What does braiding actually entail?
This may seem like an odd question for men and women with African textured hair but it's a really common question for those who don't have African textured hair.
This is one is for my dear high-school girlfriends Ami, Fiona, Sangs who were always puzzled every time I switched up my hair do.
So I usually start by undoing my previous braids. I went natural two years ago and it's currently "winter" in Kenya so protective hair styles are the way to go.
After two hours with a bit of help from mum I finally finished undoing my hair. Unfortunately I don't have full hair; my dreams of having & rocking a big afro are slowly dwindling away.
My hair is rather fine and slightly long :( I'm learning to deal with it by finding products that will keep it moisturized and silky. I'm also looking up styles that suit my type of hair instead of always resorting to protective hair styles
Anyway here's a look at my hair growth so far....
The next day was salon day!!! I went to a new hair dresser (always a daunting experience). I always find that you should dress comfortably when going to braid your hair because it takes a several hours.... so here's my go to outfit with the all so necessary hat.
The hat is my go to because it hides the funky hair and edges.
I love loose, free tops and super comfy pants. You can never go wrong with a black and white combo.... A big bag always come in handy you need lots of stuff to ensure maximum comfort: a big bottle of water, some snacks (snacks that won't go bad in extreme heat conditions), a really good book, your wallet, ID, a notebook and pen in case you get brilliant ideas while you're in the dryer....lol and your phone charger.
A few processes take place while in the salon: shampooing, then treatment which involves application of the treatment itself and a max of 15-20 mins in the dryer, the treatment then needs to be rinsed off then the hair is dried and straightened so that the braiding can commence.
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| My hair has been washed and the treatment has been applied |
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| In the dryer...... |
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| Still in the dryer..... |
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| This is how my hair looks when its straightened with a blow-dryer |
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Just in case any one is interested here are the products I used on my hair: the treatment (organics hair mayonnaise) and the braids (Abuja line braids, the short ones, the colour 1/33). I used 3 and 3/4 packets of hair.
Finally after 4 hours here's the final product. I'm really happy with the end result. I usually braid my own hair but I decided to treat myself and go for something different (twist braids as opposed to the usual ones). Unfortunately a few hours one of the braids at the front of my hair came undone which is thoroughly disappointing. Thankfully the hair salon I went to is a local one so I'll pop by tomorrow. I just hope this is not a reflection of how long the braids will last. The new hair dresser really knows her craft however when she was fixing the hair to mine it was rather painful. I kept wincing and making all manner of horrid faces. I guess I'm sensitive to a stranger's touch as opposed to my own. I'll definitely return for cornrows.
So there it is folks. I hope the hair braiding mystery has been demystified.
