Hi people!
Remember I said I had crochet braids?
Today I want to tell you in words and show you in pictures my crochet experience.
I had wanted to try crochet braids for so long but the prices the salons that could do it were calling were heart attack worthy so I figured why not do it myself?
So how did that go?
WHAT DID I USE?
-A big bobby pin
-1 pack of Supreme Afro Twist Braid (colour 1)
-1 pack of Noble Afro Braid (colour 1)
-2 hours(approximately. Excluding cornrowing time)
It works better if you widen it like so.
BRAID PATTERN
I cornrowed on clean, moisturized hair. I made 8 neat cornrows in front(making sure to line the centre and side where I wanted the part to be because I wanted to be able to wear the hair both ways).
I then joined two cornrows together to form one ugly one at the back so I had 4 at the back(hope you understand this my weird explanation).
Lastly I made one horizontal cornrow at the back below it all, that is at the nape.
Truth is you will be fine just doing all back cornrows. Don’t mind my senrenre
DID I DOCUMENT THE PROCESS?
No 😦
I was sick at the time and didn’t feel up to it.
However, this pictorial from The Kink and I as well as a quick Google/YouTube search will be of great help to you.
It’s super easy to do!
I cut some of the hair into halves and used these shorter pieces around the middle and sides where my proposed partings would be so it could have a somewhat layered look.
Here’s what it looked like when I was done. Don’t judge the pictures, remember I was sick.
Did I like it?
Yeah, but it wasn’t really me.
So I thought, let me see what it looks like curly.
Some twists, bendy rollers(flexi rods) and hot water burns on my neck later, it was curly.
And did I like it? No! I preferred it in its original state but there was no way to get it back so after a bit of deliberation, I combed it out.
I would take a section, spritz with water, apply conditioner and go to town combing with my wide tooth comb.
IT. TOOK. 4. HOURS!!!!!
And I was left looking like a lioness but I actually liked it
MAINTENANCE
FOR THE EXTENSIONS
Combed out, this hair tangles a lot!
I put it in big twists at night or whenever I wasn’t going anywhere to curb the tangling. The twist outs were nice too so this was a win-win.
Saturdays were the only days when I combed it. I would spritz with water and give it a thorough combing.
FOR MY REAL HAIR/SCALP
I would spritz my cornrows with water only from time to time, say twice a week.
I oiled my scalp about 3 times a week(and whenever it felt itchy) with a mix of castor oil and eucalyptus oil. I oiled my edges more often.
On Saturdays before I combed the extensions, I would clean my scalp with cotton wool dipped in a mix of apple cider vinegar, eucalyptus oil and water.
HOW LONG DID THE STYLE LAST?
I kept it in for 4 weeks but it could very well go for much much longer!
HOW I WORE THE STYLE
Minnie Mouse did not leave the house though. It was too big for me.
I never wore it down much and when I did, by midday I’d have put it up. Lagos is too hot yo!
TAKEDOWN
You can easily cut the extensions where it connects around your cornrow and pull it off. I however wanted to reuse the extensions so I opted to not cut. I used a bobby pin/comb to raise/loosen the knots the extensions made around the cornrow, unknotted and pulled out the extensions.
WOULD I TRY THIS STYLE AGAIN
Definitely! It’s easy to do and it’s a good protective style. If I can find other extensions to use for a different look that would be even better.
You can do this style yourself but if you’re in Lagos and you’d rather get it done at a salon, you can visit:
-KL’s Natural Beauty Bar
29C Ikorodu Crescent in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi Lagos.
08063650977
-Savvy and Chic Hair and Beauty Hub
34A Awolowo Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos.
08090613325
-Tunmise Natural Hair Salon
147b Ogunlana Drive, Alhaji Masha Roundabout, (Opposite the Taxi Park) Surulere, Lagos.
08039138342
Have you done crochet braids yourself? Tell us all about it! Have you gotten it done at a salon and you’d like to recommend that salon? Would you try crochet braids? Please share!
Jennifer Abah 
Look at you, working that hair!
I love all the many ways you styled it, esp the Minnie bow! Followed by the side-swept do.
And you tried oh, I can see you really put in work with the detangling because the twists and such are so smooth, almost looking like regular Xpressions. 😀
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Thanks thanks thanks *adjusts shades*. Feeling like a styling baddo now 😀
Detangling this hair was a workout on its own! This hair is not low maintenance oh; the thing can tangle for Africa. Looking to hopefully try something curly like the freetress one you and MeeMee did on Instagram
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Lovely and the different styles were amazing…the more I see these crochet braids, the more I want to try it out.
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Thank you so much Elizabeth! You should definitely give it a shot
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Hmmm… I must be some kind of styling clutz. Coz I did this same style with 2 packs of Supreme Kinky and it turned out well… not like this. Was just wayyyy too huge and unmanageable. Had to take it down and do faux locs. (which everyone loves by the way). But your post has inspired me to try it again when I take out these locs. Wish me luck!
