Hair Braiding
For the past three days, I have been doing nothing but braiding my hair. It is quite the intricate process. This time specifically, I am trying to do a hairstyle called "box braids," and it definitely has been time consuming. The process is as follows:
- I wash my hair, making sure to shampoo and condition it well.
- Soon after, I'll add a protein treatment as well as a deep conditioner on my hair to make sure it is strong and moisturized.
- After washing those out, I'll safely blow dry my hair straight to make it easier to braid with.
- Finally, I can actually start the braiding process by adding additional hair to my real hair.
For professional braiders, this is something that can be achieved in 8 hours max. However, for a newbie like myself, this has taken nearly half a week. This is not only due to my own laziness, but the process is just very long in itself.
However, for people with coily hair like mine, hairstyles like this can be very protective for our hair. Curly/coily hair is actually much more sensitive compared to straight hair, so I need to add a lot of extra love and effort to make sure that my hair stays healthy. By doing a protective style like this, I am able to protect my hair better because my real hair is hidden by the additional hair.
Overall, hair braiding is definitely something that I want to keep doing. Stylists charge hundreds, and even up a $1,000 to do hair. That being said, I would rather save my money and do it on my own in the comfort of my own home.
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is I understand! When I was first doing twists in my hair, it took me a whole week. I don't have the motivation to learn how to do box braids yet. So right now, I'm just sticking to locs and twist. The longest part of the process for me is creating sections and making parts. Although I love doing hair, how long it takes makes me dread it. But I rather dread it than spend money on a professional stylist. I hope your braids come out good!
Best,
Lesley
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! As a person with shorter hair, I've always seen other people with braids in their hair but never actually took the time to consider how their hair got to look like that in the first place. I had no idea that it could take half a week in some cases! Also, did not know that stylists could charge that much to do your hair like that! This is all great perspective and I'll definitely have a lot more respect for anyone that has braids the next time I see one.
-Leon
Hey Angelica,
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool that you're learning braiding! It's something that I often watch Tiktoks on and find super satisfying. But I know that it's such a long and tedious process, so that fact that you're trying to learn is awesome. I've also seen videos where braiding is SUPER cheap in countries in Africa. It sucks that it's not as accessible here, but the finished product is gorgeous nonetheless! Keep me updated on your progress:)
Best,
Brooke
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how long it can take for someone to braid their hair. A few days is so long and I really commend you for having the motivation and dedication to get it done. Also, I didn't know it was that expensive to have someone braid your hair for you and it does seem like a ridiculous amount.
Elan