I Can Cornrow!

O.K. well, I think this is technically called an "underbraid" but it is still really exciting that I am finally good enough at this to feel like I can post some pics! I learned how to do many other hairstyles right away, but this type of "plaiting" was really hard to learn to do well (as in tight, consistent, close to the scalp). If you can tell from the pics, I basically underbraided (like an underhand french braid - but technique is a little different) up to the middle of "Little Missy's" head and then all of the braids sort of stick up from there. This is a classic Liberian style that my boys and Little Missy have been asking me to do for a while now. So, what do you think?

I am also really excited because I have finally figured out a really good system of hair care for "Little Missy." Here are the basics:

I do this every other week on Friday or Saturday:

1. Use the "bone comb" set I got at Walmart - use the comb with the metal pick end to "take out" her old braids or style.

2. Pour olive oil over her head and massage into her hair and scalp well with my fingers. Cover with a plastic shower cap and wait 30 minutes to an hour (this is to restore lost moisture).

3. Little Missy takes a bath during which time I use the olive oil in her hair to "wash" her hair - sounds weird but it works very well and doesn't destroy her hair the way products with sodium laurel sulfates do (basically any "sudsing" shampoo has this even the ones made for African American hair). I then use a conditioner - I have two that we like to use: one is a natural tea-tree oil conditioner, the other is a natural rosemary conditioner - and rinse it out. I always let her play before we wash and condition her hair so that it is still very wet when we begin to fix it.

4. After drying off and dressing, I pour on this WONDERFUL oil I found at Walmart called Africa's Best Herbal Oil for Hair and Body. It is a blend of many different natural oils like walnut, coconut, soybean, ginsing, etc. . . It smells great and softens her hair so that it is easily combed out (much better than anything else we've tried).

5. Then, I section part of her hair with the sectioning bone comb (not usually all at once), comb it out, and put in the braid or cornrow or twist. I then do another section. Sometimes (if it is taking a long time), I have to re-wet and sometimes re-oil some sections towards the end of the process to make them easier to fix and to help it not to hurt.

This does take a while now, especially as her hair has gotten much longer and thicker, so I try to make this as pleasant as possible. We sing and talk and I save some frozen Dove chocolates to dole out every so often when she is needing a little pick me up! I also occasionally let her drink some of my *gasp* coffee - which is a definite treat I do not allow at any other time!

So, for those of you who have been wondering about the hair. . .