By 
Protect it. Love it.
Protective styling generally refers to…you guessed it…protecting your natural hair. Since afro-textured hair is actually pretty fine (for the most part) and fragile, it needs a break every now and again. Protective styles protect your ends from the elements and from drying out.
Crochet braids are my favorite go-to protective style. They are easy to do and (most importantly for braids) easy to take out. And individuals with practically any length hair can wear them. Bonus: they take less than half the time to put in than traditional box braids, micros, or Senegalese! PLUS, you can try a variety of styles with crochet.
What are crochet braids?
Crochet braids are not to be confused with tree braids, which take a little longer to put in. Basically, your hair is in cornrows, braided all the way back. If your hair is long, your ends are tacked up. There are two basic options after this process is done. 1) You may choose to crochet synthetic/human hair bulk hair through your cornrows or 2) crochet pre-braided strands (essentially can have the same effect as micros or Senegalese under this option). Using a crochet pin, which can be purchased at any beauty supply store for less than $3 (typically around $1.99), you crochet individual strands through the cornrows. The entire process should take between 3 – 5 hours. Obviously, the slower you are at braiding cornrows, the slower the entire process.
How long do crochet braids last?
Crochet braids can last anywhere from 4 – 6 weeks, depending on how quickly your hair grows. My hair grows fairly quickly so if I use pre-braided strands I will take them out after 4 weeks. However, if I use bulk hair, especially a type that is pretty close in texture and style to my natural hair, the new growth is less noticeable and I will leave it in for the full 6 weeks.
Below is the finished product using Freetress Water Wave bulk hair in colors 1B and 30. To achieve this look you will need about 2 – 3 packs of 22″ cut in half. As you can see below, my natural hair is about as wispy and curly as the synthetic.
I followed my regular shampoo and conditioning regimen when I did wash my hair, with the exception of blow drying. You can get crochet braids wet at anytime, and they dry fairly rapidly–just keep in mind that your real hair cornrowed underneath will take a little longer to dry. To speed up the process, you may use a handheld blow dryer with a diffuser to get some hot air directly to the cornrows.
Below are the braids right before I took them out:
Taking Crochet Braids Out
W
February 7, 2015I know this a old post (the power Google for useful information)…but do you put a satin cap or something over your hair at night? I know the hair I’m getting put in is a loose curl pattern but just wanted to know if you have any tips.
Thanks
D'aller Naturel
February 7, 2015Hi! Yes, I do sleep with either a satin bonnet or silk scarf with crochet braids in, no matter the curl pattern. Bulk hair tends to fray over time, so covering it up helps a lot with that. I also do some other maintenance to keep it looking great. I outlined my methods in this post: http://dallernaturel.com/2014/05/17/you-put-body-lotion-in-your-hair/ Hope you find it helpful! And thanks for stopping by 🙂
Bree
April 15, 2015Did you comb or brush out the hair when you washed it?
D'aller Naturel
April 15, 2015Hi Bree, thanks for stopping by! No, absolutely do not take a comb to this hair after a wash. Let it air dry naturally and the curls will return to their normal shape when dry. 🙂
nichole
April 23, 2015can you wash the bulk hair?
D'aller Naturel
April 23, 2015Hi Nichole! Yes, I have washed my hair with the bulk hair in. I mainly focus on my scalp with a cowash (if you have a scalp massager, that helps) and let the product rinse through the hair. I do not disturb the bulk hair at all. I also let it air dry and it returns to its shape once dry.
Robyn
May 30, 2015I am dying to get these. Right now I have a short fro. How long should my cornrows be to achieve a crochet style?
D'aller Naturel
May 30, 2015Hi Robyn! Actually, the shorter your hair is, the easier it is to do crochet braids. As long as you can cornrow your hair back, you’re good to go. The problem with longer hair is that you have to find a way to hide the tail ends of your cornrow and sew it down to your head in patterns to get it out of the way. But if your hair is short, your ends will be right at your nape, and you can easily hide them without much effort. Just tack them at the nape or braid them into each other. For example, Breanna Rutter has short hair and you can watch her video to see how to cornrow shorter hair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7RwUWmbH6o
Hope that helps and let me know how you enjoy crochet braids! 🙂
Robyn
May 30, 2015Awesome. Thanx. I still have to grow it out some more. Its longer on tip than on the sides. But I want to be able to wear them up but have my sides and back faded real low. If I wanna achieve something like that should the cornrows be like to the middle of my head?
