Today is Ethiopian New Year's Eve. We're planning on celebrating with the Ethiopian Community Mutual Association in Seattle. Ethiopian New year is a really fun holiday to celebrate--much like our Independence Day.
In preparation, both kids got new hairdos. Melat is taking her five-year-old privilege of wearing beads in her hair very seriously. I don't allow beads before age 5 for fear of choking. She wanted special beads for the new year's celebration. This style includes about 750 beads.
Destiny got a new set of single-extension braids. I've come to the point where I do not buy extensions for her anymore--she has to buy them herself. I have found she takes much better care of them this way. The style I braided in this time took about $15 worth of burgundy and black extensions. No beads in this one--the burgundy is already bright enough.
For those of you wondering how to braid like this, the answers are practice and YouTube. I've watched many, many videos on Youtube about how to cornrow, braid and braid in extension hair (plastic hair). Also, the right products make a big difference. We use Belle Butter whipped shea in Destiny's hair (it's very dry and her scalp gets very dry) and olive oil in Melat's hair. To find Belle Butter, it is sold on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab?ref=top_trail
