African threading will do it for you when you are looking to promote hair growth, retain length, or an edgy protective style.
Thoughts of African threading hairstyles brings back memories from childhood. Days of my head being stuck in between my plaiter’s legs lol.
However, if your hair was threaded regularly as a child, did you notice your hair grew without plenty of stress? Yeah, that’s the beauty of African threading. Unknown to us and maybe our mothers too, they were doing protective styling for us, and most of us carried our threaded styles for at least two weeks.
So, our hair was basically left on its own to do what it does best, which is to grow. As our hair was not manipulated often. Our mothers’ routine was loose after two weeks, then shampoo and condition our hair, and we are off to get a new style once our hair was dried. A minimalistic routine that helps with massive hair growth.
Indeed, our hair will grow so much when we stop putting our hands in our hair every minute.
The beauty of African threading is that it is a simple way to grow your hair and a heatless way to stretch your hair. This post will touch a bit on the origin of African Threading, and then we will look at the benefits. Ready? Let’s move!
Read: The best natural oils and their uses for hair growth
Origin of African Threading
Well, from the name you already know, it originated from Africa. This style of hair is mostly done in Nigeria, Ghana, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The original thread for African threading
Photo credit: Pinterest
I feel the practice of African threading is like a rite of passage for girls in sub-Saharan Africa. I am yet to come across any girl in Nigeria who has never done African threading.
However, this style is not only for girls; women carry it too. There are different African threading styles for each age group. Also, one can be creative with African threading and come up with their styles.
The improved version of the thread
Photo credit: Pinterest
African threading has been used by generations of African women to straighten their hair naturally and to style it.
How to Make the African Threading Hairstyle
To make the style is effortless. It is as simple as breaking your hair into sections and wrapping each section from root to tip using black thread, which is the traditional way of making African threading styles.
Nowadays, people use wool, attachments, or colourful hair strings to do it. Regardless of what is used, the same results are obtained.
And, you can thread your hair by yourself, or someone can help you out.
All you need is preferably a clean scalp, moisturized hair, as well as some thread or yarn, or whatever you decide to use. Then don’t forget the scissors to be used in cutting the yarn or thread.
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Benefits of African Threading for Your Hair
African Threading for Hair Growth
Threading is a style that involves low manipulation, which means it leads to minimal damage.
Photo credit : Pinterest
When using African Threading as a protective style, you should follow the following guidelines to protect your hair from any damage that can occur:
•Don’t thread your hair tightly.
•Don’t cut your hair into very tiny pieces.
•And, don’t leave it on for a very long time. One or two weeks is appropriate—Maximum of a month.
See: The ultimate guide for proper hair care
African Threading for Retention of Hair Length
Protective styling such as African threading makes it easier to retain the length of kinky hair as it grows. Because as your hair grows, it keeps your hair well hidden and away from anything that might interfere with it.
Photo credit: Pinterest
The thread wrapped around your hair protects it from environmental damages, for example, excessive sun exposure and your preying hands (Yes, please stop touching your hair unnecessarily).
Also, if you can’t stop touching your hair, maybe you should try African threading.
African Threading Helps to Stretch Your Hair Without Heat
Ah, hair washdays. The days where our hair shrinks, and we wonder if this was the same hair we just detangled before shampooing, the beauty of the African hair.
Not all naturals like their hair to be in a shrunken state. (I think I am currently indifferent about this).
Photo credit: Pinterest
So, if you are that natural who doesn’t like his/her to be in a shrunken state and you seek a healthy way to stretch your hair. Then African threading is just perfect for you. It is a healthy way to stretch your natural hair. Threading is safe, and you are 100 per cent protected from heat damage.
However, African threading can not straighten your hair as a blow dryer would, but it does it better than twists or braids. To effectively stretch your hair, wrap every section of hair from root to tip with the thread.
Thinner hair would need fewer sections, and more sections would be needed for thicker hair.
You can wear a headwrap if you don’t want to be seen with a threaded hairstyle in public while your hair is drying. Because your hair has to be completely dry before you take down the style for best results.
If you like, you can go further and pass a flat iron through your hair once or twice for a cleaner, straighter finish.
This is also relatively safe, as stretching your hair with African threading beforehand will minimize the number of times you have to use a flat iron on your hair to get it to be straight. You are thus reducing your exposure to heat.
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Some African Threading Hairstyles
Best known as a way to stretch your hair, threading can also be used to style the hair. You can style it into an easy up-do while your hair is threaded, making mini braids, chunky twists, or flat twists around your head. Think it? Create it.
Below are some different variations of threading hairstyles:
Photo credit: Pinterest
Photo credit: Pinterest
Photo credit: Pinterest
Photo credit: Pinterest
The modern day threading style that most people make now
Photo credit: Pinterest
Photo credit: Pinterest
The Takeaway
African threading is a traditional technique used to stretch afro hair without heat in Africa for centuries; it is also widely referred to as the Banding Technique. ( one of the modern-day twist of African threading using hair bands).
Ultimately, it is recognized that threading is a perfect way to retain length, promote hair growth, stretch hair without heat, and can also be worn as a unique and beautiful protective style.
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Till next time,
Stay be’you’tiful, stay blessed.
