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Before you touch the hair at all, you should plan your style.  Having in mind what your end goal looks like will help you to form a path for getting there.  You can draw a picture to help you, or make some marks on a styrofoam wig holder.

It helps to have some hair clips or rubber bands to keep stray hairs out of the way while you're working.  The best comb for parting is a "pick" or a "rat tail" comb.

Hair should be clean and mildly damp but not soaking wet.  Keep a spray bottle nearby.

For straight hair you may need to use a hair wax that is based on distilled water, not oil.  It looks sort of like a firm gel.  Ice Wax and Redkin Water Wax are good ones.

Very tightly curly hair should be treated with a moisturizer that does not break down too soon.  This excludes most hair creams except Cornrow Magic or specific products.  The best thing to use is a hair food or hair grease, or a natural oil mixture.

Remember that it is precise braiding, not pulling hard from the scalp, that makes a long lasting style.  Pulling too hard from the scalp does nothing to help a style to last.  It only leads to pain and hair loss.

Learn more in Beginning African Hairstyles

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