Monday, October 30, 2017

Choosing Hair for Crochet Braids

I've said this before and will say it again! I am not the best at choosing hair...AT ALL! I blog about natural hair with the hope that the things I learn along the way will help somebody somewhere...because I learned most of the things I know about my hair by trial and error! When it comes to picking hair for things like braided extensions, sew-ins, and crochet braids, I always have a ton of questions. I usually rely on my stylist to tell me what hair to get; any questions I have after that default to my sister. This time around was no exception!


Crochet Braid Variety

After sending the picture of the style I wanted, the stylist told me to buy 6 packs of Havana twists. I thought that was an easy enough directive. I walked into the store and was quickly blown away by all the hair that all looked so similar but were labeled something different!

the crochet hook with the crochet hair inside the hookBeing the person I am, I wanted to get exactly what she told me to get because if my hair turned out looking crazy, I wouldn't have had anyone else to blame but myself for not following directions. Immediately after seeing all the options, I questioned my memory. I thought I remembered her saying Havana twists, but there were Jumbo Senegal twists, Jumbo Havana twists, Marley twists, Skinny Bomba twists, etc...but they all looked like they could have been what I needed! Any name you could think to call this style, it was there and every single twist looked the exact same despite the name! I was in over my head...lol...or so I thought.

I called to confirm which hair she initially told me. It was Havana twists like I thought. All the Havana twists options were pre-looped. Pre-looped crochet hair is hair that's already twisted (in this case) and it includes a loop on each twist for the crochet hook & method.

Deciding on Length

I was struggling at this point! I had the girl in the store helping me and everything! Once I narrowed down which twist style I was supposed to get, I had to figure out which length I wanted! The last time I got crochet braids, I wanted them long so I could easily eye that. This time around, I wanted the braids to hit me at a certain point on my back. I had to be careful not to pick a length too short or too long.

There were 3 sizes that looked appropriate for the kind of "short" I was looking at: 8-inches, 12-inches, & 14-inches. Just from eyeing it, I knew 8 was too short. 12 and 14 were really close and hard to choose from. I wanted to take the hair out of the pack and hold a twist of each length up to my head to see where it would land, but we all know (depending on the day) this is not happening at the beauty supply store! I didn't want to spend my whole day there, so I initially bought the 14 inch Havana Twists.


Rethinking My Decision

jumbo havana twist hair for crochet braidsThe day before getting my hair done, I went to another beauty supply store to get pictures for these blog posts and was so intrigued by 12-inch hair they had, I ended up buying it! I decided I would let the stylist pick which hair, out of the two sets, would work best for the style I wanted. Since the 12-inch hair was such an impulse buy, I don't have any pictures of it so I'm uncertain of the brand or twist name.

Based on the research I did and the pictures I have, I've convinced myself that the closest guess is 12-inch, Jumbo Havana twists, color 2. The picture to the left is not the brand of hair I used because the ends of my twists were done differently nor is it the color I used (clearly!), but this gives you an idea of what to look for.

What I Learned

In hindsight, buying hair should never be a big deal. I knew the look I was going for, so I should've picked hair based off that alone and been done with it. Quality of hair is important and most times indicated by the price. If you want longevity, quality is a must! Moving forward, a good rule of thumb for me to live by when trying to decide on hair will be to pick based on the look I'm going for...and if I want to debate, it can only be about the quality of the hair and how much I'm willing to spend.

What helps you decide on the type of hair you buy?


Follow Mi!
Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | Tumblr
Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin' | Email Me
SHARE:

No comments

Post a Comment

What are you thoughts?!

Blogs Buttons

Pharr Away
© Just Mi!. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE MADE BY pipdig