Wire braids
Originating in Nigeria, wire braids are a styling technique adopted for centuries by black women.
Named "Irun Kiko" from Yoruba, which is a West African language, they represent hair wrapped in a sewing thread. This hairstyle then spread across sub-Saharan Africa.
If nowadays this hairstyle is more and more sported for its style, it has long been a protective hairstyle; in particular to reduce shrinkage.
Taken from the English "shrinkage", shrinkage simply means the shrinkage of the hair in contact with humidity and water. Contrary to popular belief, shrinkage is not a bad thing. To learn more, find our blog post on shrinkage .
Completely reducing the shrinkage would be possible through chemicals and heat (straightening iron and/or brushing) but this would denature your hair which would no longer come back up.
However, there are still techniques, such as yarn braiding, to reduce shrinkage . They protect the hair and also retain length.
1- Take a thread the size of your arm (to be adapted according to the length of your hair).
2- Take a section of hair, moisturize it with your styling cream .
3- Start winding the thread from the root to the end of your hair.
4- Of course, you will still have your tips. To prevent them from being exposed to external aggressions. Fold them over on themselves so that they form a ball.
The precautions to take
- We insist on the fact that it is necessary to MOISTURIZE your hair well before proceeding with the hairstyle.
- Avoid over-tightening your threads, this could weaken your hair but also your scalp. Indeed, over-tightening at the root could lead to damage to your scalp.
Who among you is a fan of wire braids? Who plans to test this hairstyle soon?
Are you interested in this type of hairstyle? Take a look at our blog posts on:
