Cornrow hairstyles came to us from Africa and they have been popular there for hundreds of years. Cornrow hairstyles look beautiful and there are numerous easy and simple ones which you can do at home. Simple cornrowing begins with braiding, so make sure you practice braiding your hair first. Beginners to cornrow hairstyles can easily follow the steps given below to achieve their own cornrow styles for relaxed or natural hair.
1. Buy the right tools
Cornrow and braid hairstyles both need some basic tools:
- Combs- cutting and tail combs as well as big and small teeth combs
- 14-18” needles
- Scissors
- Hair pins
- Rollers
- Rubber bands or hair bands
2. Invest in products and hair accessories
You might even need the following hair accessories:
- Weaves and extensions
- Mousse an sprays
- Wrapping lotion and finishing sprays
- Detangler
- Beads
3. Practice on a friend first
The easiest way to cornrow hair for beginners is to practice on another person. The more you practice the better you will get and the easier it will be for you to style your own cornrows.
4. Choose the hair partitions
The pattern of the hair partitions you choose will determine the pattern of your cornrow braids. You can start by partitioning your hair into sections accordingly. If you have natural, kinky hair, you could use some oil in the partitions to make it easier to style the sections.
5. Start braiding in sections-Single and micro braids
Choose each section of parted hair and divide it into three locks. Start braiding each of these sections. To do a simple braid, these are the steps:
- Hold the left and middle locks in your left hand and the right lock in the right hand.
- Now, take the middle lock and place it over the right one. In regular braiding, you put the middle lock under instead of over the right lock.
- Do this each time you begin a cornrow.
- Keep braiding putting the middle lock over on each middle row.
- Make sure you braid flat against the head.
- Keep cornrowing until you finish the one braid. Twist it so they stay together.
Cornrowing and braiding should be painless procedures. Hold the hair firmly, not tightly. As a beginner, your braid might not be smooth, but that is okay. With practice, your skills will improve. Tight braids can cause tension on the scalp. So make sure you avoid tightness and bumps in the cornrows.
6. Add Weaves
Weaves are easy cornrow or braid hairstyles popular in countries like Nigeria. Weaves can be easily sewn in or glued into the hair. For glued weaves, you will need to use weave glue or bonding glue. With weaves, you can easily create 2-in-1 hairstyles like weaves with microbraids or weaves with cornrows. Here is the step-by-step procedure for weaves:
- Part the hair at the nape area. Start braiding the hair as discussed above.
- Braid in a circular pattern until all of the hair is braided.
- Put a black crochet thread in the 14 or 18” needle.
- Sew the weave from the nape region where you started braiding from.
- You can give volume to the hair by checking for open spaces. Sew your leftover weaves into the spaces to fill up these areas.
These are just a few ideas in cornrow hairstyles that are popular in 2016. With the above basic steps, you can easily create any simple cornrow styles. If needed, visit a hairstylist salon near you to get a cornrow style of your choice.