Friday, May 3, 2013

Of Braids and Glitter

Moonlit morning - great for braiding =P
Following the last show's braiding disaster, and thinking on all the wonderful comments and suggestions that were left on that post, I decided to experiment and try braiding the day before but without buttoning up into the braid button balls. I also made sure to not wash his mane when bathing him. And I decided to use a hair product to help out.
Unfortunately the plan did not really work. Before I even left on Saturday afternoon he had shaken one braid loose.  And by 6 am the next morning...
Yeah, most of them had come out. And the rest were covered with shavings and dust. Luckily I had allowed ample time to deal with this situation. And interestingly, the braids that did stay in were in great shape, once I cleaned them off. For future shows my plan will be to braid early the morning-of rather than waste effort the day before. 

Also, I think I need to thin out his mane a tad, especially in the middle of his crest. The hair did not taper down at the bottom of the brads - they were thick, bluntish ends that made it very hard to tie off the braid.  

This is my braiding kit, which was given to me as a gift several years ago. I've used zebra duct tape to fasten a twine so I can wear it as a belt. 

On to the hair product. While Quic-braid comes well recommended, I can't quite bring myself to buy it yet. $10, plus shipping, really?  I was going to pick up a bottle of mousse at the dollar store, but then realized I should check in the dark abyss under my sink at home. Lo and behold, a "texture twist" styling goop, which I got for free and only used once (and didn't think I'd likely ever use again). 

Well, the goop did help hold the braids and effectively contained loose hairs. However, it was a little greasy once we brushed the braids out, and it gave his hair just a tad of an ashen color. Overall, good since it was free. And better than nothing which is what I used last time.

Our derby day last Sunday happened to be mine and Hemie's 1 year anniversary!  <3  To celebrate, I brought out the Twinkle Toes! I put on just a modest smudge before jumping, after dressage. Just a small festive way to celebrate the day.

Hemie of course also got a nice big bucket of goodies. He still hasn't figured out that apples are delicious, but he sure loves his rice bran and beet pulp!

3 comments:

  1. I use Sport-hold hair gel from the dollar store and Braideez braiding wire. Haven't had one move yet, but then Bobby is pretty easy with his braids.

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  2. Ooo, so part of the problem is that those braids are too big and seem loose? I would take half that much hair and wet it almost completely soaking with water. You'll get it! Love the twinkle toes :)

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  3. My braids are pretty tiny usually... Also how are you tying the braids up? Houston would have to do some serious work to get my braids out. They aren't the most fun to get out but they aren't going anywhere haha. I still need to attempt to make a braiding video. I know I am biased but I really like the method I have kinda of evolved too. Ps. the QBraid is awesome. I only paid maybe $6 for mine I think.

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