Jabula Hair Salon

Jabula hair salons and emporiums carry the best in hair extensions, from Brazilian and Indian hair to lace wigs and weaves

The best in showbiz, like Bonang Matheba and Beyoncé, know that a good weave is a great way to transform a look from dull to diva. But where does an ordinary girl find a place to buy, fit and style a weave or wig? 

CapeTownMagazine.com found one (actually four) of the best salons and emporiums in Cape Town to get a good weave: Jabula Hair, owned by Jonathan Walt – a man who’s been making women’s hair extensions his business for close to 20 years – is smack in the heart of the city centre. Jabula is a brand that prides itself on supplying women and the industry with quality hair weaves and wigs, including “100%, single-drawn (meaning coming from the same source) Indian and Brazilian hair.” 

Walt prides himself on having a variety of products at his shops sourced from a variety of places, including China and India. “We have 10-inch to 28-inch, from natural straight to deep wave to body wave. We have Brazilian lace fronts (with Swiss lace, which is softer), from R2,200 to R3,500, depending on the length.”

Jabula stores in Cape Town

Walt speaks enthusiastically about his work as he talks of each of his stores in the Cape Town city centre, showing off the various hairpieces on display. “We have better quality human hair; that means it does not shed as much and there is no tangling.” The Jabula Hair CBD shops are located on the ground floor of the Golden Acre mall on the corner of Strand and Adderley streets, making them central and convenient for all customers, many of whom come from various parts of the Mother City. 

With his cluster of stores (a salon, a shop selling weaves and another wigs, and a shop for hair products) he sought to create a one-stop hair emporium. You can visit the weave or wig shop to choose the hair piece, go to the salon to have it fitted and styled to your desire and then buy the products on your way out. What’s more, Jabula sells wholesale and offers braiding too.

Though, the primary focus, says Walt, is the customer. “It’s important to build relationships and trust.” He says the ingredient that has kept his business going is supplying women with quality hair weaves, which, he adds, have improved in the years, “They are 10 times better than they used to be.” He should know; he opened his first store in 1993. The next store, the salon at Golden Acre, opened in 2000 and the three adjoining followed. Today he owns a total of five: the four in the city and the one in Middestad Mall, Bellville. 

The city stores, with their patterned black-and-white motif, are hard to walk past in the bustle of the mall hustle. Walt wanted to give all his shops a slick and professional look. He also boasts about the skills and knowledge of his staff, who come from various parts of the continent. “They have brought new ideas and expertise in hair care and styling into the business.”

Case in point? Richard Otamiri, from Nigeria, has been a stylist for five years. “The Boy Cut is the big thing right now. We style it and dye it to give it a little light shading.” The most popular weaves, he says, are long lace fronts attached at the hairline because they look more natural. The price depends on the range you buy, but costs can be R395 for a 10-inch (R200 for synthetic), R550 for a 14-inch, R795 for an 18-inch, R895 for a 20-inch or R1,400 (R595 for synthetic) per piece. Whether using clip in hair extensions or weaving it in (which costs R300), Otamiri advises his customers to buy human hair, because it falls naturally and can be coloured and styled easily. And it keeps for longer, about two to three months. 

Opening times Jabula Hair Salons

Jabula is open from 8am to 6pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays. You can shop for products online as well at Jabulahair.co.za  Not to mention, Walt also plans to open a flagship Jabula salon and hair emporium in Mitchell’s Plain in 2013.

Specials for hair extensions, weaves and wigs

Jabula often offers special offers for CapeTownMagazine.com readers. Ask for them when enquiring.  

By Joonji Mdyogolo

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