In-Depth Braids Prep+Maintenance | Raking, Tucking, Blonde For Black People And Appropriation?

Welcome back or welcome to base hq, and let's get it especially this year, it really became apparent how privileged i had been in my upbringing to be surrounded by women in my family who took time to do your hair or just even having access to black hair Salons, which allowed me to not really have to question things about my hair. I think i've taken that for granted, because especially looking at friends who maybe come from mixed families, um there's you know there are sometimes questions around black hair and how to maintain it and hair is just a huge component of the black identity. So i thought: okay, let me make this video there's like one or two things that i haven't really seen in another braid, video, so yeah. I brought the queen with me because today i look like a barbie, so i thought: okay, who else? Then you know the queen of the barbs to join me in making this video so yeah. I hope you enjoy it. I just wanted to show you what my raggedy hat braids look like right now i it grew a lot like. I had undone like the middle bits, because i really like this sort of frizzy look for maybe two or three days. Um also actually makes me wonder if i should do some curly braids in the future, but i am going to undo these braids because they've been here for way too long. Three months now, which is yeah, i mean i would highly recommend to just do. Maybe two months i know my hair can handle three months, but it's not the best, but with lockdown et cetera, et cetera. I yeah. I waited a bit longer because i'd rather get my hair or my braids done with someone who knows my hair and then set a link for someone who might possibly damage it in the long run so yeah last night i put in this castor oil um. That'S what i put into my hair and i slept with it and so it'll be much easier to undo my hair today, i'm gon na change, because i don't want all the extensions on this nice turtleneck um but yeah. I just wanted to show you the before and i'll be back with after so i clearly do not have any braids anymore and yes, i am putting on milk fit again, so i have these two products that really work for me and they're easy and it doesn't Take too long and yeah so i just wanted to share them uh, so the first one i used this moisturizing cleanser from motions so yeah this i started using this when i was transitioning at first um and then i stopped for a long time, because i also Just didn't have hair long enough. That would need this, and what i like is that it's very portable like when i'm traveling, it's just easy to put this into my toiletry bag and yeah. And then this is a brand that i discovered maybe a year and a half ago, and i love it like this is um amazing. It is the italian apple cider, deep conditioner, but it's it has green apple and aloe vera and it smells like a green apple. Lollipop without yeah, no, it just smells like that. Yeah! It'S amazing! It really brings out my pattern of my curls and i don't really need to leave it in overnight, because i used to do that where you put on a plastic shower cap, and then you sleep with it, and sometimes it just like, gets on your pillows and Leaves stains, i just i mean i feel like there's no added value and leaving it on overnight. I leave it for maybe 10 minutes to half an hour i'll. Just do my mask in between and yeah yeah i mean my hair is dry, so i won't. I don't want to go through it with a clue. Oh my god. I remember one time where my hair was longer my friends compared me to bob ross. I think right now i would compare myself to. Is it angelic? Oh, my god, but um yeah i mean i didn't, have that much breakage. This is what my curl pattern is. I don't know i guess um. Let me just wash it okay, so i just finished washing it twice. Yeah i washed twice the first time just get all the dirt out second time too somewhat detangle, and then, when i go in with the deep conditioner, that's when i properly detangle using um one of these, and then i just put in these really messy twists. Um. Just to make sure that i've gone through all the sectors properly and like detangling, the more work that you do in the shower, um the less work you have outside of the shower, which is great because you should handle natural hair. To be honest, only when it's wet so yeah and then with the conditioner, i was adding a lot of water as well. Whilst i was detangling the parts because that's something that i've really been getting into, then you don't really have to be rough with your hair. So i'm just gon na put on plastic bag right now and yeah maybe do a little face mask and then i can wash this all out, i'm not too sure. Yet, if i'm going to thread it in terms of like doing these uh to stretch my hair out or if i'm going to put um one part that i didn't film in or that i didn't really prepare last week was when i stretched my hair. I think i mentioned that i wasn't too sure yet whether i was going to use the blow dryer brush or whether i was just going to put into twists or maybe threading. I ended up not doing threading. Usually i use a brush, so i bought this brush. Maybe i don't remember when i bought it but yeah. Basically it cut down the time that i spent blow drying my hair because of this brush and especially, if you detangle properly under the shower, then i think i would spend maybe i think, maybe 45 minutes. I want to say, but that's really taking also short, um smaller sections on my end as well, but yeah it's really good and