Braids are a popular, protective style for natural or transitioning hair. You can add hair to box braids to make them even longer than they already are. Start box braids on clean, dry hair. Wash, condition, and dry your hair as usual, then section it off. Clip up any sections that you aren't planning on adding to the braid. Install your extensions into your natural hair using your preferred method, then begin to braid the extensions. Stop when you are a few inches/centimeters past your real hair, and are only braiding with the extension hair. This method works best on skinny braids, such as box braids or goddess braids. Choose a braid to add hair to, and continue braiding it. The strand needs to be about the same thickness as the strands making up your braid. It will work the best for thin, micro braids. If synthetic hair gives you an allergic reaction, you can use real human hair instead. Keep the 3 strands on your braid separate, so that you have a left, middle, and right strand.
Place the strand of extension hair behind the braid. Add the left end of the extension to left strand on your braid, and right end of the extension to right strand. Cross the long/thick left and right strands over the middle one. Choose 1 of the long/thick outer strands and split it in half. All 3 strands should now be the same length and width. Keep braiding as before by crossing the left and right strands over the middle one until the braid is the length you want it to be. Wrap a clear elastic around the end of the braid, and cut the rest of the hair off. Use a pair of scissors for a blunt cut, and a pair of thinning sheers for a more natural look.
Synthetic or kanekalon hair: dip the hair in boiled water, then pull it out. Wrap the hair in a towel to remove as much water as possible, taking care to not burn yourself. Wash your hair with a cleansing shampoo, then follow up with a deep conditioner. Let your hair dry naturally, then apply a moisturizing cream and oil to it. Braid your hair into cornrows. Use a braiding technique that you are comfortable with. Make sure that the cornrows are running in the same direction, from your forehead down to the back of your nape. If your hair very long, finish the cornrows as regular braids. Work the latch hook between the stitches on the cornrow so that you are not forcing your way between strands of hair. Whether you start on the front or end of the cornrow is up to you.
Pull a strand of Marley hair out of your pack of extensions. Cut it shorter, if desired, then fold it in half to create a loop. Marley hair is very fluffy. Marley hair separates into locks on its own. Flip the latch over the hair caught on the hook first. Flip the latch hook open and slide it off of the looped Marley hair. Gather the 2 loose ends of the Marley hair, and feed them through the looped end. Slip your fingers through the loop, so that the tails are under them. Twist the loop, then remove your fingers. Feed the tails through the twisted loop. Tug on the tails first to tighten the loop. Next, pull the 2 tails apart and away from each other to further tighten the knot. Let go of the tails and allow them to drape against your hair. Work your way back-to-front (or front-to-back if you prefer). Fill up the entire cornrow with strands of Marley hair before moving onto the next cornrow. When you are done, your entire head should be covered with Marley hair. Use thicker strands in the back, and thinner strands in the front. Look in the mirror and take note of any strands that appear too long. Trim them with scissors until they are the same length as the other strands. Applying product is optional and not always necessary. Marley strands are made from synthetic hair, so using a curling iron will damage them. Instead, wrap and twist the strands into loose bantu knots. Dip the knots individually into a cup of boiling water. Refill the cup with hot water periodically. Clip the upper layers of your hair out of the way, then pull it straight and run the nozzle of a hairdryer along the top and underside of the strand. Hold the nozzle as close as possible to the hair. Work your way around your hair in layers, working in thin strands. Depending on the quality of your Marley hair, the highest setting on your hair dryer should be safe. This will take about 2 to 8 weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows. Once your cornrows feel loose, cut the Marley hair as close as possible to your cornrows.
Ndeye Anta Niang is a Hair Stylist, Master Braider, and Founder of AntaBraids, a traveling braiding service based in New York City. Ndeye has over 20 years of experience in African hair including braiding box braids, Senegalese twists, crochet braids, faux dread locs, goddess locs, kinky twists, and lakhass braids. The standard synthetic hair generally used for box braids is soft-pressed, Kanekalon expression hair and the pre-stretched Kanekalon hair. Some people like using human hair because they're allergic to synthetic hair or don't like the weight. There's also hypoallergenic synthetic hair you can use if you can't have the regular synthetic hair and human hair extensions are too expensive for you. Yes, I'm sure it would look good on people of all races. The extension hair does not have to match your natural hair color. Have you ever wondered how Princess Jasmine’s bubble braid is so thick and fluffy, or how Elsa’s braid has that larger than life volume? The answer is hair extensions. Individual wefts of hair placed strategically throughout your head when braiding your hair can make a whole new world of difference when it comes to your braids, breathing new life and lift into them. Oh, and in case you were wondering, real-life celebrities, princesses, beauty bloggers and more, all use hair extensions to enhance their natural hair, including our friend Kassinka in the tutorials below. You can either use your Classic or Seamless Luxy Hair extensions for these tutorials, however, Kassinka uses her Seamless Platinum Blonde extensions as they lie totally flat against the head. Not sure which set is right for you? Check out the differences between our Classic and Seamless collection here. When adding hair extensions to braids, the key to creating those long, thick braids is to have most of the volume toward the bottom and sides of your head, otherwise, the ends of the braids tend to look stringy. Avoid clipping in wefts at the temples like you usually would when leaving your hair down, and try to keep most of the thickness and volume below the crown of your head. Gather your Luxy Hair extensions. Take a 4-clip weft and a 3-clip weft, and stack them together by clipping the 3-clip weft on top of the 4-clip weft. Take another 4-clip and 3-clip weft and stack them together. Take two 2-clip wefts, separate another section of hair just above your ear and clip each weft in at the left side and right side of your head. Now, take all your 1-clip wefts. It’s time to start fishtail braiding! Separate your hair into two sections at the crown of your head. Take a small strand of hair from the right side of your head and cross it over to the left side. Continue this process down your head, adding in a bit of hair from each side every time. By simply adding hair to your braid in the form of hair extensions, you can see just how thick and long your braid can be! Now that you’ve clipped most of your wefts in, you will be rearranging some wefts slightly to accommodate the Dutch braid. Remove the 2-clip and 1-clip wefts you previously clipped in. Separate your hair just below the crown, and clip this weft in. Begin braiding. Gather a section of hair at the crown of your head and divide it into three. Take the middle section and cross it over the right section. Then, take the new middle section and cross it over the left section. Continue this pattern, each time adding more hair to the braid from the side. Pancake the braid by pinching on the hair and pulling at it slightly. Now that you’ve mastered how to add hair to fishtail and Dutch braids, simply keep your wefts as they are and create a classic 3-strand braid. If you’re looking for an extra thick, mega voluminous braid, you can even clip in your entire set of Luxy Hair extensions, and loosely braid your hair. By simply adding hair to your braids with hair extensions, long, thick, Disney-princess level braids are within your reach! Simply strategically place each weft and add hair to sections where more thickness is needed, depending on the type of braid you are creating.
Пояснение и практические советы
- Choose a braid to add hair to, and continue braiding it.
- The strand needs to be about the same thickness as the strands making up your braid.
- Keep the 3 strands on your braid separate, so that you have a left, middle, and right strand.
- Cross the long/thick outer strands over the middle one to trap the extensions into the braid.
- Wrap a clear elastic around the end of the braid to secure it before trimming.
