Oct 21, 2009

Yarn Braids...

These took me (combined for both sets) probably about 16 hrs total to do. That's right.




Bella, before and after.




May, before and after. I didn't follow thru and take a pic of her hair in the bath like I'd planned, so I'm cheating and using an old one that shows the texture/length of her hair with no messing.


BUT they will last (if we take care of them...) for around 8 weeks! I'll have to replace a few here and there, but I shouldn't have to comb out hair for 8 weeks.

Why is this a good thing? Because tightly curly hair is damaged every time you have to run a comb through it. Some hair types won't even grow past a certain length because of brushing alone. So a style like Yarn braids where the hair is kept in a naturally detangled state because it is braided through the yarn, is a beneficial break from styling. Our regimen is... no washing so far. We've had them in about a week and a half. I inspect parts/hairline every day and so far, so good... no stinkies, no dirties. I'll probably run some diluted conditioner through their hair/yarn once every week or so from now on, (now that I'm not so sick I'm not even getting my FLOOR clean every day) and use the showerhead attachment to gently rinse through without damaging the braiding. They'll take a while to dry, we might have to sit them outside in the sun for a while for that purpose.

Just a little interesting piece of info: typical African hair only needs to be washed about once a week, because the oils don't stay like they do with caucasian hair. Black hair does not get oily from lack of washing... in fact I"m hard pressed to put enough oils IN their hair on a daily basis! As opposed to someone like me... if I go two days without shampooing, my hair is like a limp grease mop. Sure you wanted that visual.

The OTHER reason I did these yarn braids is because Halloween is coming up and ALL My girls of course want to be princesses, and May in particular is going to want some fancy updo. So now we have something to work with!!



The girls LOOOOVE being able to wear "siklemajjaja" (that's how it's pronounced, not sure how it's spelled... it means ponytail holders.) They think that having their hair up in a ponytail is the most gorgeous thing ever. It's so cute to see them prance around and play with their long ponytails. I love it.




7 comments:

Hayley said...

absolutely precious.

and so informative.

i have nothing but the greatest love for you!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David L said...

Speaking of princesses, we just happen to have one of those in our house too....

By the way, the next time I catch you guys, we have a bag with some shoes for your girls.

Putz said...

all that practice comes home to you with payment....of beautiful girls with perfect hair....and i do gush a lot, but am sincere in my gushing, honest

Anonymous said...

Based on my knowledge of yarn braids, I'm wondering how difficult it was for you to remove the braids after 2 months.
You might find it easier if you do yarn twists (two strands) instead of braids. They take less time to put in and less time to take out. :-)
~In Christ

Unknown said...

Actually it wasn't bad at all! I didn't wet the braids through when I removed them, I sprayed on some slippery stuff and they slid out pretty well.

My girls hair is also less textured than some. Meaza has hair that curls about the diameter of a pen spring, but it's pretty soft, and Winna's curls are a little smaller than pencil size. I know it would be a lot harder to take down braids with very textured hair.

Anonymous said...

Ah, yes. Well that's fantastic to hear. :o)

~Praying for the Lord's power, presence & peace for you and your family. Be blessed.