All about that Hair

Since the first time I got my braids done, I received a lot of questions regarding the braiding process, maintenance, longevity and impact on the natural hair. Last time I had my braids done at home, by my classmate Precious, so I had the chance to actually participate in the hairdressing form the beginning to the end. Today I would like to share with You my experiences and cover this topic as in depth as possible to make it more clear and certain for You.

To begin with, the process of braiding starts with the preparation of the hair. Here in Paris, the choices of different colours and brands of artificial hair are endless (so far I have tried grey and white ones, “Expression”), so there is no trouble in finding the ones You like. Normally, at least 4-5 packs of hair is used for one head, but since my hair is really fine, 2-3 are perfectly enough even for the waist-long tresses. The preparation of the hair includes a very intense brushing, cutting to the preferred length and then stretching the stands of hair, in order to have smooth, thinning edges. This part is really important, as it determines how the ends of Your braids will look like (which can really change the whole image of the hairdo).

Once the extensions are prepared (the process takes around 10min per pack), it is time to start braiding. The hairdresser divides the hair into tiny sections, lubricates it with a hair gel and begins wrapping small strands of extensions around Your hair as close to the scalp as possible. And here I can answer the probably most frequent question asked: yes, it hurts. In order to inweave the strands strong enough for them to stay in for a longer time, it is necessary to pull Your hair to reach the closest point to the roots. Most of the time, the coiffeur does the roots of braids first, and then finishes the edges in the end (or You finish them Yourself, if You want to make it faster). The duration of this part varies depending on the chosen length of the braids and how many people are working on it. In the saloon, it took me 2-3 hours when two people were braiding, whereas when we did it at home, it lasted for around 9 hours (yes, nine hours).

Surviving this part is practically crossing a finish line. The finishing touches include trimming the non-in-woven hair, dipping the ends into hot water to secure the edges and blow-drying the tresses. And voila! Braided and ready to go!

For the maintenance and taking care of the braids, there is not a lot to do. You can wash the hair every two weeks, shampooing only the roots of the hair. It is recommended to sleep with the braids wrapped in a silk or other material soft scarf, in order to keep the roots as smooth as possible (I’ve tried both ways, You can really tell the difference). Following these moves, I got my braids to last for a month and a few weeks. After the roots are growing out and it is starting to look messy, but it is possible to have it for two months if there is a need.

Taking the braids out is easy, but it takes some time, so it is better to ask someone to help You (I always get my boyfriend to do that). You just cut the edges till the part Your hair is inwoven and take the braids apart with Your fingers. For us it takes about two hours, so You can just put on a movie so the time goes faster. When the tresses are out, it may be a little concerning to see all the hair falling out when brushing it, but it is perfectly normal, as You haven’t brushed it for a month, so You just get a month-worth strains getting out at once. After washing it, You should treat them with some oil or conditioning mask, but in general, it does no damage for the natural hair (and my hair is very damageable, so You can trust me on this).

So, here You go - the whole process from the beginning to end. Hope it was helpful and answered Your questions, feel free to contact me if You want to know more!