Laila's Braiding Day

Today was a big day for Laila!! After much fretting, hair products, and daily work on my part, I decided it was time to take her to get her hair braided. Her hair just doesn't seem to be growing. No matter how much I moisturize and no matter how much I try to keep it detangled and oiled, it just doesn't seem to be growing. On Saturday, we went to watch a friend's daughter get her hair braided and have the lady doing it look at Laila's hair. She said what I suspected, Laila's hair needs to be braided in order to grow. It is so coarse and so tightly curled that picking it out every day into an afro is just going to continue to break it off. So, today we took the plunge.

Before

Before

We started the day at my friend, Michele's house. She is now officially my "African Hair Mentor"! She doesn't know this is her new title, but it is. At Michele's house, I washed and conditioned Laila's hair.

Sweet Butterfly Girl

Then, Michele detangled,

greased, and combed out with the dryer!

Really, I would not have known how to do this on my own.

This Laila's "Don King" look!

Who knew this girl's hair could be so long!

Back View

Next stop: Marjorie's house.

Let the braiding begin!

She did so well. She did not cry, she sat still. It took 2 hours and this little chick could not have been better. That gives me hope for the future. I know that these braiding sessions will only get longer as her hair grows and fills in.

The final product!

Laila was all smiles. You should have seen how her face lit up when I took her to the mirror. She kept saying, "I so happy, Mama! I like my hair." Who knew a 2 1/2 yr. old could care so much about hair?

I have mixed emotions about it. She looks so much older to me. She doesn't look like my baby anymore. It is an adjustment to get used to when I have only known her with a fro. Her hair was way longer than I ever imagined when it was straightened and braided If the braids were just a tiny bit longer, I could pull them into pig tails and a pony tail. I look forward to being able to do that and change the styles.

Here is a back view.

I rewarded her at the end of it all with a Happy Meal. This chick earned it. She did AMAZING!!

This should last at least 5 weeks. If it does, it will give me a break from the daily hair routine and give her hair a chance to rest and grow. I hope I can keep it looking nice. I will be calling Michele again when it is time to take out the braids. We will go back over with our toothpicks and learn some more from the master!!