Wash Day and Cornrow Style

We have a new favorite protective style, I did a full set of cornrow braids on Giana’s hair the week before Christmas.  I started on one side parting and French braiding her hair in sections.  I worked my way around in a pie style circle.

We started with clean and conditioned hair.   To set the curls we used the Mielle Organics line to set the styles.  It took about 45 minutes for me to complete the braiding portion.

New Style with New Products

I posted a picture of the finished style, and it was well-received.  Therefore,  I wanted to follow up on how I achieved the style and the longevity of it.  Giana has at least two textures of curls.   Her hair has mostly a 3C curl pattern; I was unsure if the braids would hold for her.

In addition to us trying a new style, we also used a new line of products.  Here is what we used and the order we applied the products:

Wash Day Products Biracial Curly Hair

1. Co-wash and detangle:  Herbal Essence Hello Hydration
2. Mielle Leave in Conditioner Pomegranate & Honey
3. Avocado Oil
4. Mielle Organics Brazilian Curly Cocktail

Knowing that Giana’s hair would frizz after a couple of days, I was interested to see if the mousse in the Mielle Brazilian Curly Cocktail would help.  We did the style on a Sunday.  Giana was thrilled with the outcome; she liked that she had the feel of wearing her hair down.  Usually, we have it in some form of braids during the school week.  We tend to use protective styles to prevent drying, snagging and her over manipulating her hair.

Hair Styling Freedom

I was unaware that she wanted to have the freedom of wearing her hair in a fashion that would allow her to change it during her school day.  With the French braided cornrows, she had the versatility to place ponytails in her hair, wear it down or half up.  Seeing her other friends play with their hair, tuck it behind their ears or adjust their style had created hair envy for her.

In general, as a seven-year-old, Giana is expressing a desire to have control.  Control over how she styles her hair, what outfit she wears and how she structures her time.  I am learning as a mother to trust her with more autonomy.

Refreshing the braids

Each morning, we spritzed her braids with a water/essential oil blend and applied some mousse to smooth it.  The style lasted from Sunday-Thursday.  On Thursday night, I unbraided each braid re-moisturized with the same products and re-braided each section.   Refreshing the hair extended the hairstyle from that Thursday until the following Saturday.

Braid Out Style

At that point, we needed to morph the style.   That Saturday fell on Christmas Eve.   The final style was to release the braids.   I coated my hands with avocado oil.  Next, I unbraided all her hair.   Finally, we did a fresh spritz of water and an application of mousse.   She wore this braid out and let her hair loose for our Christmas Eve celebration. 

Ultimately, this was an intricate style that took a bit more time.   However, I typically would be braiding her hair twice in a week’s time.  Seeing the confidence and the enthusiasm that she had for the style,  I would most definitely repeat this one for her.  For more protective style ideas click here.

By the way, the Mielle products smell so very scrumptious.  Here is Giana’s feedback on the style and products.