MAKE YOUR OWN SYNTHETIC HAIR BRAIDS! - a guest post today from
ArtWildFlowers, one of my sponsors. And it's a great one!! Here ya go:
These bright-colored synthetic braids on weft clips are
super-fun for kids & hot sellers at craft fairs! … At the bargain price of
$3.00 & they fly off my shelf ! They can also be made in “traditional;”
hair colors for adults.
DIRECTIONS:
#1) Pull a
piece of bright-colored embroidery floss, yarn, or metallic thread through the
2 holes in a 28mm size weft clips.*HINT - use a big-eyed needle, a piece of
dental-floss or fish-line to help you easily & quickly thread it through
the holes.
NOTE: Open the clip & see which side the teeth are on,
you want the strands of your embroidery thread or metallic cord to come out of
the opposite side of the side with teeth. (see photo # 1B)
#2) Next, separate
out a bit of hair (From your bunch of synthetic hair). Take out just enough to
make your tiny braid. You don’t need much hair because it’s okay of the braid
is thin, this looks better than one that is too fat. If your synthetic hair is
longer than 16 inches, cut off the ends & make it shorter. It will be much, much easier to work with
synthetic hair if you cut it shorter (far less tangles!) - Unless you need an extra-long braid for very
long hair, you will want your finished braid to be around 10 to 12 inches long
or so. (This includes the ends, the bottom 2 or 3 inches that are not braided.)The
basic “rule of thumb” is to cut your synthetic hair to about 4 or 5 inches
longer than you want your finished braid to be.
HINT –
Before you begin to braid, I recommend you rub a few drops of a dimethicone-based
hair serum (like frizz-ease or citre-shine). OR, you can also use a single drop
of baby oil on your palms or hair oil & rub this in. This is optional, but
from past experience, I’ve found the oil makes the synthetic hair much easier
to work with & a lot easier to braid. (far less tangles!) It also stops any
annoying static electricity!
Fold your
synthetic hair in half & place the center on the top, next to the clip.
If you want
to add extra embroidery floss, more yarn or metallic thread, now is the time to
do that.
STABLIZE & KNOT - It helps to clip your clip to
something stable while you’re braiding. Also, when you are first learning, I
recommend you tie a knot to hold the hair close to the clip. The knot is
optional, but until you’re a pro, it’s best if you tie the knot (the very top
of the braid will be hidden by hair anyway!)
- See knot:
#3) BRAIDING
Start
braiding as you normally braid & don’t make the braid too long because it’s
better if the braid is shorter than the hair of the person wearing it, you
don’t want it to hang down longer than the hair.
CHOICES
You can
choose to add the embroidery floss, yarn or metallic string IN with the
synthetic hair (& braid it as part of the hair) or keep it as a separate
section… (as one of the 3 sections of braid) –
EXAMPLES -
the Blue braid (photo #3A) has the
embroidery floss mixed IN with the synthetic hair. But with the pink braid I
added an extra piece of metallic cord (see photo above) to make it thicker & I’ve kept the silver metallic separate from the
pink hair then used it by itself as one of the 3 parts of the braid.
FINISHING
#4) When the
braid is about 8 inches or so, it’s time to stop braiding & tie a knot:
Take any 2
strands of your embroidery floss, yarn or metallic cord then criss-cross them
in front of the braid, then wrap them around to the back & criss-cross them
again, lastly, bring them again to the front & tie a simple square knot.
SEAL THE
KNOT
If you use
metallic cord, it’s best to seal the knot with a dab of clear nail polish or a
tiny drop of glue to make sure the knot holds.
CUT YOUR
HAIR!
Lastly, cut
the synthetic hair to about 3 inches below where you tied the knot. (see
example #1). If you don’t want the hair to have a blunt-cut bottom, take a razor
& “shave” the braid. This will give a more natural look to the ends (like
real hair). Simply run a razor back & forth in the area where you want it
cut. If hair clogs the razor, do NOT use your fingers to clean it out, instead
use an old toothbrush or a rag!
Here are a few great EXAMPLES
ALL DONE!
Clip the
weft clip under just a bit of hair to hide it. If you choose a color of clip
that somewhat matches the person’s hair color, the weft clip will become
practically invisible & you’ll only see the braid!
WHERE TO BUY
WEFT CLIPS?
I sell these
clips on Etsy in my shop,
ArtWildFlowers. Your choice of 3 sizes in single colors or mixed-color sets
(which are great for those of you who re-sell!) My bulk prices are low at only $7.00
for 40 clips (any size)
SPECIAL
OFFER – So you can try this tutorial for yourself, I am offering all you SugarBeeCrafts fans a
special! – When you purchase a set of my clips, I will send you a of FREE GIFT
of enough synthetic hair for you to make 3 - 5 neon braids! You can choose from 4 great colors. To get
the free synthetic hair, just mention that you’ve seen this tutorial on SugarBeeCrafts
. (If you want to make these braids in bulk, larger quantities of synthetic
hair are also available). - free gift is limited to stock on hand and while supplies last -
WHAT CLIP
SIZE?
Clips come
in 4 sizes (tiny, small, med, large) Clips come in 4 sizes & I’ve found that the best sizes to use
for these braids are the 24mm & the 28mm which are the two smallest sizes.
The tiny clips (24mm) are also used for feather
extensions.