P.S. Your styling skills are off the hizzy!!!
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Thank you Tizzy! 😀
I admit that this hair can be crazy big and difficult to manage.
I hope your next try turns out great!
Hoping to try faux locs soon
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Ouuuuu…you have me thinking crochet braids now. Those up-dos, the comb out and minne looks sooo good. I love the detailed explanation. I’ll consider doing this later in the year. Lovely post!
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Thank you so much! 😀
I’d love to read about it on your blog when you do
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Mehn…You look gorgeous! I love the minnie too and the loose waves you got with the hair. are they from the twists? Detangling helps in achieving a smoother look but takes forever. Great Job!!
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Thank you so much Nafisah! 😀 😀
Yes the loose waves are the result of the twists I always put the hair in overnight to keep it from tangling.
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Love the styles! I need to learn to do that minnie mouse especially.
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Thank you! It’s super easy to do, try googling a pictorial
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That pic with the red lips is FIRE! Now you have got me thinking about crotchet braids for when I travel….hmmmmmmm
Simi
X
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Thank you Simi! 😀
You should totally do it and blog about it too
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Aaaaahhhhh, i’ll either do the crotchet braids or make a wig….watch this space, i’m taking this sweat trap off my head later this week. I’ll definitely keep y’all updated.
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LOL! I’ll be on the lookout for your posts
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I sorta stumbled on your blog as I was looking for stores to purchase a good leave in conditioner for natural hair here in abj, gurl! u got a really nice interesting blog going here.
I read about ur banana wash saga and u left me delirious with laughter and then seeing ur b/day is February ,just sealed d deal for me, im definitely following you!
for the 1st time in a year since I decided to go natural, I wore my hair in all its natural glory to church in an afro puff and God I was loving it like crazy, even my hubby with his love for all the wigs and weaves commended the great look.
your blog is great, ur sense of humor even greater…only could be possessed by a “februarian”, the down to earth personality, wild humor and our weird ways n idiosyncrasies. I feel such kinship with you.Atta girl!
FYI…my b/day is feb 19, u wld definitely b reading more of me here.cheers
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Hey Debs, fellow Februarian(we are the bestest)! *fist bump*
Your comment made me smile so wide 😀
Thank you so much for all the sweet words! And thank you for liking my blog!
*hugs*
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I tried crochet three times and never liked the end results. Seeing this post tho, I’m inclined to try again. I also love the one corn row you did at the back. Maybe connecting the top rows to it will keep ends hidden. Well done.
For take down, one easy way I discovered is to simply find the end of your corn row and gently loosen, the hair pieces come off (u might want to not do this when you are upset. Lol)
And I will probably need to make my spaces in front smaller.
You def have me believing in crochet again!
High five!!
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Yay! *High five*
Thank you Phoenix!
I’ll definitely try your takedown method next time and I’ll be sure to do it when I’m in a great mood, lol.
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your hair looks absolutely amazing!
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Thank you so much 😀
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thank you Jen 🙂
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My husby is ALWAYS wondering why i spend so much time making my hair since i decided to go natural…guess he’s never heard of crotchet braids!…They are the REAL deal! I tried it ones with Xpression and everyone in my office kept asking how i made it…..imma cause another stare at work on monday o cos i’ve decided to try this again with kinky braids….won ma gba!!!!….LOL!!!
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LOL!
Ghen Ghen! Give them!
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***tried it once****
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I did my first crochet braids by myself with a bobby pin too and they’re totally fab!…my first week, I rocked it straight and now that I’m in my second, I’m rocking it curled (thanks to my little perm rods)…it tangles less but shreds easily cause it’s kenekalon hair…I plan on rocking it for two more weeks if the weather permits
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Hi Kemi, thank you for stopping by!
Crochet braids are the best; it’s so great how you can make them yourself and how you can rock them in different ways too!
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So I’m wondering why you used 2 different brands of hair. What was the difference and which did you prefer?
You really tried with the different ways you styled it, Thumbs up!
http://tukesquest.blogspot.com/
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I used two different brands so I could compare and make an informed decision the next time I wanted to use kinky hair.
I noticed that Supreme gives a smoother look while Noble has a more “rough” look to it. Supreme is also slightly longer I think.
I ended up preferring the Noble because it is cheaper and I liked the extra “roughness” to it.
They are pretty much the same so why spend the extra money on Supreme.
Thank you Tuke! 😀
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Hiii omg I’m 13 and natural. I just learnt to love natural hair early this year even though its quite hard to maintain. I was about to go relax but gosh I’m so inspired. Ive always just made twisties but I saw new ideas on here. Please keep sharing
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Hi Mee,
Thank you so much for your comment; it made my heart smile!
I almost gave up too at some points because it was difficult but I started to see improvements, growth, beauty and then people started to really like my hair. All of these encouraged me to keep going.
The truth is that anything worth having in life will most probably be hard.
Don’t give up; you won’t regret it.
All the best!
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