Lissa's hair

I haven't written much about Lissa's hair in the past few months.  We seem, with my singular lack of facility with corn rowing, to have a good system.  We do a "protective" style of small to medium braids for about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks. Sometimes with beads, then we take it out and I do simpler styles that are changed up weekly for a couple weeks.  Typically twists, french braids, piggy back braids (large) and puffs. 

What I do find I spend the most time thinking about lately is what I call the "transition" stage. For instance, she had about 30 little braids in her hair in December with festive colored beads.  It took about 6 hours with lots of play breaks, for Kirsty to do the style and it lasted beautifully. (when you consider that Lissa is still very much one who scrubs her head on everything and also studies gymnastics, it amazes me when ANYTHING lasts!)  lol 

Anyway, when it came time to get rid of the tiny braids, I knew I would have to do it in stages. This is something that is very different with black hair than with my limp, fine caucasian hair.  I don't have so much hair that I need to transition anything.  I just can do it all quickly and easily.  Or if not easily, quickly.  But Lissa's hair is wonderfully thick and tightly tightly coiled.  I am sure if she was older I could have done it all at once, but even I am too eager to move around to envision that.  So thus, "transition styles."

  First I just took out all the beads. That was one night (and i got bonus points cause I put them all away in their appropriate storage gizmo the same night too!)  Then I super conditioned the braids, gave her a shower, put on her sleep cap and called it a night. The next day they went nicely into a low pony in the back of her head that I secured with a headband used like a scrunchie.

The next night I began the process of taking out the braids.  I could do this a lot quicker I am sure, but I take extreme care to cause minimal "ouchies" while I work.  I would rather go more slowly and not have my daughter dread a hair session.  I found that because I hadto do this at night when she is not at her most patient, I could at a maximum get 3 to 4 braids loosened, conditioned and combed out.  So I developed a series of transition styles to keep the princess looking appropriately diva gorgeous  as we went through the week.  But did I remember to take pictures as I went along?  Nope, I did not.

Day 1.  Left all the tiny braids in the back and part of one side and all of the left side.  Took out enough braids to make a nice fat side twist and used lots of multi colored terry stretch bands on it.

Day 2.  Made another fat twist on the other side of her head the same way.

Day 3.  Made a second twist on the right and then twisted it together with the first fat twist.  Again, lots of terry stretchies for color and hold.  This looks super cute and had the added benefit of keeping her twists away from her face.  Lissa hates hair in her face.

Day 4.  Made the other side match the right side.

We are now at the point where I only need to deal with the back. But for gymnastics tomorrow the hair will stay nicely out of her face and I can gather the mini back braids into a low pony with a ribbon and she will still look super cute. By the weekend I will be able to get all the mini braids out because I will be able to work on this at times of the day when she is more amenable to sitting.

I have so many styles always swirling in my head that I want to try on her.  But I have to mostly go with something relatively tried and true because at this age, if I mess up and have to start over--well, it is just not a good thing.  But you know, she's only 4!  I think I have a lot of years yet to try out lots of styles.