My version of the simple braidout
Last week I posted a tutorial from a youtuber on a very simple braidout that you can do using 2 cornrows. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, I’ll link it here (the actual tutorial starts at 2:33). I attempted my version of this braidout and really liked it. So let’s talk about what products I used to create the style as well as (and probably most importantly) to maintain it.
First off, I used products I already had on hand. And that’s usually Design Essentials. I’m a product junkie for sure but quality products use quality ingredients, there’s just no way around that. I washed and conditioned my hair as usual. I made sure it was fully detangled. And just like in the tutorial, I separated my hair using my fingers. Now as far as stylers go, I used the DE Natural Curl Stretching Cream because I knew I wanted it to be soft and fluffy. If you want a firmer and even more defined look, I would try the DE Natural Defining Creme Gel. I may experiment and try that the next time. I applied the product to the part of the hair I was working on while the other half was twisted and clipped out of the way. I then completed my braid and made sure to put extra product on the ends and two-strand twist them. In my opinion, the ends can make or break a style! I repeated this process on the other side, put on my Satin-lined SLAP cap and called it a night.
NOW…here’s where I do things differently. In the video, it seems as if she would do this the day or night before and have this super cute braidout the next day. Ummm…yeah, not me. My hair will NOT be fully dry the next day and the Florida humidity will take over and kill all hopes of me walking around with a cute style. I don’t know about ya’ll but after all that work, I want to see the fruits of my labor. SO, I’ve done this style twice and both times I tried a different method. The first time I tried it, I allowed my hair to air dry in a few braids BEFORE I used a styler and did the two cornrows. The next day, I took out the braids and fluffed and was pretty pleased with it.
The second time I did it, I did it on damp hair like the youtuber on the tutorial. BUT I left my hair in those 2 cornrows for several days (three days to be exact). What if I needed to step out? Again, that’s what my SLAPs are for! Then when I took my hair out, I was even more pleased with the results and received a lot of compliments on it as well.
How did I maintain this, you ask? Well, I honestly didn’t feel like doing two cornrows every night. So instead, I just did a few braids all over my head! It allowed me to keep the style for several more days. I only used product if my hair felt dry. So I definitely think I will be doing this style again. It’s too simple to not add to my vault of natural hairstyles. Please leave a comment below on whether or not you will attempt this as well. Would love to hear how it turned out!
