Braiding is an art...

At Alira, we are in love with braids, all sizes and types. They are so beautiful and chic; they can sometimes be the perfect accessories for a perfect outfit. That being said we wanted to share with you a little history on this amazing hairstyle and give you some tips on how to braid your own hair.

Braids have been a part of society for about 30,000 years. It all started with the Venus of Willendorf, a woman figurine who is thought to have some kind of woven or braided hairstyle. But this is not the only ancient braided hair we can find in history, the Venus of Brassempouy and Pharaoh Menes were also thought to show off this hairstyle in their time.

In some regions, a braid was a means of communication. Looking back in time, one individual could learn a wealth of information about another (whether they were married, mourning, or of age for courtship) simply by observing their hairstyle.  Can you imagine if we did that today? What would your hair say about you?

Braiding is also traditionally considered a social art. Because of how long it takes to braid hair, people took time to socialize while braiding and having their hair done (Like we did when we were younger and had our girlfriends sleepover, or like we do now at the salon when we come and get dolled up with mimosas). It begins with the elders making simple knots and braids for younger children. Older children watch and learn from them, start practicing on younger children and eventually learn the traditional designs.

Here in the US, you see mothers and grandmothers braiding and putting colorful beads in little children’s hair. This carries on a tradition of bonding between elders and the new generation. I do this with my daughter and we always have a blast.

Would you like to learn some braiding tricks?  Watch the video we are sharing with you below and learn how to do 4 different types of gorgeous headband braids. Remember, practice makes perfect, so no getting frustrated if you don’t nail it the first time.

Braid on and share your pictures with us!

With braided love,