In the black community, hair is kind of a big deal. Our hair in and of itself is big, growing upwards and reaching toward the sky with every wave, kink, or curl. But the upkeep is also a big deal. Making sure your hair is moisturized is a must. As is keeping yourself from manipulating the strands too much, allowing them to do their own thing and just grow. For this reason, we tend to lean toward protective styles (styles that protect our hair from frequent manipulation and heat). These include but are not limited to weaves, wigs, twists, buns and box braids. Box braids are my go to favorite for when I want to leave my hair alone for a minute. However, I am extremely particular about who I allow to do my hair. Plus, box braids take quite some time and I decided I would rather do it myself than sit in a stranger’s salon for hours and hours. So I set to YouTube to learn how to do the style myself. I’ve now done them three times on my own and let me tell you, it is quite a process. There are many stages that one goes through when braiding their own hair for hours on end.

Doubt

Probably the first stage of deciding to do your own box braids is doubt. Doing box braids is a job, which is why so many people pay someone else to do it. When you just look at pictures of beautiful flowing box braids, you may not be all that confident in yourself to complete such a look.

Overconfidence

Now, once you’ve watched about a million YouTube tutorial on DIY box braids, you may be hit with a wave of overconfidence. You see people with all sorts of skill sets able to get through the hours long process of braiding their own hair. You begin to think, “Hey, this can’t be too difficult if all of these people can do it!”

Doubt: Round 2

So you’re feeling overly confident, you’ve got your hair in hand, and you’re ready. Getting that first piece of braiding hair not to slip down as you’re trying to braid it into your own hair is the realest struggle when you’ve never had to do this by yourself before. This is where Doubt: The Sequel makes it appearance. You’ll go back to your tutorials for inspiration on the different techniques. It may take some time, but you’ll find the technique that works best for you. It won’t necessarily be smooth sailing after that but you’ll get the hang of it and it will get easier over time.

Dread

Okay, you’ve made it past the second round of doubt, you’re moving along but you can see just how long this is going to take. At this point you’ve got a few solid rows of braids going but you are also taking note how long it’s taken you just to make this small dent. At this point, the dread kicks in. You come to realize that while it is getting easier, you still have so much work to do and it’s going to take allllllllllllll day. If it doesn’t cross over into the next day.

Self-Hatred

Possibly the most difficult stage to get through, there will be a moment where you feel DEEP self-hatred, at least I do. This is the point where your fingers are cramping, your back hurts and you’re tired. You’ll think “Why did I decide I could do this myself? I should’ve just paid a professional.” You’re too far in the process to call it quits when this feeling hits but you consider quitting anyway.

Hope

This is where it starts to get better. You’ve been braiding for far too long, you’re running out of shows to watch to keep you entertained, you’re in pain. But then you can see it, the finish line is near. You only have a few more braids to do but it’s getting more difficult. Your fingers are throbbing and your back is on fire but the end is near and all you can think of is how lovely it will feel to relax your hands and lie down. That little sliver of hope grants you the motivation to bust out those remaining braids.

Relief

The best stage of this entire process. You’re finally finished. Your hands are now free to be at rest, you can lie down to relax your back and you can enjoy the look of your beautiful braids. While they may be a bit too tight in the beginning, don’t let that stop you from swinging them around just a bit. After all of the hard work you put in, you deserve it. Whip that hair girl!

While it is a long and tough process to doing your own braids, it is extremely rewarding. It doesn’t hurt that its also much more cost effective. Most people use between 3 and 5 packs of Xpressions Kanekalon braiding hair. They run about $5 each so if you do your own box braids you can get a new, long lasting and protective hairstyle for $15 to $25 dollars. And you can also brag about how you did them yourself. Id say that’s well worth it!