Another DIY Protective styling Project: Braids!

Dear Fashionistas,
Let me start this blog off by apologizing for my absence.  Sometimes life calls but that is no reason to abandon my Style post!

Now that that's out of the way....on to my current DIY protective styling project.  As you know I have been very active these days and Atlanta is pretty humid so keeping my hair looking decent and avoiding the need to touch it everyday is key in my life right now! I have been really enjoying a round of protective styles.  This time I decided to go with braids.  I have been avoiding it for a while because of the time one has to commit to doing their own braids.  However, I know the payoff is worth it! Below are the results and different styling techniques I created with my braids.

This style is a simple bun with a front section of braids wrapped around the bun

This is just a quick, messy bun - a ponytail twisted in two strand and wrapped into a bun

This is a quick, messy bun with half the braids down in the back

Here I braided half the braids and let the back hang

This is an elegant bun, it took a little effort to get it flow this why by pinning the braids in sections

So, it took me forever to do these braids! I started on Friday night and completed about 25% of them that night.  I did not start on them again until after lunch the next day and kept at it, off and on, until about midnight or so.  My fingers were killing me! I used 3 different colors and two different brands of hair...the main brand I used was a new one that was made for dipping the ends in hot water.  The other brand was a cheap brand I bought a long time ago.  Even though the cheaper brand worked out fine...as time moved on, I can tell a different with the cheaper hair.  It started to feel a little rough at the ends, whereas the other brand held up better.  I did not burn the hair at the ends as we did back in the 90's, instead I dipped the ends in hot water and that helped to seal the ends.  I also parted my hair in funky little geometric shapes in the front.

Yes, it took a long time...but I love them and it was worth it! I would definitely do them again.

Ta-Ta for now my lovelies,
e