Threading Fail - Help Please

[Seamonster]

I am really jazzed about threading. I went to you tube watched a ton of video. Still my threading doesn't look like the pictures of african school girls. I wanted shiny stiff poles that I could style, but I got these limp puffy poles. The hardest part is ending the thread. How do I tie them off after wrapping without the thing unraveling? My threads keep falling off.

Also for daily wear, does one normally wash these daily or every other day? Would they be good to swim in?

 

[Nonie]

Seamonster, back in the day when I got this done (way before I even knew hair forums existed) I didn't wash the threading do while I had it on. Back then I washed my hair once a fortnight so I wore the style for those two weeks when I wasn't washing, which is also why it got so straight. I wish I had thread to do a demo on a section of my hair to show you how to do it.

Anyway, when I had it done, it wasn't just my hair ALONE that was wrapped within the thread. but also some thread pieces so that they'd provide a nice ending that would provide a secure finish w/o any sliding off of the knot--as might happen if I tried to wrap just my hair. She'd then cut off the extra length for a neat finish.

Before my stylist started threading, she'd have bunches of short threads lined up so she'd grab a few and place them beside my hair that she's about to wrap and hold them together as if all are hair. The threads that are lined up against my hair would be longer than my hair so that when she got to the end of my hair, she'd keep wrapping and go beyond my hair so that my hair would be completely covered and she could tie a knot on a section that wasn't slippery. Also by having a length that is beyond where she stops wrapping--a length she can cut off--it means slipping off at the end is less likely to happen.

As for the stiff rod as opposed to a soft rod, are you smoothing your hair as you wrap so it's not contracted? Also make sure you're not allowing your hair to twist as you wrap. If your hair is stretched and you're wrapping w/o leaving gaps, you should get a firm rod. Also I don't think you need your hair to be straightened or blowdried. I would do it on shrunken hair and let the stretching to wrap be the only "straightening" taking place.

Does any of this make sense? I forgot to explain how to make the "short threads" but let me know if any of what I've shared is unclear and I'll try to see if I can't do better.

 

[Seamonster]

Nonie Oh thanks, that piece of thread added to my hair will probably make all the difference. Not one of the you tube video I watched showed that part of the process. Of course they were just doing it to stretch their hair, so they probably cut a few corners.

I have only had these in for three days, but now I want to take them down and try it again. Do you think it would damage my scalp if I took them down weekly? Going to go pick up some more thread and try it again. Really want to look cute for Cinco de Mayo, hoping to rock that crown style, woot! woot! I will probably post pictures of my stretched hair late tonight before I redo it.

Also, how do I get them tight. My bases are kinda loose. Do you plait or twist the base to get it tight. As I am twisting the thread around the base, some of my thicker hair waves and puff a bit.

Thanks for helping me through this process.

 

[Nonie]

Seamonster, no, you don't braid, You start off like you're doing a pony tail...only a small one. You know how you're going to have pieces of thread against your hair, you start the wrapping by placing the end of the thread along your hair the same way you are doing the pieces so that you grab it with the hand that is holding your hair and the pieces. Make sure that hand is holding hair at base as if trying to make ponytails like these:

...So you start wrapping with base smooth and firm...and then without moving your fingers, you wrap around the base a few times as if making a ponytail. Your fingers don't move till you've wrapped the base a few times. And then you start wrapping but only if base feels firm...and you keep your fingers close to base so you ensure you're not moving up the hair to fast but are wrapping well.

As for making the pieces of string, hold your palm open and place the end of the thread between in the V formed by thumb and palm to secure and then wrap thread around palm as if bandaging your hand. You are just basically making loops around your hand...and making sure the thread is not slack. When you've made several revolutions and have many loops, You then slide your hand out of the loop which looks like an O and snip through the O as if trying to make it a C. You now have pieces of string about the same length.