If you want a hairstyle that gives you an African look, you can braid cornrows in your hair.
It’s one of the oldest and most popular hairstyles around, giving the hair a sleek, tidy and cool appearance.
Braiding cornrows can take some skills to master, though. Here’s how to do it.
What You’ll Need:
What's in this article...
Paper and pen
Styrofoam wig holder (optional)
Water
Detangler
Comb
Mirror
Hair clips, barrettes, rubber bands (made for hair) or ribbons to secure the hairstyles
Procedure:
Determine what style and look you want to achieve with your cornrows. Knowing what the outcome is guides you effectively, and allows you to plan the path. Know what size and directionality you want, and sketch it first on a paper or on a Styrofoam wig holder. If you’re beginner, the easiest choice would be to make four to six cornrow sections that go from the head’s front to the back.
Ready all your materials. Make sure they are all within your reach. Moving around while in the middle or making cornrows can be very difficult.
Dampen your hair slightly, by spraying it with water. This is very important, so that you won’t pull the hair too much to create a tension the style needs to stay in place. If you have plenty of tangles, mix some detangler in the water you use.
Begin at one section of your hair, where you want the cornrow to follow along. Afterwards, secure the other sides of the hair that you’re not braiding into pigtails, so they won’t be mixed as you make a cornrow. Move the rest of your hair out of the way, too, so you’ll have a clear path to follow.
Take a small portion of the hair where the cornrow will begin. Remember, don’t take too much, especially if you’re near or at the hairline; this will make you pull harder.
Separate the portion you got into three strands. Make a normal braid that’s about two “stitches” for you to begin.
Hold the two outer strands aside, reaching under the initial braid to add a small amount of hair to the middle strand. Merge this new hair strand fully to your middle strand, making it a part of that strand. You now have three strands again. Make a braid stitch out of these.
Keep braiding, adding a little hair to the middle strand as you go along. Keep repeating, until you run out of hair to add. In case you get to the end, and there’s still hair left over, keep braiding a regular braid.
Secure the cornrow you made with a hair clip, barrette or rubber band.
Repeat this procedure with the other hair sections you marked off.
Some Tips:
If you feel pain or tension while doing this, start over. Too much braid tension can cause irritations, infections or alopecia (hair loss).
If you have sleek or fine hair, use a braid spray so the hair becomes stickier and will not fall out.
When washing cornrows, wear a stocking cap over your hair and use a water pick or shower massager so you can force water out from under the braids. Use a diluted shampoo mixture and leave on conditioner.
Cornrows will make your hair more cool and fun-looking. Just follow these steps and you’ll have a sleek looking hairstyle to show off!