Cornrows

Items needed: Comb to make parts, rubberbands to hold the ends together, hair grease or crème and lots of patience! :)

Instructions

Step 1: Decide which direction you want your cornrows to go in.

Step 2: With damp hair and a comb, use a pick to gently comb your hair out then make a part in your hair. You may need someone else to help you in the back.

Step 3: With that section, take a small section in the front and separate it into three pieces: outer left, middle, outer right.

Step 4: Place the outer left piece over the middle, and the middle piece becomes the outer left.

Step 5: As you braid, you are going to pick up the rest of the hair in that row. Make sure when you grab the hair, you drop the hair you started with. When you get to the next braid grab those hairs that you dropped instead of grabbing new one and so on and so forth.

Step 6: You may want to add a rubber band at the end to keep it together. I simply use my finger and twirl it around a few times. This keeps it in place until I take them out.

 

FAQ's

1. "What should I use for moisture to stay in my cornrows?" Try this. Get a spray bottle (a cheap one from a drug store) and make a mixture of 75% water and 25% oil (I prefer coconut or almond oil). When you get ready to spray some on your hair, shake well and spritz. You don't need to overspray.

2. "I put on my doo-rag to keep my hair flat it sucks all the moisture out of my hair so now I have a dry scalp/hair again." The problem with doo rags is that most are 0% cotton, which means they will absorb everything (moisture and oils) out of your hair - which is not a good thing. Try using a 50% cotton/50% polyester blend. Go a fabric store and buy 1 yard of a 50% cotton / 50% polyester blend. It should be really inexpensive than buying a scarf from a store.

3. "Can you recommend a good hair dress other than grease for me." I would suggest using light oils. You can go to a health food/vitamin store and buy coconut oil or almond oil. Most of them don't smell, they are inexpensive and they really work well on our hair. Grease usually attract dust and dirty and can leave your hair smelling foul after awhile.

4. "What should I use on the ends of my cornrows?" If your hair is textured (curly, coily nappy etc.) more then likely the ends will stay together on its own. If not, you can try twirling your index finger on the ends, use perm rods or rubberbands.