Cornrows, Mini Braids, Micro Braids - and the Best Place to Get Them

Beautiful seas of blues and greens, soft and sparkling white sand and sun that beats down, tempting a tan on one's exposed parts...these things are just a few signature traits of an unforgettable island vacation.

Many travelers will strive for the perfect golden glow to take home while others may slather white limbs in coconut-scented sunblock to avoid a painful charring. Perhaps the most common souvenir taken home from a week or two's stay in the Caribbean is a new hairstyle!

Cornrows, mini braids, and micro braids are popular take-home hairstyles of the world's tropical islands. Many women and some men choose to don these tiny braids that often reveal their most recent escape from corporate life. Many people wear these braids for work and for play even after they return home from their exotic vacations. The braids are thin and span the entire length of the hair, often adorned by pretty string, beads, or seashells.

Braided hairstyles are common in a wide array of tropical locations, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, and countless other island destinations.

Choosing to Get Braids

Offers to braid one's hair may be plentiful, depending on the time of day and location of the vacation. Women skilled in many styles of creative braiding usually wander the beaches in search of their next clients, asking all those whom they pass if they would care for some pretty braids.

Vacationers can request as few or as many braids as they would like, in a number of fashions. Once the number of desired braids is set, the braiding style becomes the next consideration. Common styles seen in the Bahamas include dozens of straight micro braids - woven from roots to ends, cornrows fastened with beads at the crown, and cornrows ending in long braids.

Beads or tiny seashells often adorn braids and cornrows in the desired colors of the wearer. Popular styles include cornrows ending at the crown in two alternating colors, and long micro braids fastened off with a few beads on each one.

Special Hair Care for Cornrows, Mini Braids, and Micro Braids

Some important hair and scalp care is necessary for those donning the stylish braids. Dabbing a bit of sunblock on the scalp is critical to preventing sunburn. When shampooing, wearers of the braids should not shampoo the braids directly, but rather the scalp, allowing the suds to soak down the braids. To keep braids in great condition longer, a light coat of conditioner on each one should do just the trick.

When removing braids, the best method involves coating braids with conditioner and gently unraveling them one by one. A warm shower with normal shampoo and conditioner products should restore hair to its usual texture and appearance.