Tell us a little bit about yourself, Apondak, and your hair journey.
My name is Keryn, I live in Australia, I am 24 years old and Apondak is turning 4 very soon. She is half Aussie half Sudanese and can speak a little of her tribal language, which is Dinka. I began to learn how to braid when she was around 22 months old..she didn't have a lot of hair at all, but I watched all the aunties doing their daughters hair and I was convinced I could do it to. I started learning the extentions with wool as it was much easier to get a grip of then went on to synthetic hair. My first extentions were horrible but practice makes perfect: I have always been able to cornrow so that wasn't a problem that I had to learn lol. So, in all I have been braiding in extentions for just over 2 years and still have a lot to learn :)
What is her current hair care routine?
Her hair routine is very simple, I am a massive coconut freak so I use coconut spray and oil ...basically nothing else unless I am untangling the hair I use a leave in conditioner :) I don't use too many products on her hair when braiding because I hate build up, just a litttle on the roots to hold the style and keep it moist I don't like braiding her hair too much because it dries it out really bad, so she gets it as a treat if we are going somewhere or if I have the time to do it.
How long does it take to put extensions in Apondak's hair?
It can take up to 8 hours to do her hair, depending on what style I choose to do, but that is why I always choose to do cornrows...they last around 3 weeks and micro braids last over 2 months, so the time is worth it.
Do you normally use wool or synthetic hair? Why?
I prefer to use synthetic hair to wool, because it looks much more realistic and you can have more fun with it...it can also be washed just like normal hair. I use wool if I want to do a quick style, but I find wool dries the hair out and it does a lot of damage to the hair because it is so coarse! Wool is easier for me to grip, but it doesnt look as nice as synthetic hair.
Can synthetic hair extensions also be damaging to the hair?
Extentions definatley can kill your hair if you use them foolishly, that is why I only do Apondak's hair about once a month just to keep it tidy.
Some people don't agree with doing extensions on children. Why do you choose to do extensions on her hair?
I know a lot of people don't agree with extentions, I think some are just haters because they can't braid, some genuinly don't like it and some love it... each to their own. I once braided up Apondak's hair in hot pink and black (I included a picture) and it caused so much controversy. I braid her hair because it is so coarse. She has a beautiful fro... but no curls... I have tried everything, her hair just does not stay in beautiful curly little ringlets unless it is always wet. Also, in the Sudanese Culture all the kids get their hair braided. I dont know any kids that dont get it done at all. You are kind of frowned upon if you just let your kids hair run wild and never do anything to it. I know some of the other African Cultures couldn't care less about braids and all that though.
That is so interesting. So, all Sudanese children get hair extensions?They all get fake hair because their hair never grows past three inches. I have never seen a Sudanese Woman with hair past their shoulders.
Thank you, Keryn, for sharing your story, photo's and information on hair extensions!
Here are some more of Apondak's styles:
And here are the controversial hot pink and black extensions:
So, what do ya'll think? How does everyone feel about extensions on kids?
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