Image 1: the braid hair I bought for my wife (Sally's)
Image 2: braids I've done for our son
Image 3: none, wife is camera shy
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Hair Routine:
- Wash:
1-2 weeks with lusetta & mielle hair products; my wife clarifies as-needed.
- Styling products:
I'm married to Aunt Jackie's (quench leave in conditioner, also use for detangling as a diluted solution; Jackie's Curl lengthening flaxseed hair gel; occasionally i use Cantu curl cream but not so much with everyone in braids rn); oil I am still finding a brand i like, but i use either argan oil or argan + rosemary
- Braiding:
Wet down, condition, section & brush. Then I apply hair gel & my wax stick before braiding. I do use a hair dryer after to help it set nicely.
- Sleeping:
I'm TRYING to get me son to wear his bonnet or do-rag at night but it's spotty. My wife wears both now that she has her braids in. She also uses a shower cap when showering.
- Refresh:
We condition every few days and I've been yelling at them to oil regularly, but it isn't consistent. We also use a foam to cleanse the scalp every few days along with a mousse before bed & bonnet time).
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TLDR: White woman learning to do wife's hair 🫣
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Hi 👋 I recently started learning how to braid my wife's hair. For context, I am white and she is African American. I've been doing our son's braids (he's mixed) off and on for a few years.
But there are still a lot of gaps in what I've learned.
My wife recently opened up that she really wanted braids with extensions.
I watched a ton of tutorial videos, we chose a picture to copy, and I was actually surprised at how easy it was to add in the hair extensions.
I think I got a different kind of hair from what was shown in the tutorials I've been watching. The hair I bought was kind of stuck together at the tips and really really hard to separate. Eventually I doubled it and just added two strands to each braid (so 4 ends). But then it made the braids a bit uneven and inconsistent in size.
I did get them from Sally's because I worked late and that's what was open.
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With all this, my questions are:
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Did I use the wrong hair or am I using the hair wrong?
I generally struggle with sectioning, how do i make my sizes consistent for box braids and cornrows?
What is the difference between stretched and pre-stretched hair?
Explain like I'm five: what is a knotles braid? (I have looked it up so maybe times and still get confused)...