African Hair Threading Guidelines

African hair threading is a traditional technique that goes back hundreds of years and can be seen in many different African countries.

Usually when a naturalista would like to stretch their hair, first they would blow dry and then follow up with the flat iron in order to achieve maximum smoothness.

The only problem with this method is the double dose of heat on your hair can be very damaging.

In the threading technique, thread is wrapped around sections of hair from root to tip, typically using smooth black thread.

This hair stretching technique has become increasingly popular within the natural hair community because not only is it protective but can be quite stylish as well.

Here are a few guidelines to go by when you embark upon your hair-threading journey.

• Detangle hair completely before threading. Finger detangling is best, but if you must, use a wide toothed comb to gently detangle your hair.
• Apply a leave-in conditioner and or moisturizer. You can also mix your moisturizer with black castor oil for a nice sealing effect.
• When you are threading your hair, make sure to leave your ends out. This is to retain the shape of your Afro, even with stretched hair.
• Condition your hair after threading with leave-in moisturizer and or conditioner before styling. This is to avoid breakage, as your hair may become dry.
• You can use threaded style for a day or even a couple of weeks because this is a protective style.
• Be sure to oil your scalp and spray your hair with water-based products in order to retain moisture. Just mix water and leave-in condition in a spray bottle or you can use aloe-vera juice. Shake well before each use.
• Threading is not a time consuming process, but a heat free solution to stretching out your Afro, and of course it is also a cute protective style!

With these guidelines, you can see that African hair threading is excellent for length retention too!