#edges laid

ONE SINGLE BRAID GOING DOWN HIS BACK??? Hot. Sexy. Amazing. However i do imagine it not french braided down, but rather like those jumbo braid ponytails. Lucien, with this

"It's not that I don't like being here--it's just that I have to, not that I want to"

One summer I came home from college and made a bee-line to the braider that I went to in high school. I NEEDED a protective style to make the summer during my first college internship manageable. I get there, expecting to pay the usual $150 for reasonably-sized kinky twists. Instead, when I tell the stylist I wanted the $150 size, she hands me a sample twist almost as thick as my wrist. What was she gonna do, put my hair into six bigass twists?

 I could do that myself. 

And I did. Being a broke college student with time on my hands, I went straight home and watched some Youtube tutorials. Mind you, this was 2013 so there were WAY fewer videos like that online. I haven’t been back to a braider since (not including friends I beg to do my cornrows for crochet braids), and honestly, it’s so nice being able to do your hair at your leisure, in the comfort of your own home, with access to whatever you want to watch/eat/drink. 

These are styles that I, one of the handful of black girls out there who never learned to cornrow, have tried and successfully completed in a reasonable amount of time. 

1. Crochet Faux Locs

The most painstaking part of this style is the individual plaits. Depending on how thick your hair is, you might have anywhere from 40 to 70. However, they last for MONTHS, look better with time, and none of your hair is exposed to the elements. 

2. Marley Twists

The first time I did this, I did WAY smaller twists and I didn't know how to separate the Marley Hair correctly, so it was HEAVY. One fix for that would be to buy a pack of prelooped crochet Marley Twists and unravel them. Might cost a bit more, but your twists will definitely be lighter and more uniform.

3. Sleek Bun(s) With Marley Hair 

This is an obvious one, but it's one I always forget about it... probably because I'm not the BIGGEST fan of saturating my hair with EcoStyler. But it's definitely a good style when you want to switch things up.

4. Halo Flat Twist 

This is definitely one of the harder styles on this list. It definitely doesn't take as long as the others, but it took me four or five tries (all within an hour) to get the twists to look the way I wanted them. This style can be done with just your natural hair, but I like to add Marley Hair for thickness and security.

5. Box Braids, Rubber Band Method

Okay, so...

I haven't actually done this one yet, but I certainly plan to. I usually avoid the hair tutorials where the hair texture being braided is nowhere near mine (4a/4b/4c), when the hair is WAY longer than mine (forever awkward length club) and when the braider seems to be using voodoo and black magic to make the extensions stay in the hair. This video is literally titled "I DID MY OWN BOX BRAIDS FOR THE FIRST TIME", so I have hope for myself and my fellow braiding inept queens.