Removing Yarn Braids

So Nene's yarn braids are finally out! I started yesterday and finished early this evening. It definitely takes more time to take them out then put them in. I noticed a little product buildup in her hair where the yarn met her natural hair near the scalp, but other then that her hair was pretty soft and healthy looking. I will most certainly do this style again, however I will leave them in longer then the 3 weeks we had them in this time because they are so time consuming. Tonight we just washed her hair, deep conditioned for 2 hours, moisturized and braided for sleeping. Now, what style should I do next? She has picture day coming up so....

Valentine's Day Style

Here is a picture of Nene's v-day style. She was so excited to have hearts on her head! I think it turned out pretty well. You might not be able to tell, but I braided in a piece of red yarn into the largest of the cornrowed hearts. As I was braiding, the yarn tended to hide under the hair. I'll have to practice this technique to get the yarn to be more prominent. On the ends of her hair I added pink, white, and red heart beads that I picked up from Hobby Lobby.

Yarn Braids

So, last Thursday I put yarn braids in NeNe's hair for the first time. I must say that I am pretty pleased with the results. I ended up having to redo several of her braids and have changed my technique, but we will definitely do them again in the spring. As of today, they have been in 8 days and aside from the few I have replaced the overall condition of the style is good. Typically when I do box braids in NeNe's hair they start to look a little sad after 4 or 5 days. If you'd like to try them on your little girl, check out Kate's instructional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENhQBwp5qvA.

Some tips for yarn braids:

Use a sport weight yarn for less bulky braids

Make sure to cut your strands longer then you think you will need, you can always trim them

Coat the yarn with whatever hair product you use to keep hair moist and to keep flyaways tucked in

Part the hair straight down the middle and ear to ear so that your styling options are maximized

Take breaks as needed, it is a long process but you should get a few weeks of quick styles with very little daily effort.

Keep hair moisturized by oiling the scalp at least every other day and moisturizing the braids at the ends of the natural hair