The crochet braid trend

Cornrows for crochet braiding at the Beauty Cottage, Langata on June 21, 2016. PHOTO | CHARLES KAMAU

What you need to know:

  • To install, you need a crochet needle and hair pieces of your choice, whether natural textured or smoother tresses.
  • Begin by washing the hair, conditioning and moisturising it, then plait cornrows either backwards or in any other direction, depending on the style you want to achieve. Once the cornrows are in place, loop the hair extensions into the cornrows using the crochet hook and secure them.

There’s a reason why crochet braiding and weaving has become so popular; not only does it take less time to install than traditional braids and weaves, thus saving you salon time, it is also gentle on the hairline unlike the traditional hair braiding and weaving methods.

To install, you need a crochet needle and hair pieces of your choice, whether natural textured or smoother tresses. Begin by washing the hair, conditioning and moisturising it, then plait cornrows either backwards or in any other direction, depending on the style you want to achieve. Once the cornrows are in place, loop the hair extensions into the cornrows using the crochet hook and secure them. You can achieve all sorts of methods using the crochet method – twists, faux locks, Yaki lines, bouncy and curly braids and others, and you have a wide range of hair extensions at your disposal to experiment with.

The best thing about crocheting is that it protects the hairline. Unlike other styling methods like braiding, crocheting does not pull your hair or exert undue pressure on it. It is also very fast and easy and some women even install their own crochet braids and weaves at home.

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QUICK FIXES 

Clean crotchet hair

To keep your crotchet style clean and neat in between salon visits, prepare a dilute solution of shampoo, and rub it onto your scalp and over your extensions. Be gentle so that they do not unravel. Rinse under a stream of water, without rubbing your hair. Once you have rinsed out all the soap suds, towel-dry and spray with oil sheen.

METHOD:

1 & 2. The crochet hook is used to loop the hair extensions through the cornrows. 

3 & 4. Start with cornrows in any direction, depending on how you want to style the crochet hairstyle. 

5 & 6. Crochet braids are fast to install and gentle on the hairline. 

7. Crochet weave.

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ASK IRENE

Can one achieve a natural and knotless front parting with the crochet method? 

– Jackie, Nakuru. 

Yes. You can leave out some of your hair to blend in with the extension or have the cornrows plaited to lie as flat as possible, preferably without a reinforcing hair piece.