When you follow a talented braider on Instagram, it's easy to find inspiration for a variation of the protective style. Daron, the star of this week's episode of Hair Me Out, found The Glam Diary on Instagram and, before long, schedule an appointment with brand CEO and expert braider India Hammond.
For today's appointment, Daron is getting an elevated version of box braids, a style called passion twists. Like box braids, the passion twist starts with braiding the natural hair at the root, adding hair extensions, and then twisting the extensions to create a two-strand twist, which Hammond then levels up again by adding gold cuffs and braid piercings.
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Hammond's braiding (and twisting) technique is meticulous. First, she blows out the hair to stretch the curls straight. Then, she parts the hair, using an intricate brick-lay method, where the square sections of hair stack on top of each other so that the braids will lay flat. After braiding each small section of natural hair, Hammond weaves in spring-curl extensions and begins the double-strand twists, keeping tight, even tension all the way down to the ends. Finally, she lays Daron's edges and adds a few accent pieces of gold jewellery to select braids.
When Daron finally gets to see her new protective style, she's all smiles. "I think it looks really, really good on me," she says, adding her favourite part: the gold charms. "I love the gold accessories; I think it adds a touch of personality to an already really cool style. If you want to get braids, I definitely recommend adding jewellery."