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Nacai23 said:
This threading sounds very interesting. How is it done? Can someone post instructions please?
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Miss Zaire who was 1st runner up in 1985 Miss Universe had her hair in the thread style during the pageant (if I'm not mistaken) but I couldn't find a picture to show it.
Basically, you divided hair into section like you'd do for single plaits or bantu knots...and then wrapped each section with black thread starting at the base until the hair was covered completely (you know how cat trees have rope wrapped around the poles to create a scratch post? Same idea.
) After that you could either join the wrapped sections to form rows...or any other way - no limit to creativity here.
The way I mention is how mine was done. Imagine having four rows of singles arranged front to back. Now imagine joining the two rows on the right together overlapping wrapping more thread to join so that you get a pattern like this >>>>> and then doing the same on the left to get the same pattern when viewed from above, ie two "cornrows". Let me try and explain that better...
- Divide the hair into four rows as if to do four cornrows, back to front.
- Now divide each row from left to right into several singles. The narrower the better. Do one row at a time and wrap each division with thread from base to end before doing the next section. Start off like you're making a ponytail with a small single section (single as in single braid section like you would use to do a single braid. Even though I say small, two pencils thick is small enough). Don't stop at the pony but keep wrapping the thread around the section till it's completely covered. (Or you can leave gaps if you like. I used to have mine covered completely). Do this till every single section is covered completely by thread before going on to the next step.
- Oh forgot to mention... Try to make the # of partings on each row the same as the next so that you end up with a checked pattern of the partings...and each single is next to a single on the adjacent row.
- Now take the first two singles on the right hand side (ie the first single of row one and the first single of row 2...counting the rows either from left or right with the one closest to the ear being 1 and so on and the one closes to the other ear being 4) and hold them together. You can place one over the other if you like. BTW, don't hold them down against the scalp. They used to have them lifted about half an inch from the scalp. So you hold them together to get a shape like this > In other words, you start wrapping at the point where the sections meet when raised about an inch from the scalp.
- Now wrap thread over the place where they overlap so you get >- (BTW, you get a neater look if you start the wrapping at the point where the two when held together hover over the middle of the next two. In other words you are holding the two sections pointing back, raised a little off the scalp and you start wrapping at a point where when you will get a V shape). Wrap the two to form an arm that goes back a little so that when you grab the next two singles to join them, they are slanting at the same angle... giving this pattern >>>>> Or put another way, this pattern >->->->-
-Do the same to the two rows on the other side.
End result mimics two "French braids" a little raised off the scalp.
Sometimes my stylist didn't join the singles. She'd make fewer partings (like you do for bantu knots) and leave them separate but folded. Taking each at a time, she'd fold the wrapped section to form a loop then wrapping thread around the loop shape so you'd get a shape like d lying on its side...looked a little like bantu knots just not wrapped around. The ends would lie against my scalp.
Miss Zaire (I still remember how beautiful she looked with that style, but my memory may not be quite on the mark) had four or so single sections separated by diagonal parts so that she had one section in the crown area, one in the back and one one either side by her ear. Seemed her hair was long coz the wrapped section were long (or stood up high). They were then bent to meet horizontally at the center of her head. Picture a shape resembling those electronic massagers. I don't think the joint was pointed up like an antenna.
Maybe she had it joined under.
Twas a long time since I saw it, but as you can see, it left an impression on me.
Oh another thing that deserves mentioning. When you wrap the hair, you end up with a stiff-ish stick shape. Which is how the styles can stand raised off the scalp. And it's a little stiff and if done too tight might making sleeping hard. But with the "French braid" do, the sides where flat so you could sleep on those. And it does soften a little with time.
What I do remember about threading was that your natural hair would be straight when you undid them. Probably because as the thread was wrapped your hair was being stretched. Oh and the thread was thick. It's the kind of thread used for crotcheting but in black. And if your hair was too short for the single sections to meet, one'd wrap some thread around the hand several times and then cut through the loop to get several equal-length threads. One'd then hold these against the hair to be wrapped and wrap the hair together with the "fake hair created by the threads" and continue wrapping beyond the hair to cover the sections of thread that make the "fake hair" (this also ensured that the ends of the real hair were well-covered. I never thought of it but that's one sure way to protect the ends.
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Ooooh...Now I wanna do it.
Who'll lend me her daughter or her own head so I can use her as demo.
I promise I don't braid tightly. (Can't do it on my own head coz I won't be able to part the lines right and it won't look nice unless they are straight and even.
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