We've really veered off into braiding - but it's still fiber related!
Regular braids are 3-stranded and begin at the edge of the head, usually between the nape and behind ears.
French braids (which Mom did only when she had time and was in a good mood!) usually start at the face-edge of the head and go down to the nape, at various and interesting angles (diagonally, coronet...) The braiding is all 'underneath' the the mass and you see just the splits/ combinations as each hair strand (one of 3) subverts under the other two sections. It tends to puff or lift the hair from the root area up and into the braid.
Corn rows are also a 3-braid but the effect is in reverse: the hair approaches the braid flat to the head, is plaited and the entire braid sits in view on the surface. Picture an independent braid laid over the smoothed-down hair on your head; that's what a corn row looks like.
Both of these are effective for holding the hair in place, especially if it doesn't have shorter lengths mixed in (being all one length is a smoother braid). Hair can be gently shampooed with braiding in situ. Dreadlocks are treated the same way and can last until until cut off.
Bobbie R ~ a Cosmetologist for 47 years. To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