has a cool. It has two hot settings and one cold setting but yeah it's from revlon - and i really like this. But i was really going for almost no heat. Basically, so actually i didn't use any heat on my hair during this process, which, for me, is great um but yeah. If you do want to use a blow drying brush, then please for the love of the lord use heat protector. Okay, so what i did i put my hair into twists and because i knew i'm working from home, i have the luxury of just letting these twists stay in for two three days when it came to braiding my hair, i just would undo like four or five Twists and then we were able to section my hair and then just braid and then undo braid under braid, and that was easy so and that also allowed for minimum manipulation of the hair that hadn't been braided yet. So that was really perfect. But let's see what did i do to get my twist i mean the twists were perfect. I first went in with this amazing butter by garnier. It'S called the oil repair, three wunda butter, but it's a three in one mask which you can use on wet hair. Towel dry, hair and completely dry hair, but um also for me, in my case, it's just t-shirt dry because i don't really use towels anymore, but yeah. It smells amazing like no. It smells so good and it has sheer butter, jojoba, macadamia and almond oil and triglycerides, and so i would take my i didn't really have to do much detangling, since i did most of the detangling under the shower. I would go in like three times in one section and just break my hair with i. I use this pattern i'll try to. I know that makes sense, but i'll try to put in a video where they show what i mean, but i do that with this butter and just really just make sure it's really packed with it and then i would seal the coil. Is that the coil of my hair - i don't know basically at the end of my twist. I would then go dip my fingers into this one and then just sort of finish off the twists. So this is the motions, versatile texture defining cream um it's from their line for natural textures. It has shea butter and coconut oil yeah. It smells so good, and i know it's a bit ironic to use a defining cream when you're trying to stretch your hair out, but it just gives it a really good finish and i'm not going to tell you that it like seals, the oils in or whatever I don't know because i'm not a chemist, i'm not a hair specialist, but it just it does the thing: okay, so yeah! So then, when it came to braiding this time around, i have a different color in here. I added a different color so last summer, when i decided to go for blog braids, i it took me three beauty shop trips to actually decide on a color and be okay with it, but this also meant that i had so many leftover blonde hair extensions. In my place - and i didn't want to waste that so the colors that i had left over were 27 and 24, but they were by dream, hair and not expression. So these are the colors that we're combining to get my final color, which is close to what i had in my previous videos, but the hair is different. I had this before combined with this, which is a 27 and 24. I believe i think, and these are as well, but so the outer one they're expression and then these ones in the middle. I think they're dream hair they're much. You know they're much rougher see um, but i'm only going to keep these braids in. For maybe two months, so i don't mind as much. I do think dream. Hair could be perfect if you do one of those ponytails where you braid the hair, like it looks more real. It looks it's more, it's kinkier, so, okay, so this time round, i had. I started off with 24 27 by dream hair, but then - and i had maybe one packet left - that was already mixed from expression, which was 24-27, but then we almost ran out of hair. So a quick trip to the beauty store was made, but then they didn't have any 24s. They only had 22, which was new to me. I hadn't seen 22 over here where i live, but 22 is much lighter, so we added in more 27 than we would have usually so the shade is a bit different. I think actually that i do prefer the light blonde so more towards the 24s and 27s, which is something that i was afraid of last time. I didn't want it to be too blonde. I wanted to you know, dabble a bit on the line of copper, maybe so but yeah, but now i realize now that it has a bit more 27 in it that no for me, i want to maybe go more blonde in the future, but yeah at least There is a shade of blonde for every shade of black it. Just you know: do your research see what matches your complexion and your undertones and you'll be fine, so we just need to finish them off. Oh there's, one of those here but yeah. We just need to finish them off and put them in hot butter and then cut off the sides or, like i don't really know how to explain it. Look at it this way, just cutting off everything, that's outside of the actual braid um. Yes, we are done so now. Everything is clean and we've even um. It'S called like moisturize, my scalp a bit uh just so it doesn't get too itchy or dry after manipulating my hair, so much um yeah. I feel like it's especially important for the first three days to do that who i forgot to mention um. What is very important is that when you're getting your hair braided to give it like one last bit of protection before it gets combined with the extensions, so i usually use this one. So this is called kuza and it's hair food and it's for extra dry, hair and scalp. Your hair is going to be tucked away with the extensions of course, so it is essentially already