How to Braid Those Naps and Kinks
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As my alarm clock went off on Monday morning, I was able to fight the sleep just long enough to position myself at a 38 degree angle that allowed me to knock my alarm clock straight off my night stand. I smiled as I heard it crash to the floor. I at least needed 30 more minutes of sleep.
Once I finally opened my eyes with "real" intentions to get up my clock read 6:50. And guess what ? I have to be at school at 7:30. My clothes aren't ironed, my school bag is not packed and all my homework is not done, but at least my hair is done. See, I was blessed with BLACK hair,or in other words kinky and nappy hair. Now,please don't get me wrong. I love my culture, my people and my hair. I have no problem with my naps and kinks, but I am so glad that I spent the time and effort to put braids, or extensions in my hair. By me putting extensions in my hair it allows me to wake up at ANY time and STILL be ON time.
I call spending 3 days braiding you hair a "valuable investment of my time". Some might call me lazy, but I simply call it time management. Braids allow you to both versatility and convenience in your life. Let me tell you what I had to go through to get my hair do the desired perfection......
On Saturday, I entered my room with two bags full of synthetic hair to use to put extensions in my hair. First, I had to prep myself and my room for the tedious task of braiding the entire circumference of my BIG head. I laid the hair on my bed and blow dryed it to cause the hair to become straight. This would make the hair more easier to handle and manage.
Then, I made sure that I had the products neccessary to begin my job. For example, I looked under my bed for my comb so I could make straight and good parts. I slyly stole my mother's mirror from up under her sleeping body so that I could see the parts that I made. While my older sister sang along to her Brandy CD, I swiped her jar of grease so that I could oil and grease my scalp to try to prevent dandruff and itch.
After what seemed like forever, my wannabee-princess sister made her royal exit from the bathroom. Of course, I yelled obscene little four-and five-letter words to her as she made her grand exit and I locked myself in the bathroom. I pulled out my favorite Pantene shampoo,a special conditioning and vitamin shampoo. I too blasted a little Brandy and began washing and conditioning my hair. After shampooing my hair, I used a leave in Placenta Conditioner that helps in reparing and conditioning my fragile hair. I kept the placenta formula in my hair for three minute, and then I rinsed out with warm water.
I returned back to my room from my mini-concert in the bathroom and I began to comb and brush out my hair. I parted my hair into four sections and seperated them with rubber bands and clips.**Note-neatness is definately a must in braiding hair.Braiding hair is a form of art and the parts need to be presentable.** By parting my hair in these section will enable me to finish my hair faster and quicker.Again, I greased my scalp and prepared to start braiding.
By 4 o'clock I had finished the whole front section of my hair. I needed some sort of female outrage music, so I popped in the Alanis Morissette CD. While I listened to Alanis, I grabbed another piece of hair in one of the parted section of my hair. At this point, I took a piece of synthetic hair, about 1/4 (of course the percentage of an inch depends on the size of the braids you want)of an inch thick and wrapped it around my own natural hair. After wrapping the synthetic hair around my own hair, I began to plat the synthetic hair into my own to be one braid. **Note--plating means three-strand braiding.**I completed this process by simply braiding the sythetic hair into mine own natural until the braid is braided all the way to the end.
I completed a full head of braids by continuing to part my hair, braiding my natural hair with the synthetic hair and by lastly braiding the combined hair braid until I reached the end.
I put on a pair of black jeans that looked like they were ironed, my favorite tweety bird T-shirt and I pulled my new and beautifully freshly braided extensions in a ponytail in back of my head. I didn't make it to school by 7:30 but, at least my hair looked good!
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©Philonda C.Johnson 2000
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