Help! For Zakiah's Sake, I Need Some Cornrowing Tips BAD!

I am soliciting your tips on 

• how to recreate the last set of braids
• how to reduce frizz
• how to create neater parts
• whatever else you think I should know

But before we get to the tips, read about my experience with cornrowing first...

Soooooooo before my daughter had hair, I told myself that I would never cornrow her head. I was stuck on the idea of cute ponypuffs, pig tails, and afro puffs with headband accessories.

Now that she has over 6 inches of hair. HA! What was I smoking back then???

After getting tired of doing her hair OVER several times a week MANY weeks, I figured I would attempt cornrowing. Mind you, I have never cornrowed a child's hair ever and only did 4-5 chunky cornrows in my hair ONCE while I transitioned back in 2003. So. Yeah. No experience pretty much.

I watched some YT videos and found some instructions online to help give me a better idea of the braiding pattern. I know how to flat twist my hair pretty well and understand the concept of grabbing hair as I go along the flat twist. I know how to braid well. So if I put two and two together, I should be able to cornrow somewhat decently, right?

HA! (again)

So here is my first attempt. I didn't want anything straight back her head and thought doing the braids upward in a puff would be cute. I did these on stretched hair.

So yeah, cool. I thought they were straight for my first attempt in preparation for a beach trip. They were fuzzy and it was difficult trying to braid the back upwards toward the puff but like I mentioned, we were only going to the beach. No big deal.

Feeling a little confident, I decided to make attempt number two by braiding her hair into a ponytail and adding some bangs in the front. I did these on damp hair.

Hmmm, I definitely found doing her hair dry and stretched helped with my grip more so than on damp hair. I had extreme difficulty grasping the concept of cornrowing upwards at the back of head and I messed up too many times. Poor baby was so patient with me. The back this time was really frizzy by the time her hair dried.

Therefore, after that excruciating 1.5 hour attempt, I decided to ask a teenager at my Church to cornrow my daughter's hair. Alas, this is what I envisioned my daughter's cornrows to look like:

Nice and neat. Minimal frizz. Even rows. Sheen. Right here is my goal.  Z's hair was done on stretched hair and the only product used was the Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie (because the young lady loved the smell of it).  I noticed that the parts are smaller. I am guessing for her length of hair, smaller parts would equal to less frizz and better braid definition?

I just know that I want to improve my technique! It has been nice not having to deal with my daughter's hair for more than a week! So this is why I am here on my blog seeking advice from the skilled cornrow-ers. lol

Once again, I am soliciting your tips on 

• how to recreate the last set of braids
• how to reduce frizz
• how to create neater parts
• whatever else you think I should know

Any websites/youtube videos you recommend for me to view to get a better idea on cornrowing would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to leave tips on my blog's Facebook page.

Thanks in advance! I know practice makes perfect. I am on for the task! :)

Twist Out Ponytail and Bun

By the end of yesterday, my twist out was pretty much a frizzy puff. I lost most of my definition in the front of my hair due to the rain and high humidity prevalent throughout the day. Since it was late when I got home from helping my friend with the design of her blog (which is SO her now! Love it!), I decided to just put my hair in a puff to deal with today, which is WASH DAY! Woohoo! I simply tucked and rolled the sides of my hair into a low ponytail. At first I used my Goody's Ouchless Flex Barrette but it just could not withstand the thickness of my hair so I had to switch to my trusty banana clip (I put in in crooked but I was only going to bed). Then I just pinned the ponytail under into a bun. Here are some pictures:

When the Humidity Meets the Twistout

As promised on Facebook (my new page), here are pictures of my twist out and its battle today against the NC humidity. :)

Final moments of my twists

Twist out results. Taking out my twists is usually a 15-20 minute tops process.  I experience no tangles this time around. I believe that making sure each section was detangled right before twisting aided in this easy effort two weeks later.

This twist out set is fluffy and light despite the whipped shea butter I used in my hair as I twisted it.

Ah, I am at a happy place with my hair. Pleased with the soft frizy definition. :)

Playing around and contemplating doing my signature twist out style of pinning back the hair on the right side of my head.

 

Um, where is the sun all of a sudden?

Ahhh, I see the storm clouds rolling in.  The battle is about to start as I prep to go out and about with Zakiah.

Ok. It is my hair versus the humidity outside. Bring it!  Lets see how big this war will get. :)

Right before leaving to go to the Museum.

3 hours later...POOF!!!!

What a difference from the above twistout!

Definitely shorter in length due to shrinkage but I love the way it expanded out.

Big poof hair don't care. I love it anyway!

Here is my blond hair fix. :)

So there we have it folks. Who won? The twistout of course!  I got compliments as my hair got bigger although I had a steam room going on at the back of my head. Whew!  I can't wait to wash my hair this weekend.  I am now thinking about doing a wet twist set and see how long I can work that.  I am starting to think that I should not go any longer than 2 weeks without water on my scalp. I think I can live with twisting my hair twice a month for now as long as they are medium sized and take no more than 4.5 hours tops to complete.