An Alphabytes entry.

When I was a child I wore Laura Ingalls braids all the time. I had long brown hair, very thick, and my mother would sit me down on the floor in front of the couch and braid my hair nice and evenly on each side of my head. I remember being amazed at how snug she was able to make them, and I remember trying to braid my own hair and failing miserably. For the longest time I made the newbie mistake of taking only 2 plaits of hair. This always ended up in a slightly disappointing twist, rather than a braid, but it was pretty as well. At least to 5 year old me. Unfortunately with the twist as soon as you let go and tried to put an elastic on the end it would untwist, leaving just normal boring straight hair behind.

I wore braids quite a bit when I was a teenager, too. Well, braid, singular. The thick ones that hand low down your back. There was something about that look with the bits of hair that hang about your face (tendrils?). Wearing my braid was a saving grace when I had thick hair almost down to my waist, especially in the humid heat of July.

When I was in University I cut my hair off. First to chin length, then ear length, then eventually a buzzcut (almost). It’s near ear length again, and it looks pretty good and I generally love it. But occasionally I miss wearing a braid. It’s always the only reason I ever think about growing out my hair again.