I am going to get individual braids installed in my hair for the first time in a long time. I had been rocking crochet braids off and on recently but that is a very temporary style and have a lot more maintenance and attention that I do not have time to give to it right now. Individual braids are great because they are versatile for styling purposes and they can get wet and withstand chlorine and salt water which is perfect for pool and beach season.
I wouldn’t dare attempt to install my own in but some people are more daring. I peeped this awesome tutorial from Un-Ruly with instructions. Here is a snippet of what it takes to install individual braids or twists into your own hair:
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Getting braids or twists installed is the first step to ensuring your protective style actually protects your hair instead of harming your hair. Consider the following when braiding or twisting your hair:
Use human hair over synthetic hair. Synthetic hair can be drying and harsh on your natural strands.
Use larger parts, especially around your edges. Smaller parts can cause more stress on your strands with heavy braiding hair.
Be sure your hair is healthy enough to handle installation. A deep condition before installation is always a good idea. If your hair is already weak, the manipulation of the braids or twists could easily cause breakage to your fragile strands.
Do not braid/twist your hair too tight! This is the biggest no-no. Tight installation can cause permanent damage and hair loss. If you begin to see white bulbs at the roots of your braids/twists your hair is too tight! Those white bulbs are your follicles being pulled out (similar to the bulbs you see with waxing hair removal).
For Care and Take Down instructions, visit Un-Ruly at this post here!
Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt can be heard nightly at 8pm on DCRadio/WHUR 96.3HD4 on "Coming to America with Wayna and Friends. She is an editor at Techyaya.com, founder of the Digital Publiching Academy and JayJayGhatt.com where she teaches online creators how to navigate digital entrepreneurship and offers Do-It-For-You Blogging Service. She manages her lifestyle sites BellyitchBlog, Jenebaspeaks and JJBraids.com and is the founder of BlackWomenTech.com 200 Black Women in Tech On Twitter. Her biz podcast 10 Minute Podcast is available on iTunes and Player.fm. to Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks. Buy her templates over at her legal and business templates on Etsy shop!