As we approached cooler days, I started thinking of
protective styles. I had been wearing mini-twist for the past month and wanted something more drastic. I had been
pondering the idea of box braids, but I wasn’t sure how I would look or how
long they would last. My last protective style was in December. My Senegalese twists were
absolutely beautiful. However, because my hair grows outwardly, my hair sticks out and my braids
and twists look like broccoli no matter how I try to smooth my hair, lol. As you can imagine, it’s very
unsightly and I didn’t want experience again. However, I’ve
finally decided to bite the bullet and give box braids a try.
The
entire process took about 10 hours or so but it was worth it. I used about 10 bags of 100% Kankelon hair. My stylist was Ciara of C My Braids, located in St. Louis, and she did
a wonderful job. As far as my maintenance, that really
hasn’t changed from my normal routine. I
hydrate my hair with my oil mix (grape seed, EVOO, coconut, cactus) and water or a
leave-in minimally twice a day. My hair has the tendency to absorb water and
oil so I apply heavily while in braids. I pay special attention to my
scalp as well as my braids. I hope to wash my hair at least once a
month or at the most twice but I have decided yet. I’m having a
lot of fun styling my braids in high buns, high ponytails and various
updo’s. I’ve been accessorizing as well with headbands, flowers and scarves.
As we approach cooler days, I started thinking of
protective styles. I had been wearing mini-twist for the past month and wanted a change. I had been
pondering the idea of box braids, but I wasn’t sure how I would look or how
long they would last. My last protective style was in December. My Senegalese twists were
absolutely beautiful. However, because my hair grows outwardly, my hair sticks out and braids
and twist look like broccoli no matter how I try to smooth my hair. It’s very
unsightly and I didn’t want to go through that again. However, I’ve
finally decided to bite the bullet and give box braids a try.
The
entire process took about 10 hours or so but it was worth it. I used about 10 bags of 100% Kankelon hair. My stylist was Ciara of C My Braids and she did
a wonderful job. As far as my maintenance, that really
hasn’t changed from my normal routine. I
hydrate my hair with my oil mix (grape seed, EVOO, coconut, cactus) and water or a
leave-in minimally twice a day. My hair has the tendency to absorb water and
oil so I apply heavily while in braids. I pay special attention to my
scalp as well as my braids. I hope to wash my hair at least once a
month or at the most twice but I have decided yet. I’m having a
lot of fun styling my braids in high buns, high ponytails and various
updo’s. I’ve been accessorizing as well with headbands, flowers and scarves.
I love wearing braids because they are extremely
convenient as well as they give my hair a break from styling and constant
manipulation. Protective styles are intended to protect your hair but
you must remember to care for you hair while protected.
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