If you’ve seen my last post you’ll notice that I am rocking yet another new do, Poetic Justice Inspired Long Box Braids to the waist. I spent the entire weekend putting them in and promised that I would post a little tutorial for those of you that may want to attempt them on yourself or others. See the video to see my braiding method. Keep reading to see how I prepped the braiding hair.
About the hair, I used Xpression Kanekalon Fiber hair which is said to be the best for this style. I used three packs cut into thirds.
First I soaked the hair in white vinegar and hot water for about a half an hour to remove any chemicals applied that can irritate the scalp. I let it hang on hangers to air dry.
This hair is very long at 82″ so to achieve the length that I wanted I cut into thirds, this is one third…
If left like this the hair is too short and blunt at the ends so I stretched it. You do this by holding one end tight and gently pulling a few strands out in batches to the length that you want, and repeat with the other end. Don’t pull too far or you’ll pull the strands completely out of the bundle. You will end up with this…
You can see that the hair is now longer and looks more natural on the ends.
When I was done I had nine bundles which was enough for my entire head. I washed my hear with IC Fantasia Tea Tree Shampoo to clarify, deep conditioned with an IC Fantasia Super Concentrated Reconstuctor Treatment and applied IC Fantasia Leave in Conditioner with aloe to moisturize, then blew out my hair. I started at the nape and braided it smaller than the rest since it is very short due to my pixie cut.
Once I hit my ears I made them a little larger.
They came out great. Check out the tutorial…
Poetic Justice Braids Tutorial
See here to learn how to maintain your braids and here for styling options. Let me know if you guys have any questions!
41 Responses
very nice! thanks for sharing with us how you did it!
Thanks Joanne and no problem at all!
You did a great job!! I’m going to show this to the lady that’s doing my daughter hair! Thanks so much for posting!!
Thanks Yoyo and no problem at all!
WOW You have a lot of patience and skill. But the end result was worth it. Great job!
Thank you! 🙂
Wow I love your hair and makeup. That you did your hair yourself is remarkable – I don’t have that level of patience. LOL
Thank you. My patience was wearing very thin lol
25 HOURS STRAIGHT! Honey, you are good but they turned out wonderful. x
Thank you. I can’t believe that I sat that long lol xo
Love It!
Thank you! 🙂
How did your arms not fall off? Just kidding, but oh gosh 25 hours? I don’t think I’d have the energy or patience (that’s why I pay someone). LOL You did an awesome job with your braids. They look really good.
Lol girl they felt like they were going to. It was the opportunity cost of keeping my $200 (well $180 minus the cost of the hair) and doing it exactly the way that I wanted
Hi Erica,I am getting my hair braided like yours this weekend. I just want a few tips: 1. Is it terribly difficult to wash braids at that length? 2. What period of time is good to have them in for (avoiding breakage)? Thanks in advance. Love your blog btw
Thank you. I don’t wash my hair while it’s braided so I can’t give advice there. I touch up the perimeter about every 3 weeks (which I just did) and comb out any dirt or lint that has settled. I will be buying a scalp cleanser for braids which is like a dry shampoo. I also plan to leave mine in for about 3-4 months. To avoid breakage, don’t let the new growth get to be so much that your braids are hanging, the heaviness will cause breakage. Redo them or take them out. Hope that helps.
Yes, that does help. Thank you Erica!
You’re welcome!
Girl you are the bomb! I wish I could do mine by myself.
Thanks girlie. I thought you did yours too!
just got Senegalese braids, next time these. Only got them to my bra strap.
Can you do my braids n where are u located
I’m in NYC…
Do you only do your own hair? If not how much would you charge for braids like that?
No I do others hair as well. These are pretty small so for this size and length it would be $200
Okay
Hi how much vinegar should you use for like 4 packs of xpressions hair to water ratio? Thanks
I just fill the tub up enough to cover the hair and add about a 1/2 cup of vinegar
Wow! Loved this tutorial. I’ve always known how to braid, but never knew how to braid using weave. Now I do. Thanks and you looked great!
You’re welcome and thank you! 🙂
Wow! A wonder4 job, very particular and neat. I’m getN my daughter’s hair in medium size poetic braids(thumb sz). Were there any hair stickN out of the braids? How long did U soak the hair in vinegar and how was it dried? Where can I find the hair product U used for cleaN? Thank U 4 the info, but 1 more question b4 I close… is it very important to use certain brands of hair?
Thank you. I soaked the hair for about an hour or so, rinsed and hung the braids from hangers. You should be able to find all of the products in the beauty supply store. You can use any type of Kanekalon synthetic hair but Xpression is one of the best because of the amount of hair in the pack and the texture.
PLEASE reply back, how many packs does it take to do the full head and length to the hips. I really need an estimate on how many to buy
It depends on how much hair you have and how thick you want them. Also on how you cut and stretch the hair. I used 3 packs but bought 4 just in case. Hope that helps!
Just put box braids in my hair for first time, saving twist for summer, had no idea they were so heavy at first. But she did a great job.
The heaviness depends on how big the braids are and how much hair you put. I try to make mine as light as possible because my neck can’t handle the heavy braids.
It’s normal now, do not feel heavy. Thank God. Got it done Tuesday, so guess had to wait.
Yeah it’s normal for it to feel heavy for a few days until you get used to it.
Okayyyy I looked it up ha ha
Ok! lol