May 13, 2020

Online Tutorial for Hair Braiding – $5!!

Yallllll!!!!!!!

Our prayers have been answered by the braids gods! We can now learn how to braid/cornrow for $5?!?! Whaaaat?! No more shame, no more “You’re Black and you don’t know how to braid?!” Whew chile, I’m dancing in my rite na! You’re telling me I get to learn how to braid from the comfort of my home and all I’m paying is $5?!?!?! Yes, I know there’s Youtube, but those tutorials aren’t real time and when you have questions, no body to answer, AAANNNND this is a Black owned business? Chileee I signed up so fast!

The classes meet twice a week on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST and 1 p.m. EST on Saturdays. You can sign up here: www.nianib.com

The queen that created this safe space is Niani Barracks.

Here’s an excerpt from her Essence Mag & Blavity feature:

Detroit hairstylist Niani Barracks has a digital cure for Black girls who don’t know how to braid. The “A Safe Space for Black Girls that Never Learned How to Braid” course was originally designed to be an in-person class for parents who want to learn how to style their children’s hair. However, like many other events, Barracks had to cancel due to the ‘rona.

“With the spreading of COVID-19, the schools closed down and I knew that working in the salon was not going to be a possibility for me anymore because I have two children,” she told Blavity. “This was a major loss of income for me, and anxiety began kicking in. I needed to come up with something fast while still doing something that I love, so I thought ‘why not teach the class online?’”

For only $5 a class Black women and girls from all over can learn proper parting, basic plaiting, and how to execute cornrows ranging from basic to styles with intricate details. The one-hour classes are held twice a week, Thursday at 9pm and Saturday at 1pm. Because the sessions are on Facebook Live, they’re interactive, where Niani reads questions from students and responds in real time. And the vibe is positive and inviting in this judgement free zone where Black women can support and encourage each other.

Niani concludes, “I hope that it continues to grow after this has passed,” she concludes. “I’ve gotten tons of messages, tons of DMs of people thanking me and saying that I’m God sent and I’ve answered their prayers. And I never expected that. I didn’t realize how many people were actually interested in learning and how deep this was. They feel like it’s a part of our culture. It is a part of our culture. It’s bigger than just learning how to braid.”

Will you be signing up with Niani?

Lemme know below xx