You asked for a Braid Out

Hi People!

     ...about to wash my hair

This is the best picture I could get of the back...sorry :)

At the meet-up a Lady told me she loved my Braid out and asked that I do a post on how I do mine. Now, I think that there are too many Braid Out videos on you-tube  so I decided to write type out my tutorial and share a video from popular Vloggers.

I Used...

Comb for detangling

Leave in conditioner

Spray bottle

Setting Lotion

Screwy Hair Butter

How to:

• Wash or co-wash my hair in 4/3 sections.
• Working with my hair still in sections, I applied my leave in conditioner.
• Using a spray bottle I wet my hair with a mix of water and setting lotion (1 part setting lotion to 3 parts of water).
• Using a wide tooth comb I gently combed my hair for better application.
• Focusing on my ends I applied my hair butter (you could use oil). 
•  Braid hair.
•  Seat under a hooded dryer for 20 mins to speed up the drying process and to allow the braids set properly.
• Let hair  properly dry .To get the best results I allow my hair to air dry properly for a whole day.If  the braids are taken down before your hair properly dries you should expect shrinkage.

Take Down:

• I apply very little oil to my hands and then gently  unravel the braids.
• Carefully separate each braid for a full look. If you have shorter hair then the lines might show. So you could use a comb to pick your fro so as to cover up the parts.

Maintenance:

Before bed, I simply re-braid my hair and tie with a satin scarf. If my hair feels dry I lightly spray it with water, apply very little oil and re-braid. If my hair is completely dry  by the next morning I repeat the take down process and fluff.

Like Mae you could do a braid out on dry hair...

...or on wet hair. Click on this link to see how she refreshes her braid out.

My braid outs look better and fuller on the third day. It is for this reason that I prefer dry braid outs like the one done by Mae in the first video.But instead of using a blow dryer I thread my hair immediately after washing it and then braid it after it gets dry.

TIPS:
-Make sure you properly detangle your hair while washing. Why? To maintain the defined look you might not be able to take a comb to your hair as this will undo the wavy look. Your tool of choice will be your fingers.
-I advice that you do not make perfect parts for a braid out. This is because the lines will be very obvious after you unravel your braid .
-Braid your hair the way you want to style. If you want a centre part, you make one and then braid- at the left braid hair lying in that direction and the hair at the right to the right. The middle and the back should lie facing that direction. This will make fluffing easier.
-You should be patient while taking down your braids. If you take them down too quickly you might have a puffy undefined braid out.
-Find a product that will help set your hair properly .This will give a more defined look.
-Last but not the least make sure your hair is completely dry!

For those of you who hate to take combs to your hair while it is dry, braid outs are the style for you. I love huge, puffy, almost-defined hair but if you want a more defined look try to keep your hands out of your hair to prevent frizz.