DIY Synthetic Hair Braids

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.

#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!

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.

HERE’S A LINK TO MY CLIPS – (or see my advertisement on SugarBeeCrafts under the name “ArtWildflowers”) – –  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtWildflowers?section_id=10108772

Thanks for checking out this post from www.SugarBeeCrafts.com – – click on over to read it in its entirety – you’ll love it!