Protective Styling It: Yarn Locs/Faux Locs

I've been wearing my TWA out for a little bit and I decided to start moving further towards my hair goals; a major part of that being low (or no) manipulation and/or protective styling. I still haven't gotten the knack of combing/styling my hair this short and I thought it was best to put it up in a medium - long term style before I started damaging my hair. So here we are.

Yarn Wraps

The Yarn Wrap Style is where you use yarn (usually 100% acrylic yarn) to twist or braid your hair and thereafter wrap more yarn around that twist or braid. It is (I think), the ultimate protective style as the entire strand of your hair is covered, leaving only your scalp from showing. It is pretty easy to do (so easy I can do it :)) and there are countless tutorials on YouTube showing how it is done.

How long it will take depends on the length and size of the braids you want to be done but needless to say, it isn't a "quick style"..it is going to take you some hours to do.

About My Yarn Wraps

Colour: Black

Duration: 12 1/2 Hours 

Length: Shoulder - Collar bone length

Thickness of wraps: Medium

Yarn type: Red Heart 100% Acrylic Yarn & Zola 100% Acrylic Yarn

Price: Red Heart (Super Saver) $1,200 JMD & Zola (3 Small packs) @ $70 JMD per pack 

Where I got the yarn: Woolworth

My Yarn Wraps were done last week by a hair braider who was doing this style for the first time, so we were basically going off of what we saw on YouTube. She got the hang of it quickly. The length of my yarn wraps are about collar bone/shoulder length and it took about 10 hours to do majority of it (we ran out of yarn) and I'd say about 2 1/2 hours to do the rest. I did the remaining pieces and re-did some I thought were too tight. Those are mainly at the right side of my head. Here are some pictures of how it turned out (taken today - a week later):

I think they're holding up well considering I don't "care" extensions well and I haven't slept with a satin bonnet (only a satin 'pillowcase' - satin fabric over my pillow) since I got them done. It has been said that as the roots get more fuzzy, it looks even more natural looking. I'm pretty sure I'm on my way there.

When they are just done, you might feel some discomfort for a couple of days because 1) the wraps/braids will be stiff so sleeping well might be an issue for some and 2) some of the wraps/braids need a couple of days to "loosen" a bit. Scalp massages as well aid in this regard. It is advisable that when getting them done to not start wrapping at the root/scalp but at the beginning of the braid or twist..and even then wrap this section taut, but not tight.

I'm hoping to keep these in for 2 months (since they look like they handle well and they took so long to do) ..but I've never kept in a style that long (itchy scalp), so we'll see.

I'll be doing a post on what to expect after getting Yarn Wraps, tips and a hair care routine I've been doing.

Be well,

Gibbie