechnic undergraduate, said: “Keeping of hair and beard is something not common for responsible guys, especially in school. A neat haircut and trimmed beard makes you handsome and presentable.

 “However, many of my friends, especially those from poor backgrounds, don’t cut or trim their hair and beards three months. Before now, you could get a haircut for N200 to N300 but now, you need to have up to a minimum of N1,000 to have a haircut.

“You know as students, we have to manage the money we have. There are so many unexpected fees we pay in school – from handouts to assignments and research works.

 Nowadays, money doesn’t come easily from parents who are also struggling at home.”

Similarly, Omotayo Akintola, a university undergraduate said: “I cut my hair twice a week for N500 and dye it for N500. But a few months ago, I visited the salon and was told that a haircut now goes  for N1,000 and dying for N700. I don’t have a job. I am just a student and my parents are salary earners. I have to adjust to cutting my hair every two months.”

Elvis Ospanwan , a  university undergraduate said: “It is now a normal thing for guys to have a haircut twice a year.

“Even at that, nobody will even know it’s due to the rise in cost because keeping grown hairs is common.

 “Entertainers also keep hair because of busy engagements either in the studio, for musicians or on locations for Actors.”

Mr. Segun Oni, a barber in Lagos explained that the cost of running his business has  increased tremendously, hence the need to raise his service fee from N500 to N1000.

He mentioned that his service fee was even cheaper than that of most of his colleagues in the business as some charge from N2,000 to N3,000 and above for a haircut.

Oni said: “In Nigeria today, we all know that the price of everything is up. The cost of running a barbershop has also increased. I spend N5, 000 daily to fuel my generating set because in my area, there is usually no power supply.

“I also use clippers and once a clipper is faulty, I need to buy another. Hair clippers, which we used to buy for as cheap as N5,000 to N8,000, now cost up to N15,000 to N20,000 depending on the quality you want. The quality of a clipper determines its life span.

“We now talk about the shop rent which has also increased. This goes down to attending to personal needs and bills.

“I used to charge N500 for a hair cut but now, I do it for N1, 000. The cost rises if you want to apply other things like dye and the rest.

” Some of my colleagues in the business charge from N2,000 to N3,000 depending on the area the business is based.”

A grown man wearing unkempt hair which has resulted in dreadlocks, is bound to attract attention in Nigeria and it’s not always positive attention.

Many Nigerians, regardless of their education and status, view such people as dangerous. The hairstyle sometimes even gets a violent reaction.

Some private universities had in the past put in place measures to tame the growing of beards and hairs by their male students in order to portray their products as responsible persons ready to succeed in the society.