Braids!

So I had my favorite braider (aside from my sister of course) Mary Bertke braid my hair at a steampunk event we had recently. The Privateer's Promenade at Ace of Cups in Columbus, Oh. This is a dutch classic into buns. Very much inspired by her French Classic to buns on her website.

I absolutely loved it, got a lot of compliments on it and it looked amazing even the next day after drunkenly sleeping on it:

And infact, I kept it in for 4 days before taking it out:

Honestly, I probably could have kept this braid a few more days but my scalp was already itchy and flaky before I even got it put in. I didn't quite exfoliate my scalp well enough beforehand and also had been using some terrible shampoo (curse you Garnier Fructis!) After a few days, I was burning to take it out. But this is yet another example of how you can make a hair style last  a very long time and then have a whole other awesome style to wear for a few more days even after that.

I really recommend braids. I honestly can't braid my own hair at all. Or anyone's hair for that matter. But find a friend, a family member or even a professional to do it. Its great. Braids could easily disguise a bad dye job, a bad hair cut or just a bad hair dye. They're also nice when you are growing your hair color / perm out because again, they disguise the line of demarcation to make it less noticeable. They're also less harsh on your hair than heat styling with flat irons or curling irons!

Some tips so you can keep your braids for as long as possible:
Wash your hair the day before or the day of getting your braid. You should let your hair air dry completely before getting it braided because braiding while it is wet can damage the hair. If you insist on wet-braiding (as I sometimes do), take care that it isn't braided too tight. When it dries, it constricts and can cause breakage. I usually use a leave in conditioner after washing my hair to help eliminate frizzies. My braider friend Mary also uses a clear, lightweight gel when she braids.

To keep your braids nice at night when you sleep, I can't recommend enough the use of a du-rag. They're specifically designed to keep your hairstyle over night. They are a silky material which allows the hair to slip around and breathe unlike a normal cloth bandanna or scarf. I tie mine along my hairline to avoid any weird dents in my hair/skin. Don't tie it too tightly around your head, both to keep from getting dents and it will give you a splitting headache. Here's a quick basic how to put a du rag on.

I do not bother washing my hair the entire time I have my hair in braids. I've sort of trained my scalp to be used to not being washed very often. But if you get dandruff easily, you aren't going to be able to stand wearing braids for long. Because you can't wash and condition your hair, your scalp skin flakes off and doesn't have anywhere to go.There are oils out there made for cornrows that moisturize and also have ingredients to numb the itchiness. I've used Organics Itch Relief , but wasn't too impressed with it. It smelled intense like cloves or something and I had to use it every day or my scalp would start itching again.

I have heard, but not tried, that you can wear your du rag in the shower to wash your braids. The method is to completely saturate your hair with water while its in the du rag. Then you put your shampoo in your palms and uniformly coat the outside of the rag. Then you rinse the shampoo through the rag and onto your scalp. While I think this sounds like a great idea to get smells out of your hair (smoke I guess), it doesn't sound like it'd help you with an itchy scalp because you aren't actually exfoliating your scalp.

Speaking of exfoliating your scalp, you are going to want to do that when you take your braids out. I usually use my long nails to scratch my head and flick out the dead skin under my nails into the trash. This is both gross and cumbersome. But I find it necessary. Especially if you want to wear your hair fluffy for a couple more days. You can't wet it or you'll ruin the wave!

If you want to ruin the wave and get your scalp all polished, I have had great success in the past mixing one part conditioner (not your expensive stuff) and one part brown sugar in a dish and using that on your scalp first. You gently knead it into just your scalp using circular finger motions. Do this thoroughly and all over your entire head before you rinse it out. Be sure to rinse well, then wash your hair as normal! This is pretty nice to do in the winter too, to help your hair and scalp stay moisturized.

This probably won't be my last post saying how much I love braids. But you learn something new each time!