Black Hairstyles for Natural Hair: Crochet Braid Extensions Tutorial

I am trying to find hairstyles that will allow my daughter's hair to rest and grow. She has Type 1 diabetes and it is hard on her hair and skin. People with diabetes tend to have very dry hair and skin and my daughter also has eczema. The dryness leads to easy hair breakage.

I do not pull my daughter's edges into cornrows or braids. I know that many who braid hair strive to get that impeccable look where every stray hair is pulled into the braid even at the edges. Pulling hair at the edges, especially on chilcren can cause hair loss and at the very least little painful bumps.

1. Noir "Human Hair Feel" Crochet Braid - Remy Touch (I used about 3 1/2 packs)
2. African Pride Shea Butter Miracle
3. Murray's Gel Loc-Lock
4. African Pride Braid Sheen Spray Extra Shine
5. Crafters Choice Natural Shea Butter
6. Rat tail comb, Hair Clips, Hair Combs

I used the Noir Deep Twist 24" Human Hair Feel, 100% Kanekalon. My daughter and I LOVE this hair. It is extremely lightweight, has nice volume, does not tangle easily and is easy on the hands. We used #2 and #30.

I washed the hair with T-Gel shampoo. Because of my daughter's dry skin sometimes her scalp gets very itchy so we were advised by our doctor to use a medicated shampoo and it has helped greatly. However, I feel it is a bit harsh on the hair so after shampooing we use the Olive Oil deep conditioner.

I make my own hair moisturizer/oil by mixing natural shea butter, organic coconut oil and sunflower oil. I microwave and stir very well. I have been using the Shea Butter Miracle moisturizer but I'm not really satisfied with it. It's just okay. I will probably use the rest but won't buy it again. So I'm still looking for a good water based moisturizer.

I washed and deep conditioned the hair. Then I parted the hair into two large sections with a part going basically from ear to ear.

Next, I cornrowed the front portion coming straight back so the hair will hang down the sides of her face in front.

I did cornrows going across the back so the hair will hang in layers and have a natural look.

As you can see in the photo, I used the latch hook to weave the ends back into the braid. This is so there will be no ends sticking out of the hairstyle.

I viewed several youtube videos to figure out how to do the crochet style. The video below is extremely detailed. She shows two methods to use. I used the simple one where I inserted the hook under the braid and then pulled the hair through three times. As I write this a week later, no braids have come loose and her style still looks fabulous!!!

I used some other videos when figuring out my cornrow pattern.

I did not want the hair to be too long so I cut the hair in half. I then laid the hair out in sections so I could just grab and crochet.

I added in some of the #30 for highlights at my daughter's request. I really wanted to use the bright red but she said maybe we would do it next time.

I did add more hair to the front on one side so the hair would hang almost over her eye.

This is a very easy style to do. It was time consuming for me because I used very small sections of hair to get a more natural look.

Give it a try, I think you will love it!!