Exam Season = Braids Season

It's that time of the year again, exam season! The time of the year we all know and love. I'm joking of course, it's a stressful time for us all. I've already had one of my exams, Economics, and have plenty more on the way so what better protective hairstyle is there to have but braids! They allow me to just throw my hair into a style in the morning without having to fuss around too much. I do my braids myself and I must say it does take me many hours and my arms do get tired. However I just soldier through, put on a cheeky bit of Scandal and keep plaiting.

I used to get my hair done either in the hair dressers or by a professional but here are my reasons as to why I don't do that anymore:

1. Hairdressers, unless professionally trained to deal with natural black hair, pay no regard to your hair. I don't enjoy applying heat to my hair if possible and many hairdressers will either insist on applying large quantities of heat onto your hair or comb your hair so hard that half of it ends up on the floor besides you.
2. Hairdressers also have a tendency to plait braids in very tightly. Although your hair looks freshly done without any hairs out of place, you're left with your scalp pulsating and not being able to sleep for a few days due to the pain. The tightness of the braiding means that you risk permanently pulling out your baby hairs which can lead to balding, not a great look!
3. Getting your hair done can be very costly. Some hairdressers charge between £40 - £50 on top of the money you spend buying the extension hair. So myself, I prefer to cut down the cost to just the cost of buying the hair which leaves more money in my pocket for other things (chinese!)

I must admit it's not the easiest thing in the world to master but it can be done with a bit of practice. I learnt how to do my own hair just through replicating what I saw a hairdresser do on my hair when I got it done. However there are many different methods such as YouTube videos that you can use if you're interested in having a go yourself. Here are just a few pictures: