Cornrows or canerows are a popular and much loved African style of braiding hair along the scalp. Read on to know how to cornrow hair or braid cornrows.

How To Cornrow Hair

Cornrows or canerows, as they’re also known, are a style of wearing hair. ‘Cornrowing’ of hair can be traced back to the traditional cornrow hairstyles of West Africa. The hair is braided or pulled close to the scalp with quick and specific hand movements. These movements result in continuous rows of hair that resemble rows of corn in cornfields, and hence the name. Contrary to popular belief, getting your hair rowed and maintaining the same is not difficult. In fact, cornrows are preferred for their easy maintenance and support people who indulge in myriad physical activities. Cornrows can be worn for a period of around a few weeks and look best when washed carefully. Cornrows can actually give you a long and well-deserved break from combing hair. Cornrowed hair needs to be oiled regularly and carefully. Cornrows are not gender specific and can be pulled off by both men and women. Go ahead! Read on to know how to braid your hair into cornrows. With practice and in time you’re bound to become an expert cornrow braider.
 
How To Braid Cornrows
  • The first thing to do is to zero in on your preferred style of cornrows. Apart from the typical cornrow look, there are numerous other styles of cornrows to try. Decide on the kind of style you want and if necessary, draw it down on a piece of paper.
  • Once you’ve got this done, proceed to wet your hair. Hair should be damp but not overtly wet when braiding it into cornrows.
  • Comb through your wet hair to get rid of knots in the hair. Hair should be divided into five to six sections and should be worked on from the front of the head to the back. This is the simplest and most correct way to go about the whole idea of cornrowing hair. Also, make it a point not to brush your wet hair to get rid of knots. Hair should never be brushed when wet.
  • Separate one section of hair from where the cornrow should begin and proceed to clip away the rest of the hair. Take the parted section and split it into three strands. Work out a braid on an individual strand and while braiding the particular strand bring together hair from the rest of the section and continue braiding. The trick is to add and braid strand after strand that belong to the section you’re working on.
  • As soon as you reach the end of a braid, make sure the braids stay in place by using a hair accessory such as snap bead or a barrette. Do not use rubber bands because they’re prone to giving away easily and can create unnecessary complications. Repeat each of the above steps to get to the ‘cornrow’ look.
  • If you wish to have braids with tracks that are invisible, simply push into the scalp the strands of hair you’re braiding. If you desire to have braids with tracks that are visible, pull out and braid hairs that lie closer to the scalp.

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