D'aller Naturel
May 30, 2015Yeah the cornrows should be only where you want the hair, so I’d say from eye brow line to the other eye brow line. A lot of people wear it like a faux hawk. You can also cut the hair at different levels to achieve the look. 😊
Timia
June 29, 2015Hi, just wondering am I able to get human hair crochet and if so what kind do you suggest? I am looking for versatility.
D'aller Naturel
June 29, 2015Hi! You can use any type of hair for crochet braids–it all depends on the style you’re trying to achieve. If you want the curly Marley look, you can get straight human hair and actually use styling products, curlers, and heat to achieve that style. If you don’t want to curl the hair yourself, you can buy human hair that’s either already wavy or curly. You can also wear it straight (you’d have to buy hair that’s already straight, or use a flat iron on curly hair). The only reason I would caution against using human hair is it is so much more expensive than synthetic hair and crochet braids last on average no longer than six weeks. But if you are interested, you can find a variety of human hair at http://www.gmbshair.com/hubrha.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw2cOsBRD3xNbRp5eQxzYSJADZGYbzb78zlWm_9_IrV4R12jlyZwj73BgSxtapj1Qgi5PmixoC0v_w_wcB. Hope that helps!
Timia
June 29, 2015Thank you for your help and your timely response!
D'aller Naturel
June 29, 2015My pleasure!
Cree
August 2, 2015Hi! Can you swim in crotchet braids?
D'aller Naturel
August 2, 2015Hi! It depends on the type of crochet braids you have in. If you’re using pre-braided strands, absolutely! They won’t unravel or detangle. If not, and you’re using loose bulk hair, I would find a way to pin the hair up (if curly) to swim. If using bulk straight (Kanekalon or Marley) hair, I wouldn’t recommend swimming with them in at all as straight bulk hair tends to matte together. This advice is for synthetic hair. If you’re using human hair, you should be able to swim regardless of what type it is–the hair will behave like human hair does when wet.
meeka
September 13, 2015How many pack do you think of this hair without cutting it in half I want it long
D'aller Naturel
September 13, 2015Probably 6 packs. I used a little over 2.5 packs.
Gene
September 15, 2015Please let me know what brand hair you are using? Is the color 1B 30
D'aller Naturel
September 15, 2015I’m using Freetress water wave. I bought a couple packs of 1B and a few packs of 30 and blended them
adore.aa
November 13, 2015how long does is take to air dry waterwave hair
D'aller Naturel
November 13, 2015The synthetic hair itself will take about an hour to 2 hours to fully dry if you towel-dry or dry with a t-shirt first. You real hair underneath may take a couple of hours.
adore.aa
November 13, 2015how do you wash this type of hair
D'aller Naturel
November 13, 2015I’ve tried a couple of ways, but my best results happen when I wet my entire head with luke warm water (hot water will dry out the synthetic hair), apply co-wash directly to my scalp and real hair, use a scalp invigorator or pads of my fingers to cleanse, and rinse. That’s it. I try not to disturb the synthethic hair that much and will separate gently with my fingers as I’m rinsing to make sure the synthetic hair doesn’t tangle.
L Vega
November 18, 2015Thanks for the education. Love your style. Can you tell me the difference between water wave and bohemian hair. I am getting mine done Friday and am not clear about the difference between the two types of hair.
D'aller Naturel
November 18, 2015Thank you! Water wave is a slightly looser curl. Bohemian will look like a really defined wash and go if you had 3c hair for example or a 3 strand twist. Water wave almost looks like a bomb twistout.
L Vega
November 18, 2015I believe you said yours is water wave. I love your look. I am a professional and want to give my soft hair a rest to grow. In your opinion is the water wave or bohemian more professional and which would look the most natural.
D'aller Naturel
November 18, 2015This particular look is water wave. I believe I have another post that shows the bohemian look (http://dallernaturel.com/2014/08/20/diy-crochet-braids-2-freetress-bohemian-bulk/). I’m an attorney and I’ve worn both to the office and court, so both work for professionals, in my opinion. I think the bohemian looks more natural on me, but that’s because my hair is coarser in texture (except for my hairline, which is quite fine and silky in texture) and mostly type 4. If you have a naturally looser curl or silkier texture (3b, 3c, or a silky 4a), the water wave would look more natural.
