Discover the Art of Hair Threading!

Protective Styling & Stretching hair: The African Threading Method

There is an old African technique of stretching the length of air-dried afro hair. Air drying often leaves the hair with about 50%  shrinkage so with shorter hair types this may make it more challenging to style.

Along with dealing with tangles; stretched hair helps reduce single strand knots, shedding and breakage it generally eases styling along with softening the texture without using heat or manipulation.

Stretching the hair length is achieved by wrapping a piece of thread around a small section of hair from root to tip.

Here is a video showing a variation of threading methods to create different styles and effects

Threading for protective free-flowing styles

Protective styling is handy especially if you are short on time as you can keep the style for at least 2 weeks!

I prefer  threaded protective styles to double strand twists or braids as a protective style as there is less manipulation on the hair strands AND it stays neat for longer. Plus it is easier on the fingers and arms if you know what I mean!

And as you can see from the video you can get the same twist effect using the thread.

Instructions for protective threaded style

After shampoo and conditioning apply our nourish and smooth moisturising leave in  to damp hair to help to elongate curls, and lock in the moisture with seal and shine hair finishing oil afterwards  (note: dry preferably with a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt to prevent frizz and rough cuticles.

Comb through from tip to roots then section hair into 6; 2 at back, 2 middle and two at the front.

For shorter hair types; If you want even smaller sections you can separate the individual sections into 2 to make 12 sections in all.

Secure the sections you are not using then cut off a piece of weave thread that you can buy at any black beauty supply store slightly longer than your own hair and tie at the ends of the thread to keep the plait from unraveling

Then as the video instructs wrap the tied end of the  thread around individual section from root to tip and tie again just before the end of the plait to secure.

Threading for the stretched blow dried effect

Instructions for super-stretched “blow dried” threaded look.

Right after shampoo and conditioning apply our nourish and smooth moisturising leave-in to damp hair  to help to stretch hair and lock in the moisture with seal and shine finishing  hair oil straight afterwards (note: dry preferably with a cotton t-shirt to prevent frizzes an rough cuticles

Then separate hair into six sections and create six threaded “plaits” tie together to create 2 plaits, tie a silk scarf around head and allow to dry overnight.

Undo the next morning and apply ample amount of seal and shine to the hair or coconut oil until entire head is saturated  then re-do the threaded plaits the same as before and  leave in for as few hours or if you wish overnight

Unravel and voila! you will have a stretched sleek ”blow dried-esqe” effect.

It can last up to a day or two so if you wanted a longer lasting style  you would have to use some type of heat.

Happy threading  and remember practise makes perfect!

By Angela of Haven Organics