Get gorgeous curls and waves without the damage!

So what is a braid out? A braid out is a style worn mainly by African American women as a way to give curls or waves to hair with uneven or no curl pattern or even to change the natural curl pattern of the hair. It can be done on natural or relaxed hair and is used often to blend the different textures of ladies who choose to transition from relaxed to natural hair state.

The braid out technique also imparts gorgeous waves on other hair textures i.e. Caucasian, Asian etc.

Most people will do braid outs on wet hair (as you would a roller set) but if you have relaxed hair which tends to be most fragile when it’s wet, you may opt to do the braid out on dry hair in the manner below and achieve the same result.

So how do you achieve this? Here’s what you will need

1. Rat tail comb
2. Setting Lotion
3. Creamy hair conditioner for softness
4. 12-15 small rollers
5. Spray bottle filled with water
6. Duck bill clips

Before you start, make sure hair is freshly washed and deep conditioned. You may also use your favourite leave in conditioner. Let hair air dry completely. Starting from the back begin to section hair using the rat tail comb. Use duck bill clips to hold hair that you are not working with out of the way.

You are looking to make around 12-15 braids. Fewer if you want a bigger curl and smaller if you want smaller tighter curls. Remember though, the tighter the curl, the longer the style will last!

Put a small amount of setting lotion over the length of the section you are working with. The hair should only be slightly dampened by this otherwise you have used too much and you run the risk of breaking your precious strands as you braid. Proceed to divide the section into 3 strands of hair and braid over and under until you get to the end. Use a small roller to secure the end of the braid for a natural look.

Finish braiding all the hair in this manner securing with the rollers on the ends. Once complete proceed to spray hair with water generously. You want the hair to be wet through but not dripping as this will negate the purpose of the setting lotion if it all ends up on the towel tied round you shoulders!

Cover hair with net and sit under a dryer on medium for 1-1/12 hours or until braids are dry thoroughly. Alternatively you can just cover your head with a satin/silk bonnet and let the braids air dry overnight.

When you are ready to take down the dry braids take a small amount of your creamy moisturizer and apply to the length of each braid before undoing. This will give you a very soft braid out. A good moisturizer is S-curl which you can then seal with a light oil of your choice.

Undo the braids one by one. Separate each curly strand into smaller strands to create a fuller look or use a wide tooth comb and comb lightly for an even fluffier look. You can massage your scalp to hide the partitions then proceed to finger style.

You can keep this style looking fresh by pinning it up and covering with a satin/silk bonnet at night and just shaking out and gently finger styling in the morning. Alternatively, you can re-braid the sections every night. No need to re-wet hair just moisturise daily. The style can look good for up to a week.