Self Braiders

[Aidenberry03]

Okay you all, I am making it official....I am transitioning.

I would like to know how you self braiders do your own hair. I just seem so dumb when it comes to styling my hair.

 

[MizAvalon]

Great thread. Any self cornrowers, please chime in. How in the world do you do it?

 

[missnappylady]

Congrats on your transition aidenberry!!

I've been self braiding for about 13 years and all I can say is practice, practice, practice. The way I learned was by redoing sections of someone else's work. There is a video online, I think it's on the crown and glory website. I don't use that technique but, you can develop your own when you get used to braiding your own hair.

ETA: braiding video from growafrolong website

WINDOWS USERS: http://www.learnbraidextensions.741.com/images/videoforweb.wmv

MAC USERS:http://www.learnbraidextensions.741.com/images/videoforweb.wmv

 

[Nonie]

Congrats on your transition aidenberry!!

I've been self braiding for about 13 years and all I can say is practice, practice, practice. The way I learned was by redoing sections of someone else's work. There is a video online, I think it's on the crown and glory website. I don't use that technique but, you can develop your own when you get used to braiding your own hair.

That's how I learned too. Got someone to braid my hair and then touched up one braid at the back. (I refuse to state how long I've been doing it coz it might give away my age. LOL) I also used to watch people getting their hair braided at the salon whenever I would go to get mine done and would try it out on my own head. And like Missnappylady, I also have a slightly different way of braiding. I find doing single extension braids the easiest way to braid and I just don't worry too much about making sure the partings are straight in the back, since the braids will cover that up. I only use the mirror to part the front where I plan on creating a styling part.

Initially, if you'll be using extensions, you'll find it tricky to keep the additional hair at the base near your scalp as it may slide when you start braiding. But in time, you'll get it. It can be done w/o pulling your hair. I usually dont braid my whole head in one sitting, although I have. I do a little at a time and don a hat till I feel like doing it again. It's not because I get tired. I just get bored or the movie I'm watching ends and I have other things to do. Once all braids are in, I usually don't undo them all again for many moons. But I touch up the ones that need touching up every now and then.

 

[Alexis87]

As the others before me, I started braiding my own head after practicing on braids that someone else did first. Its overwhelming (and time consuming) for me to start from scratch to braid my hair, but once the braids are in I can take my time re-braiding them when needed. After braiding your hair, you will develop your own style based on comfort.

 

[Aidenberry03]

thanks you all. I am trying to save some money

 

[Guapa1]

I've recently put my twist extensions in using the video MissNappyLady posted, and I think it looks lovely. It was easy too.

 

[Bint Yusef]

I determined to learn too! I dont want to give up my 200-300 dollars every few weeks for some braids.

 

[Soliel185]

I just can't get the parts down! They always have this nice diagonal diamond pattern when a braider puts them in -- I'm terrified of what my head might look like if I did them myself. Once they're in though - I'll redo those things till the cows come home. Especially since braiders tend to make them so tight.

 

[Nonie]

I just can't get the parts down! They always have this nice diagonal diamond pattern when a braider puts them in -- I'm terrified of what my head might look like if I did them myself. Once they're in though - I'll redo those things till the cows come home. Especially since braiders tend to make them so tight.

Once you start to get the knack of parting, you can replicate the diamond parts by parting your hair into for sections to start with by creating two diagonal parts that cross at the center of your head. One part would be from the front right hand temple to the back left hand corner, and the other one from the left-hand temple area to the back right hand. Then you would put the front section and side sections into big square plaits to keep them intact and out of the way.

Now you're left with a triangular shape in the back. To get diagonal parts, you will start off by creating a part parallel to one of the original ones (I find it easier to do the left side first) as wide as you want the parts to be. You then pin the bulk of the hair down or plait it to get it out of the way.

You now have a row of hair parted like this (imagine these as two parallel parts):

../ /
./ /.
/ /

(please ignore the dots/periods. I find it necessary to use them to keep the lines in the positions I put them for better visualization coz when I submitted my post without them, the lines moved)

Now you would part a small section using a stroke in this direction \ so that you end up with a
/\ at the start.

After braiding that, you would part again using a stroke in this direction \ again parallel to the one you just made so that you now have

../ ./
./\/
/\/

In time you will have diamond partings.

../\/\/
./\/\/
/\/\/


I actually like them because they allow for an angular part at the front and the braids overlap in a good way that hides any crooked parts.

 

[Soliel185]

Thanks, Nonie! As you can see I have alot of hair to deal with so I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle it yet, but your directions were really helpful.

 

[Ivonnovi]

bumping old subscriptions

 

[I_shure_do_wish]

I'm a self braider I have never in my life gotton someone to do single braids in my hair. I think it's sad cause im always doing others but never make the time to treat myself. Nonetheless I get a friend to part me a row and I just pin my hair back and do the small parting on my own. If I dont have anyone around I just wont do it I haven't mastered parting hair I cant see. And this comes in real handy since im using the crown and glory method.

 

[MzLady78]

I recently found that I can put them in, but I can't get the parts right.

 

[LadyPaniolo]

I think the most important thing for me with self braiding is this:

Acceptance! Accept that the first couple times you do your braids, they won't look like the ones at the salon. They just won't... especially if you are scrutinizing them. But with time, they will improve and improve.

Before you know it, they will look really nice. And you save tons of money.

 

[Nonie]

You ladies worrying about parting should relax. I don't part straight. Not perfectly straight anyway. But does anyone know? No. Why, coz the braids sort of overlap and hide the crooked parts. Also, the sections you are braiding are so small that it won't matter if they're square or circular. No one can really tell.

In this thread, I demonstrated diagonal parting, but not for beginners. Beginners just need to drive the comb across at the back. Try to do it straight, but don't stress too much about that. Then once you've gone across, start to make vertical parts. So what if they look like V's? No one's gonna see them. Trust me. Now when you get to the front of your head, you will have to use a mirror but only for the section where you plan to be creating a part.

There's a bonus in not parting straight: your scalp won't show through the braids much. When everything is so straight, the braids fall one way or another exposing the line. Zigzag parts don't do that. Because even if the braids fall one way or another, there'll be a braid falling awkwardly over the part. This is why the only straight part--and the one I worry about--is the one I want exposed. Of course if you're doing braids the size of Janet Jackson's in Poetic Justice then you need them to be straight, but otherwise it really isn't necessary. I only use a mirror when parting the front.

 

[Guapa1]

What I do is a part from ear to ear and then use a the tail of a comb to do diagonal parts. From there I'll pick up the hair with no parting, but it seems to fall into place naturally.

 

[Nonie]

Very good demo, Guapa! You said/demonstrated that that better than I could!