protected, but because your hair has been manipulated a lot before getting the braids. Maybe it's been exposed to heat, so i just feel like it makes sense to give it like one last little bit of you know, love and care before it's hidden away and yeah, so i prefer my hair to be tucked away so that you know you only See black sort of on these bits and then you don't really see my natural hair further down the braid um i mean for me, it just looks cleaner. It has a cleaner finish, but also it protects your hair much longer. So, even for example, when it rains - and you haven't really tucked away your natural hair, i feel like that. You know your hair is going to naturally curl and then your braids just get old much faster, so yeah, even though the tucking takes time at the start. It'S definitely worth it, especially if you're, considering keeping your braids in for a longer time, um yeah and then i also went for bigger braids this time around. Just because i hope i won't exceed the two-month mark with these braids and i just didn't want to sit any longer on the chair, so i thought: okay, let's just do bigger ones this time around anyway, let's get to maintenance. So what i do there are three products that i basically live by when i have my braids and the first one. Is this braid spray, like i go in every day, oh, like i go in every day with this braid spray, i find braid sprays much easier than oils because you minimize the potential build up and yeah product. Buildup is just very disgusting if you're keeping in your braids for a long time, because it means you have to wash more often, which then means your braids become looser, much faster and then they just don't stay looking clean for a long time so sprays, definitely the Best, it helps to keep your scalp moisturized and it also if in case you do have pain somewhere, which most times it's just tight, skin, that's dry, so this just gets in all the right places and it feels good afterwards. So this is the first one and then i think i try like maybe every two or three days i go in with an oil. This is the african healing oil by talia woodjeet as well, and it says here that it softens moisturize protects eliminates dryness. Well, this also smells defined, like all the italian products that i have used so far smells so good yeah this one i go in every three days and go from the front to the back rather than going row by row. I find that much easier because row by row i can't really see properly or section properly, whereas when i go this like this it just i don't know, i find it easier. You'Ll find your own method but yeah, and then once i'm done going through all the sections. I really just you know pretend that i'm shampooing my hair and my scalp and do that and just make sure that it gets everywhere and then on wash days, which now that i'm not really going to the gym as much. I i've had less wash days with my braids, which thank god, but still it's important to wash your hair because it touches everything, especially like public transports. I guess just disgusting and then you know you take it with you to bed, and so i go in with this for the extensions and then i'll just use my regular, shampoo or cleanser for my scalp. It basically cleanses and conditions it detangles and softens blah blah. I mean it's just it basically says here: it's excellent for braids extensions and leaves it doesn't smell that great, but it's really good. I'Ve also used it, for i think i've used it for one week in the past as well, but you can definitely also use it. If you are someone who chooses to clean their extensions before they start braiding with them, because basically some of the hair extensions brands have started to dip the hair and actually no, let me look that up. So i looked it up. Um. No one really says what chemical it is, but there is a chemical that is put on the hair extensions they're coated with them. I guess - and this is what tends to make everything quite itchy and um. I personally have not had i've noticed that i have had it more with the 1b color of expression and not so much the blonde colors, but i noticed the difference with the dream. Hair, like my skin, definitely has responded to that, and it's not normal to be super itchy after getting your braids done. So this is definitely an option to wash your hair, your braiding hair with it. You can also use apple, cider, vinegar, which is which will also break down the chemical coating, that is on the braids and a lot of people sort of connotate pain with getting braids, and it really that's not good. If your scalp feels like, if you're, if it's itching too much, if it's too hurtful, then you need to either get someone else to break your hair. You need to clean your braiding hair before you get braided and you need to keep your hair moisturized, because, if you're not making sure that your scalp is moisturized after the heavy manipulation of braiding, then and sectioning as well, i mean you need to make sure that You'Re keeping that stuff well moisturized, because it's a lot of pulling and tugging anyway in terms of styling i've noticed that scrunchies definitely help it's also a great opportunity to use stuff. That'S made out of material that wouldn't be so friendly for natural hair, but that's okay. With braiding, hair and yeah scrunchies are big enough. I'Ve noticed for a full head of braids, but you just make sure that you're not putting your hair up high a lot or because this is still pulling. You know i mean yeah. Okay, this looks cute, but