Senegalese braids — what do they look like, pros and cons, how long do they last?

Nowadays, there are many ways to make changes to your image without resorting to complex and expensive procedures. So, many girls make Senegalese braids, which look very unusual and can help a woman attract the attention of others.

What do Senegalese braids look like?

As it is not difficult to guess from the name, Senegalese braids originate on the territory of the African continent in the country of Senegal. The main difference from traditional braids is the number of strands in them — they consist of only 2 long strands intertwined with each other in a certain way. Knowing how to braid Senegalese braids, you can get a completely unusual and original hairstyle, however, not every woman can cope with this task.

Depending on the length and condition of the hair, Senegalese Afro-braids can be braided either completely from natural hair or with the addition of artificial fibers, such as kanekalon. The required amount of this material is calculated by a professional master of hairdressing, taking into account the desired length of the strands and the color that should be obtained in the end.

Senegalese braids — pros and cons

Beautiful and original hairstyles from Senegalese braids attract a huge number of the fair sex, however, before deciding on such changes in your own appearance, you need to find out what advantages and disadvantages they have. So, the main «pluses» of braids from Senegal include the following characteristics:

• Senegalese braids can be created even on not too long curls. A sufficient length of natural strands is considered to be 7 centimeters, so the vast majority of women can afford such a hairstyle;
• unlike classic African braids, Senegalese Afro-braids are not so heavy and practically do not put pressure on the root zone. For this reason, they can be done even in the presence of weak and thin curls;
• Today, the artificial strands used to create such hairstyles are incredibly diverse, so with their help you can give your hair any shade or ombre effect. In addition, some strands change their tone depending on the lighting;
• the most important advantage is the absence of the need to wash and comb your hair for a long period of time. For this reason, Senegalese braids are often chosen for travel;
• in such hairstyles, the plaits can have different thicknesses, so you can constantly experiment with your appearance.

Meanwhile, with all their positive characteristics, Senegalese braids also have significant drawbacks, such as:

• the service life of such strands in most cases does not exceed 2 months, unlike other African weaving methods. Meanwhile, for some girls, this disadvantage, on the contrary, is an advantage — they do not have time to get tired of a boring hairstyle;
• flagella from Senegal are not complemented by any decorative elements — beads, ribbons and any other accessories. This is due to the fact that the additions increase the load and shorten the life of the African weave;
• the main disadvantage of such weaving is the need to regularly care for the bundles, using many different means to maintain their presentable appearance.

Senegalese braids — how to care?

Harnesses from Senegal are incredibly capricious, therefore, in order to maintain a neat, beautiful and aesthetic appearance of such a hairstyle for a long time, you need to know not only how to weave Senegalese braids, but also how to properly care for them. There are many nuances and recommendations that must be taken into account so that the harnesses retain their appearance for as long as possible and do not stretch.

How to wash Senegalese braids?

Thinking about how to make Senegalese braids, every girl should certainly learn how to wash them. Most fashionistas decide to create a similar hairstyle due to the fact that it does not need to be washed often. So, the optimal frequency is about once a week. More frequent washing will cause the plaits to stretch and look ugly, and the lack of proper care will make them sloppy and extremely unattractive.

In addition, during washing it is useful to consider the following recommendations of specialists:

• shampoo should not be used in its pure form, it must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2;
• after washing, it is necessary to moisturize the scalp with coconut, petroleum or mint oil;
• when choosing this hairstyle, you should abandon conditioners that require rinsing. Experts recommend replacing them with analogues in the form of sprays that need to be sprayed on the hair daily.

How to sleep with Senegalese braids?

Loose Senegalese braids during sleep can fray and become extremely unattractive. To avoid this, they must be protected — every evening to collect in a ponytail, and then tie a scarf made of smooth materials over the hair. In addition, a hair dye cap can be a great alternative.

Senegalese braids — cost

The price of creating such a hairstyle depends on many factors and nuances. So, it can change based on what kind of hair is used for weaving — natural or artificial, on how many Senegalese braids are needed per head, and what length of strands is expected when the result is obtained.

On average, the cost of creating such a head of hair is about 50-60 conventional units, and the price for a pack of kanekalon, which is used if necessary, varies about 7 USD. Since long curls can take up to 5-6 packs of kanekalon, the final price for weaving bundles from Senegal can be up to 100 conventional units.

How long do Senegalese braids last?

On the question of how long harnesses from Senegal can be worn, opinions differ. Meanwhile, most experts consider the optimal period of 2 months. At the same time, the period does not depend on how the Senegalese braids are woven, however, other factors influence it — the condition and length of natural hair, the age of the fashionista and how much time she devotes to caring for the created hairstyle. In addition, it is worth considering that correction will help to keep the shape and appearance of the hair longer — the strands that have fallen out can be woven with a hook.

