Painful braids

When I began realizing that this technique was not hurting people's head when I did it, I wanted to share this with the world! To get some braids and not go through the pulling and medicine is something very special to me. At first I wanted to hold on to this form of braiding and only allow those who could pay for training get the benefit of it, but it left me feeling like I was being selfish with an idea that so many people who wear braids would benefit from. So after many years of developing this kind of braiding, I woke up one morning and said, "something has to change". I figured instead of me patenting and protecting this technique to be available to those who can pay for training, why not just give it to those who are willing to learn it from their passion? Everyone told me don't just give it away! But now people can't take it away from me because how can you steal something that is being given away? The world doesn't understand the severity of tight braids for those that wear them. They oftentimes endure them for the sake of beauty and this no longer has to be the case. This is an excerpt from a request I filed with the state of Colorado in trying to get the first painless braider's license in the state:

"All braided hairstyles place the hair and scalp under tension. The excessive tension caused by overly tight braids can cause scalp pain and swelling. Several websites provided by the Applicant relating to hair braiding/natural hairstyling emphasize that braids should never be painful. If a customer experiences pain during the braiding process, he or she should tell the braider to stop, or if the pain persists after the braids have been completed, the braids should be loosened or removed.23 This suggests that consumer education might be helpful in reducing the frequency of too-tight, painful braids."

This is easier said then done. The gap in understanding that it is not easy to just 'get' up from getting some braids is where the problem lies, because I'm sure that if a person knew they had an alternative then it would not be a problem to get up and find someone that braids painlessly.