HOW TO DO CROCHET BRAIDS FOR KIDS

My five-year-old told me the other day: “Mummy, I have an idea for you! How about you make a video of you doing our hair? Your website is full of only cooking!” Ha! I didn’t know she had noticed the content of this blog. Kids notice everything! She has been seriously urging me to make a hair video and a “day in the life” video. While I’m yet to get to that, I can at least share a hair pictorial. One step at a time, right?

I’ve been seeing so much about crochet braids online so I decided to give it a try because it looked really easy. I wasn’t disappointed. It is so easy and the braids are beautiful. Crochet braids are hair extensions that are crocheted into your hair with a latch hook tool known as the crochet hook. I did the style on both older girls. It totally works for me because I do not have to spend hours on one head. #Mommydaughtertroubles. If a hair novice like me could do it, then you can too, my friend.

Here is how to:

Step 1

Spray hair with detangling spray and comb through.

Braid into cornrows (known as “bakala”in Cameroon) that go all the way to the back.

The entire head had about 8 cornrows. I connected the cornrows at the bottom into one large cornrow across which I tucked into another cornrow to hide the edges, (I really should do a video! Yes?)

Step 2

This is the fun part where you install the crochet braids like magic.

Hold a crochet braid in one hand while you insert the crochet hook through a cornrow. Loop the hair onto the hook.

Step 3

Slide hooked hair back through the cornrow then remove the crochet hook.

Step 4

Feed the hair through the pre-looped opening then pull to secure tightly in a knot.

Repeat process, spacing out the braids as desired.

Keep going until the entire hair is crocheted. This whole thing took me about 3 hours from start to finish which to me is really good. I usually take about 7 hours to install regular braids! The one at the top of the post took me only two hours. I used 12-inch Havana Twists for that one.

This is what opening the braids reveals:

You can lay the edges with gel if you like. I hope this leads you into making some awesome crochet braids for the little ladies in your life!