Braiding Basic Cornrows
Wash and detangle your hair. Use your normal shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair. While it's still damp, detangle your hair with a leave-in conditioner and a detangling brush. Then apply a hair oil or butter to lock in moisture. Your hair will be much easier to braid when it’s moisturized and free of tangles. Some oils or butters you can use to keep your hair moisturized and tangle-free include coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, or aloe butter products. If your natural hair is tightly coiled, blow dry your hair before you start braiding. This will help stretch out your curls and give your cornrows a neater look.
Part your hair in rows from front to back. Use the end of a rat-tail comb to part your hair in rows from your forehead to the nape of your neck. Part your hair down the middle first, from the center of your forehead to your neck, then divide each side section into 1-3 more rows. More sections will give you smaller cornrows. Secure the rows in place with small-tooth clips or with bobby pins. If you don't want a middle part, create 2 parts near the middle to make a row right on top of your head, then make more rows on the sides from there. Make your parts evenly spaced so that your rows are about the same size.
Divide the first row into 3 even sections. Unclip the center section and hold the hair near your forehead between your fingers. Separate that row into 3 even sections with your fingers: a left section, center section, and right section. Use both hands to do this, with 1 hand holding 1 section of hair, while the other hand holds 2 separated sections of hair. Before you start braiding, add a bit of edge control gel along your hairline. This will help you grip the hair easier, tame flyaways, and keep your cornrows neat.
Begin making a 3-strand braid. Using your fingers, swap the positions of the center and rightmost strands of hair, bringing the right strand under the center strand. Then, swap the positions of the left strand and the new center strand. Repeat this process, swapping the center strand with the right and left strands, alternating as you go. When you swap the positions of the strands, the left or right strand will become the new center strand. Each time you complete a braid with all 3 strands, it’s known as a “braid stitch.”
Add a small strand of hair from the section to each braid stitch. Repeat the above braid stitch technique, adding a ⁄2 in (1.3 cm) strand of hair to each stitch as you go. Every time you make a new braid stitch, add more hair from the same section, taking up the loose hair just under the braid and incorporating it into one of the strands. Continue until you reach the nape of your neck.. If you don't add more hair with each stitch (basically making a small French braid in the process) the braid will come away from your head instead of laying flat in a cornrow style. EXPERT TIP Ndeye Anta Niang Ndeye Anta Niang Professional Hair Stylist & Master Braider 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. Ndeye was the first female of her tribe in Africa to move to America and is now sharing her knowledge of African braids passed on from generation to generation. Ndeye Anta Niang Ndeye Anta Niang Professional Hair Stylist & Master Braider Try not to braid the hair too tightly. Very small, tight braids aren't good for your hair—they can lead to breakage and can even damage your follicles.
Finish the braid once it's off your scalp and secure it with a hairband. When you get to your neck, you won't have any more hair to add to each stitch. Simply finish the braid until you've used up the rest of your hair. Then secure the end of the braid with an elastic hair band, rubber band, or small barrette. The length of the end of your braid will depend on how long your hair is.
Continue the same braiding technique for each row on your head. Unclip the next row of hair on your head. Repeat the process: divide that row into 3 even sections at the front near your forehead or ears, French braid it until you reach the nape of your neck, braid the remaining hair, then secure the braid at the end with a hair band. Maintain your finished cornrows by wrapping them in a silk scarf before bed. Clean your cornrows by applying shampoo and conditioner with a spray bottle in the shower. To remove your cornrows, gently unbraid each strand, starting at the ends and working your way up.
Styling Cornrows
Style side-swept cornrows for an elegant look. This design is similar to front-to-back cornrows, but it's turned on its side. Create 3 even parts horizontally, beginning at one ear, rather than vertically. Clip all but 1 section out of the way. Begin each braid near your ear and French braid each row by adding new hair from the row with each stitch. Braid every row in the same direction, either to your left or your right, whichever you prefer. These braids will end in an arc surrounding your opposite ear. Secure each with a small elastic hair tie.
Go with swirl cornrows to try something unique. For a little twist on traditional cornrows, part your hair starting in the front near your forehead, but instead of going straight back, curve the line to 1 side of your head and then back again toward the other side. Create 4 more parallel parts so that you have 5 total rows that appear to swirl from the front over and around to the back in uniform curved lines. Then create curved cornrow braids within the parts. When you're finished with each braid, join the braids together in a low side-ponytail if you like.
Braid long cornrows into a high ponytail or a bun. If you have long hair and like to wear it in a high ponytail, create parts around the perimeter of your hairline. Braid your cornrows to the crown of your head, where you’d start a ponytail, then keep braiding up and away from your scalp. Then, style your braids into a bun or a ponytail. This style also looks good with different-sized cornrows, so mix up the size of your sections as you go.
Make cornrows with zig-zag parts for a hypnotic style. Create parts in zig-zags by starting at the front by your forehead and separating the hair back and forth in 2 in (5.1 cm) lines all the way to the nape of your neck. Then braid your cornrows straight back as you normally would, simply using the hair sectioned off within the zig-zags. Combine this parting style with other techniques such as the side-swept cornrows, or keep it simple by doing only 1 or 2 zig-zag parts while the rest of your parts are straight.
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