AFTER 36 YEARS, DARAIN HOUSEN IS STILL WEARING HIS NATURAL HAIR HAT!

It has been 36 years since Darain Housen took off his hat, and from all indication, he has no plans to put one back on anytime soon.

The 52-year-old St Thomas resident has been wearing a natural headgear since 1982 and he expects that he will be buried in it.

“This is my trademark and I never grow tired of it or feel like I would cut it. It’s actually quite light and not as heavy as some persons may think,” he said.

The STAR first highlighted Housen’s hairstyle in 2005. So eye-catching was his ‘hair hat’ that a television station in Japan invited him on a two-week trip to Tokyo.

“They took me to a lot of places there and showed off my hairstyle. I also demonstrated some of my barbering styles to them but I never got any money. They promised they would send me money when I get out but they never did. Persons from the United States also contacted me after the article and they took me to Hollywood. Them pay and look bout my visa and everything,” he said.

It has been 13 years since Housen got the opportunity to fly as a result of his hair.

“If me get a chance fi guh back a farin me would a guh, but me waah come back with some money inna me pocket,” the father of one said.

Housen is convinced that he can offer value to marketers who are seeking to show off their products. But he is not prepared to leave his New Monkland community in St Thomas unless it is worth his while.

“People call me fi come work at a barbershop in MoBay but me never go because me have whole heap a customers up yah,” said the barber, who claims to be very creative when carving images in persons’ hair.

Meanwhile, for those who are wondering how Housen manages to keep his hair in shape after so many years, the ‘hair hat’ man said that grooming is quite easy and inexpensive. A weekly ‘line up’ is a must and sometimes a touch of hair dye adds the right magic.

“I wash it all three or two times a week and use a lot of Aloe Vera in it. This makes my hair healthy and easy to handle. There are persons who would want to try it but it won’t look the same. A Japanese man wanted me to cut his hair in a style like mine but his hair texture couldn’t work,” he said.

Housen told THE WEEKEND STAR that he came up with the idea of his hair hat after some of his friends decided to wear hats to a party, but he could not find one. He told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was the highlight of the party, and his hairstyle created such an impact that he got a crate of beer to share with his friends.

“Persons often stop me to take picture with me and I never tell them no. Whenever I wake in the morning, it is always set in the right position. I never have to tie it down or anything,” he said.