Weaving Senegalese braids

Although many of the fair sex are attracted to Senegalese braids, not all masters of hairdressing know how to weave them. Meanwhile, there are several ways that are suitable for creating such a head of hair. The traditional method is the following, in which weaving starts from the bottom:

• using clips, fix all the hair at the top, delimiting the lowest layer from them;
• in the middle of the bottom layer, select a strand of medium width and carefully comb it;
• Weave 2-3 centimeters from the roots in the traditional way to create additional fixation for the harnesses;
• divide the rest of the hair into 2 parts and weave each into a tourniquet. If artificial threads are used, first fold them in half and weave the fold into natural curls;
• twist the resulting bundles around each other in one direction, and then repeat these procedures with the rest of the shock of hair;
• make sure that all harnesses have the same thickness. The number of additional strands in each bundle should also be the same.

Senegalese braids through braids

Senegals, or the corresponding bundles from a hot African country, are woven in many ways. The most popular methods are point and through braids, the latter acting as a framework. To create it, you need to braid 10-20 braids along the head, taking into account the tightest possible fit. They can be arranged in different directions — zigzag, geometric, in a circle, in the form of a certain pattern, and so on.

The creation of such a frame in most cases takes no more than 40 minutes. After that, Senegalese braids are braided into braids, which can be of any length and color. Weaving Senegalese flagella takes much more time than creating a frame — an average of about 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, the period of wearing such a hairstyle is approximately 2-3 months.

Senegalese kanekalon braids

Spot weaving Senegalese braids is a more complex method than weaving kanekalon through braids. In addition, it also requires a lot of time — on average, the creation of flagella takes about 5-6 hours. To complete it, you will need kanekalon and a special glue to fix the ends. You can cope on your own, however, you will have to strictly follow the given sequence of actions:

• divide the curls into several zones with the help of elastic bands or hairpins;
• separate the strand and prepare an artificial fiber, the thickness of which should be half that of a natural strand;
• wrap in half, thus making a loop, then thread hair into it;
• braid the strand and kanekalon like a regular pigtail, make 6-8 turns or 2-3 cm;
• divide the strands into two parts, each of which should contain natural hair and artificial fiber;
• twist each part in one direction, and then twist the resulting two flagella together in the other direction;
• having reached the end, it is necessary to fasten the end with glue, having received one pigtail;
• all these procedures must be repeated with the remaining hair.

Senegalese braids with bangs

The original concept of the Senegal does not imply that the forehead would be covered with hair, so the bangs are almost always woven into flagella. Meanwhile, modern fashionistas often leave bangs intact if they are thick and straight. In this case, the facade strands may differ not only in texture, but also in color. So, for example, purple Senegalese braids look very stylish and unusual in tandem with straight black bangs.

Colored Senegalese braids

Modern fashion allows for a variety of variations of this hairstyle, which can be quite natural and concise or incredibly bright and catchy, attracting a lot of interested looks. You can make Senegalese braids, the colors of which can be incredibly diverse, using artificial fiber — kanekalon. At the same time, stylists recommend being guided solely by individual preferences, however, in each season, current trends can be traced here, as in all other areas of fashion.

Red Senegalese braids

Senegals in the red color scheme are perfect for girls who want to stand out from the crowd. Meanwhile, they can be radically different. So, bright red and pink Senegalese braids look very catchy and somewhat defiant, while dark red or burgundy can be quite restrained. Experts do not advise using an overly bright kanekalon to decorate the entire head of hair — it is much better to single out only a few strands to them, while the dark red fiber may well be located throughout the head.

Black Senegalese braids

The black color of kanekalon is considered traditional, it is great for brunettes and looks quite natural. As a rule, it is chosen by those young ladies who only want to emphasize the unusual texture of curls. Black color can be used to create harnesses of any length. So, for example, black Senegalese braids, squares, which can be appropriate in almost any situation, look very stylish and interesting.

Senegalese braids for brown hair

Charming Senegalese braids for blond hair, as a rule, are close in color to the natural hair of the fair sex. They look especially good on girls who are fans of ethnic style and a large number of accessories made from natural materials. Such Senegalese braids do not overload the image, unlike braids created using colored kanekalon. The latter should be used as concisely as possible — there should not be too many of them, as they will make the image extremely bright and catchy.

Senegalese ombre braids

The ombre technique is incredibly popular in youth circles. Among the artificial products for creating such hairstyles are options with different color transitions from dark to light. There are also completely unexpected stretches of color, for example, from hot pink to blue and vice versa. Meanwhile, thick Senegalese braids are almost always done in natural shades, unlike thin flagella, which can be shaped in different ways.