How to Braid Black Hair

Series Summary

For many years, women have sought the perfect hairstyle. That elusive blend of volume, smoothness and style has created frustration in many women who seek to express their personalities and creativity through their locks. In fact, hair styles often represent the cultural, social and ethnic identity for many individuals and can also represent a certain social status. While hair density, texture and length are all factors in a persons hairstyle, fashion trends tend to play the biggest role in women's hairstyles. In this free video series on hair care, an experienced hairstylist discusses caring for black hair. Learn to grow out African-American hair while keeping it clean and healthy, and find out how to prevent damage by wrapping the hair at night. See a hair braiding demonstration, and get tips on adding a weave to a ponytail. Create a variety of hairstyles, all while keeping the hair healthy and the scalp moisturized.

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Reyonna Orr and I've been a stylist for more than ten years now. My shop is located in Eastpointe, Michigan and I'm here to show you how to braid black hair. Braiding black hair is definitely different from other cultures. Black hair generally tends to be more coarse. Because of this it is important that you get a straight part which would be your third step. Once you part the hair and section it off into the area in which you want to braid you want to separate that hair into three individual pieces. When you separate it into the three individual pieces it is very important that the three pieces are equal size. If the pieces are not of equal size the braid will come out lopsided. Once you separate into three pieces you begin to overlap each piece in the same order each time you continue to overlap it until it reaches the end of the braid. When you get to the end of the braid although it may be difficult you have to be sure that you braid all the way to the end. Depending on the thickness of the person's hair if you do not braid all the way to the end it will unravel and all of your hard work will go in vain. I'm Reyonna Orr and this is how you braid black hair."