Caring for African Hair Lesson 2: Beading

There are free public lessons on how to cornrow and pinch braid on the net.  If you haven't read them yet, do so.  The links will open in a new window, so you won't lose your place here.

There are many styles that can be done with naturally curly hair.  When you are washing and moisturizing it properly, the trick to manageability and great looking styles is simply not ever allowing the hair to matt.

This can be difficult with children and people with active lifestyles.  You must get them into the habit of protecting their hair from dirt and dust, and unless they have mature dreadlocks, wearing a scarf or bonnet to bed.  Another solution is the old fashioned African neck rest, but this is only really good for back sleepers who don't need a soft pillow.

You also have to be mindful of tension.  As mentioned earlier, after washing, the hair should be parted into a few sections and braided.  When you do this, bear in mind that you shouldn't pull the hair too tight from the scalp.  When hair is wet, it expands, and as it dries, it shrinks back down to its normal size.  So these braids should be very gentle, and just enough to hold the hair in place to keep it from knotting.

How to get beads onto the ends of braids.   You'll need the braid, a bent piece of wire (preferably 20 gauge) and some pony beads.  These are also sometimes called Crow beads. Put the braid into the crook of the wire. Slide the beads onto the wire.  If you're using a previously made beading tool, you might also put the beads on the tool as the first step.  It's really a matter of preference. Begin to pull the wire through the beads while making sure you have enough at the end of the braid to go through the line of beads. Keep pulling... ...until you've pulled the wire completely through. If the braid or loc is too thick to get through the beads, you can shove the wire into the end. Then you'll only have a single thickness to deal with, and if it's a tight fit, you can work the beads up using the wire as a handle. ...and that's how to get the beads onto braids!

© 2006 Nicole Singleton Lasher

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This page is about:
How to put beads on braids.
How to put beads on the ends of braids.
How to wear beads on your braids.
How to get beads on braids.
How to apply beads on the end of braids.
How to use a beading tool.
How to bead braids.
How to put beads in your hair.
How to get beads in your hair.
How to wear beads in your hair.
How to wear hair beads.
How to apply hair beads.