L Vega
November 18, 2015You are awesome! My hair is very soft and needs a rest. I will go by the hair supplier and review both. Thanks and God bless.
D'aller Naturel
November 18, 2015You’re welcome! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
L Vega
December 17, 2015Help. Trying to figure out what I did wrong. I had the crochet braids professionally done. When I took my hair down this morning it looked fine until I shampooed it then it matted in places and I ended up having to cut my hair which is counterproductive to the reason I wanted to wear the braids. My hair is soft so I don’t know if I should have oiled the hair prior to shampooing. Your thoughts. Thanks
D'aller Naturel
December 21, 2015Hi – I’m sorry you had to go through that ordeal! Typically, before I install crochet braids, I make sure my hair is fully prepped and moisturized to endure the fact that my hair will be basically untouched for a few weeks. That means I (1) do a pre-poo (usually with coconut oil), (2) shampoo to thoroughly cleanse (as your hair won’t be fully washed again for several weeks), (3) condition and deep condition, (4) use the LOC method, and (5) apply a leave-in protein treatment (I like Aphogee’s leave-in protein spray) to make sure my strands stay strong enough for the duration of my protective style. All of this is done, as well as a thorough detangling, before I start cornrowing my hair to lock in the moisture. Also, depending on the type of hair I’m using for the crochet braids, I will co-wash my hair to add back moisture in 2-week intervals (note, you can’t really do this with Marley hair that was rolled because you will have to re-roll it).
When uninstalling, I repeat the process again (pre-poo, shampoo, deep condition, LOC, protein) before attempting my next style. In the pre-poo stage here, though, I also start finger detangling once the coconut oil and water has saturated my hair. If you kept your hair moisturized for the entire time you had braids, it shouldn’t be that tangled and it shouldn’t matte. Moisture is the key to keep your hair from matting.
Trina
December 12, 2015Hi. Thanks for all of the information! I would like to see a side by side comparison of water wave and bohemian….Thanks in advance.
D'aller Naturel
December 12, 2015Thanks, Trina. I’ll keep that in mind!
godsbeloved22Tonya
January 20, 2016Hey what was your braid pattern?
D'aller Naturel
January 20, 2016For this particular look, I cornrowed my hair straight back and tacked up my ends. I have since updated my braid pattern for when I wear styles that I might put up in a ponytail. The details are outlined in this post: http://dallernaturel.com/2015/03/22/diy-crochet-braids-3-pre-braided-deep-wave/
Destiny M.
June 17, 2016I have 25 braids in my braid pattern, im using freetress waterwave 26′ inches how many packs do you think i need?
Girl Meets Soul
June 17, 2016Hi Destiny – that depends. Are the 25 braids all going straight back or only halfway and joining into fewer braids in the back? Are you using the full length of the 26″ pack or cutting in half for a shorter style? How many times do you plan to split the hair (2-3)? Depending on what you plan to do, the answer could range anywhere from 4-12 packs for coverage. For example, I typically have about 13 braids across going halfway back and joining into 6 braids at the back. I also wear shorter styles so I cut the hair in half. If I split 3x, I only need 2.5 packs, but I’ll need an extra pack if I only split each strand twice. You also want to be mindful of volume…too much hair can make crochet braids look so unnatural.
Khristle
July 21, 2016Hi very good information. I currently have about 4 packs of free tress hair in for my crochet. What should I be doing to the hair daily? I was told to wet my hair and apply mouse to it? Thanks so much
Girl Meets Soul
July 21, 2016Please see how I maintain my crochet braids here https://girlmeetssoul.com/2014/05/17/you-put-body-lotion-in-your-hair/
Tangie
September 16, 2016I think ima get this style when I take a trip to Jamaica this year nice info
Girl Meets Soul
September 19, 2016Awesome. Thanks, love!
Beverly Easterly
November 29, 2017I have the MODEL MODEL BEACH TWIST BRAND. Can I swim with it. I always wear a swim cap? Thank you
Girl Meets Soul
November 30, 2017You should be able to swim with most synthetic brands. Just be careful of dryness from chlorine. 😊