Beauty Guru Post: Fierce Hair How To: The Braid Out

With my hair still in a delicate state, I've been looking for hairstyles that didn't require using my flat iron every day. I tried doing wash-n-go (washing and deep conditioning my hair and letting it airdry) but they didn't quite work out like I wanted them too. They looked great the first day and my natural curls looked awesome, but my relaxed ends ruined the look after awhile. Then when it came to wash my hair again, it was incredibly tangled and in the end caused more hair shedding than necessary. Roller sets were great for the front of my head, but the back is completely natural and prone to major shrinkage, making the hair there shorter than it is. Trying to get rollers back there is a bit much!


After scouring the endless sources of Youtube videos for transitioning girls like me, I found this one from Taryn (who has GORGEOUS natural hair by the way!) which inspired to me to try what is called a braid out. Now, I've done it once before a few months back on wet hair and the results were less than fantastic. But Taryn did hers when her hair was dry and I loved how it came out. After rocking it for about two weeks, I did my own little tweaks and this is how I get the look.

Carol's Daughter
Carol's Daughter


What I use:

  • Cantu Shea Butter Pomade

  • Carol's Daughter Hair Mimosa

  • Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave in Conditioner

  • Carol's Daughter Lisa's Elixir

  • White Spray Bottle with water

  • Perm Rods or small rollers


How I do it:

  1. After washing and conditioning my hair with these hair goodies , I massage my wet hair and scalp with Lisa's Elixir.

  2. I blow out my hair with my blow dryer, not worrying about have it completely straight. It's more for body than anything else.

  3. I take a section of hair, mist it with the water from the spray bottle, and apply a little of the Cantu Shea Butter. I make sure I pay extra attention to the ends, which are relaxed and need extra hold.

  4. I braid that section of hair, making sure it nice and neat. Once it's braided all the way to the end, I take a perm rod or roller and roll up the braid.

  5. Make sure that you braid your hair the way you want your hair to look. For example, I side part my hair so that way my hair will set in the direction I want it to go.

  6. I repeat the same process with the rest of my hair. Since the back of my hair is shorter, I opt for cornrows instead of individual braids.

  7. Once all of my hair is braided, I spray my scalp with the Leave in Conditioner. It still gets dry and I find that the spray keeps my scalp refreshed and moisturized.

  8. I then tie my hair down with a satin scarf and go nighty night. It's important to have your braids in as long as possible so they have time to set. If I'm doing my hair on a Friday night, and really don't have anywhere to go, I'll keep my braids in and rock some of my cute knit hats until I'm reading to take them out.

  9. When I'm ready to take them out, I take off the rollers and lightly apply the Hair Mimosa over each braid before taking them out. This helps cut down on frizz. Then I carefully unbraid my hair.

  10. I separate out my curls, making sure I don't have any gaps, and I'm good to go! Because of my relaxed ends, my style doesn't last more than a day, so I just rebraid my hair at night to keep it looking fresh.


These pics were taken after getting home from work (my mornings have been a little hectic these days!)

Braid Out
Braid Out


I absolutely love my hair like this and I love the fact that I don't have to use any heat tools. I also like to play around with the texture and size waves I want. Cornrows give me a different curl than individual braids. The size of the braids also determine how big or small my curls are. It's low maintenance and cuts down on my primping time in the morning! The shea butter pomade gives my hair an awesome shine too!


What do you ladies think? Is this something you've tried? If not, would you try it out?