HOW TO DO CROCHET BRAIDS FOR KIDS

Our five-year-old told us the other day: “Mummy, we have an idea for you! How about you make a video of you doing our hair? Your website is full of only cooking!” Ha! We didn’t know she had noticed the content of this blog. Kids notice everything! She has been seriously urging us to make a hair video and a “day in the life” video. While we're yet to get to that, we can at least share a hair pictorial. One step at a time, right?

We've been seeing so much about crochet braids online so we decided to give it a try because it looked really easy. We wasn’t disappointed. It is so easy and the braids are beautiful. Crochet braids are hair extensions that are crocheted into your hair with a latch hook tool known as the crochet hook. We did the style on both older girls. It totally works for us because we do not have to spend hours on one head. #Mommydaughtertroubles. If a hair novice like us could do it, then you can too, our friend.

Here is what you’ll need:

3 packs of Crochet braids- we used the 12-inch Senegalese twists for kids and up (some people use up to five packs- we think it makes the hair too big)
Crochet hook
Our DIY hair detangler
Combs

Here is how to:

Step 1

Spray hair with detangling spray and comb through.

Braid into cornrows (known as “bakala”in Cameroon) that go all the way to the back.

The entire head had about 8 cornrows. We connected the cornrows at the bottom into one large cornrow across which we tucked into another cornrow to hide the edges, (we really should do a video! Yes?)

Step 2

This is the fun part where you install the crochet braids like magic.

Hold a crochet braid in one hand while you insert the crochet hook through a cornrow. Loop the hair onto the hook.

Step 3

Slide hooked hair back through the cornrow then remove the crochet hook.

Step 4

Feed the hair through the pre-looped opening then pull to secure tightly in a knot.

Repeat process, spacing out the braids as desired.

Keep going until the entire hair is crocheted. This whole thing took us about 3 hours from start to finish which to us is really good. We usually take about 7 hours to install regular braids! The one at the top of the post took us only two hours. We used 12-inch Havana Twists for that one.

This is what opening the braids reveals:

You can lay the edges with gel if you like. We hope this leads you into making some awesome crochet braids for the little ladies in your life!