it's still sort of like pulling my hair honestly after a full day of having your hair up like this it would. It really hurts like so definitely make sure that you're still listening to your body and the cues that you're get getting - and you know i mean it's nice to look cute, but not if it damages your health or the health of your hair. So i also don't really do my edges that much i mean you could, but honestly, i've just noticed that it also creates a lot of product build up on this side yeah. I just don't want to do a lot of things to a lot of things. To my hair, when it's in a protective style, i think that's just very counterproductive. Also, i think i have one more thing to say i have for bed so for bed i put in, i tend to put my hair in two braids, which i think i filmed already and i'll add a drag when i don't have my silk pillowcases, but usually I just have silk pillowcases and then i can just go to bed with the two braids. I tend to keep my hair and two braids. When i go to the gym as well or when i'm just working out um, i find it easier. It doesn't really pull anywhere unnecessarily and then for the shower i'll put my hair in a massive bun like really at the top of my head, like i usually, i would put it like too much the front and then i would just find it pulling my head Down, but if you put it really on top of your head, then you can easily shower with no problem and of course you can also just wear bonnets. I mean bonnets. I tend not to wear bonnets as much when i have my braids, but they're. Definitely great for in the shower, because the elastic here sort of helps against your forehead. Um carry the weight of the braids, and then you can just you know, cleanse yourself with no not having without having to worry about your braiding hair, getting wet at the back of your neck. The bonnets are amazing, honestly and yeah i mean you just need to make sure that you're not doing any unnecessary stuff. One package can be around 200 grams, so essentially you could easily be walking around with like one extra kilo of hair on your head and that can get quite heavy, so yeah just make sure that even in your everyday life you're just not putting more pressure on Your scalp and your actual natural hair, so yeah, so i got two questions. One was whether i break my own hair. I before kova definitely would never think about braiding, my own hair, um or like with hair extensions. That is, and then i did. I think i did it twice actually yeah. I think so i did these twists and honestly i quite liked it. So i did these senegalese twists but yeah. That was basically the first time that i read it myself. So yeah, i'm not sure. If i it's just time right - and i don't know like i like the result of hair, but i don't do not like putting in the time for it - i mean i i struggle putting in money for my hair, let alone time and time is much more valuable Than money so yeah, sorry, that's the answer to your question and then another question that i got, which i wasn't too sure. If i wanted to answer that here, because yeah okay, so the question was whether non-black people can break the hair. There are definitely there are lots of opinions online about this topic and personally for me i mean i live and let live. I don't really for me. It'S not that deep! It'S not my money, my time or whatever that's being used for you to get your hair done, but there is a difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. So it's very important to get those things straight and to learn them to understand them. To be able to explain them to people if they come to you complaining that you as a non-black person have box braids or whatever they are called box. Braids they're, not called anything else that kim kardashian suggests they might be called. So that's one and then two frankly, black people get braids to protect our hair. Braids are a part of hairstyles that we call protective styles and they literally do that they protect our natural hair because it's tucked away and it allows for retention of the hair growth during this protective style. Now non-black hair tends to not need such protection. It is able to retain hair growth without all these styles and non-black hair tends to be much finer. It the ones the two if you're, going along the hair typing one two and parts of three in the hair types, are much finer and there's almost no grip for the hair extensions to hold on to there's literally no friction the amount of times that i've seen Non-Black people complain about the pain and the what-nots of when they get their breath. I mean it's up to you like really and truly i okay get those braids if you want to but you're doing much more damage than good to yourself, literally to no one else, but yourself so and there's so many cute hairstyles that one could go for with Non-Kinky, hair or like non-coily hair, really and truly it's it's entirely up to you, but it comes down to. Why do you actually want it and, if you're going to spend as much as i spend on getting my hair braided and the braiding hair and then you're not able to leave it in for more than a week? It'S a waste of money. I mean yeah just just think about it. There'S lots of cute things that you could do with your hair as a non-black person and but just educate yourself. First, please around all the steps of getting braids done, but yeah like comment subscribe um. If you have any questions about the products, let me know anyway. I hope you enjoyed the video i'll be back next week and take care bye.