hair braiding

[nearlychildless]

I think I read on one of the boards that here is hair braiding on the ship....How much is it and do you need an appt.? How does the cost compare to ST. Thomas or St. Maarten. My daughter has fairly long very thick hair and I hope not to break the bank.

 

[CyndiRae1]

Hi...
They do hair braiding on the ship during at sea days only. You do need an appointment and I would get it right away. It costs $1 per braid and $2 per corn row. It is the same price on Castaway but I am not sure about the islands. It can take hours so take advantage of the ship time so you don't miss out on the islands or Castaway.

Have a great time....

Cyndi

 

[dianthus]

CindiRae- Where do you go to sign up for an appointment?

Thanks!

 

[kshabare]

Looking at a newer Navigator, Bahamian Hair Braiding is done on the Ship, they accept cash or KTTW, no appointment, it is just noted that it is subject to availability, times are also noted.
Hope this helps...

Norm for Kim

 

[dianthus]

Do you where on the ship the braiding is done? Is it by the Goofy pool?

 

[Zipper]

My daughters gots their hair braided on Dawn Beach in St. Marten. They did such a nice job. It was about $15 each for the crown of their heads, about 75 cents a braid.

 

[willow0256]

My daughter always loves to get her hair braided every time we go. Just remember, PUT SUNSCREEN ON THEIR SCALP. I can't tell you the number of kids who get their heads "FRIED" because parents don't think about all the exposed skin. So when they are in sun, make sure they are protected!

 

[kplatt]

Is there a trick to minimize hair damage?

My 9-yr-old dd had her long hair braided on Castaway Cay last fall. It looked great and we left it in for 3 weeks. Then veeerrrry carefully took the braids out and there was a tremendous amount of broken hair.

She'd love to have it done when we go back next month, but only if we can find a way to KEEP her hair!!

Karen
Wonder 11/01
Magic 3/02
Wonder 11/02

 

[mickybean0816]

How about if you want ALL your hair braided. I have fairly long curly hair (longer than my shoulders, but not quite to the middle of my back). Has anyone ever had all their hair braided...how many braids did it take...and do they still charge per braid? And I'm assuming this would take approx 4-5 hrs depending on the speed of the braider? One more question...knowing how popular hair-braiding is, if it fills up on the ship, where is the second best place to get it done (St. Maarten, St. Thomas, or Castaway Cay)?

Mickybean0816

 

[dianthus]

My DD has had her hair done as a cornrow headband many times. It can last for 3 to 4 weeks with very little damage. Here's some tricks our hairdresser taught us that work:

1- Braids should be taut, but it should not hurt when the hair is being braided. That is an indication that the hair is actually being pulled from the scalp. ( Most braiders in the caribbean are used to a more wirey ethnic hair and they will tear fine hair out by the roots- beware! Tell them there is no reason to pull that hard) Do not use rubber bands. This is what breaks the hair. Buy the special small non breakage bands that they sell in CVS, Target, etc..for this purpose- they are about .49 a package. Bring them with you. We buy the clear ones.

2- Provide a sealer like Paul Mitchell Heat & Seal for the braider to use while braiding. This will seal the hair and provide a nice smooth braid. Provide your own brush &comb (rat tail) to prevent lice. Spray sealer on corn rows every morning & night. Wear a thick lycra headband over braids to bed at night. This will prevent the fuzziness around braids from occuring.

3- Like Willow 0256 said- sunscreen scalp- use q-tips! apply frequently! My DD friend's scalp looked like it was BBQ'd on our last cruise!

3- When you go to take out the corn rows, cut the band with a scissor first. Don't try to twist them out & reuse the bands. This is what causes the damage to the scalp area. Slowly unbraid. Use a hairpick to undo the braid- it goes faster.

4- Don't be shocked if you keep them in longer than a week to see the amount of hair that comes out on your comb or brush. This is natural hair shedding that occurs, but it's braided in -so it can't escape! It seems like a lot, but it's normal. After 3 weeks, the amount of hair can amount to a small ball- grapefruit size, depending on thickness of hair.

5- If you get the full head done, forego the beads on the end. The ones I saw on St. Marten & St. Thomas use foil on the ends & shove the bead around it. My DD friend had it done in St. Thomas, nice job. But, they ended up cutting 3 inches off the ends because of the foil- it fried the ends. Between her scalp & the ends, the poor kid was a mess!

My DD has not sustained any damage by doing these things. It sounds like the Castaway Cay hairbraiders are good braiders. I was going to have her hair done before we go, but I'm tempted to have it done on the ship.

Hope this helps!

 

[DIScrusnmommie]

Dianthus,

Great tips!!!!! I've printed them out and will refer to them fo our upcoming cruise. DD has Very long Very thick hair. She loves to have it braided. We will have it done on the ship if at all. Thanks again.

 

[patches-4]

One thing we did with DD when we took hers out was to spray a good detangler on as we undid the braid, and there was very little breakage. We also brought along spray on conditioner and put this on after she was in the pool and at night.

 

[ssclbc]

Spray sunscreen (like coppertone sport spray) works great for protecting that vulnerable scalp.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

This may seem like a silly question, but how do you wash your dd's hair with the braids in? I cannot see myself not washing her hair for three weeks YUK! She is not getting whole head, maybe a few or maybe headband style.

 

[jenpan]

For having braids done on the ship, I would defintely make an appointment. We were on the 2/9 Magic and tried to get braids WITHOUT an appointment and were told there were no times available. Even thought the navigator said "Priority appt.s available" I didn't think that meant you had to have an appt., but I guess it did. Probably better to make an appointment if hair braiding is a priority. Good Luck!

 

[bbump]

My daughter got her hair braided in ST. Maarten... (we did 6 braids in her hair... just to make the questions STOP!!!, after the few braids were done... we did not get asked to have her hair braided any more) it cost a dollar per braid.

We were told that you can "gently shampoo the braids" we carefully lathered her hair up... but DO NOT USE CONDITIONER!!! her braids stayed in good shape for 2 weeks, and we shampooed her hair every other day.

I put my long hair in a tight bun while on the islands, so I did not get bugged to have braids done... THIS WILL WORK GREAT FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH LONG HAIR, AND WANT TO AVOID THE MANY BRAID QUESTIONS.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

Good idea about putting hair up so they won't bother you. For my daughter, If she already has braids done on the ship, hopefully they won't bother her either.

 

[dianthus]

LOVETHATMOUSE- Yuk! LOL!!! When my DD has the corn row head band braids in - she washes & conditions the back of the hair like she normally would. Just put a little shampoo on your fingers and gently wash the scalp & braid and rinse well. Don't use conditioner on the braids like bbump said, or they will look like you haven't washed your hair in three weeks!

They are very easy to take care of. My DD bought these cute little micro clips that she puts over the bands to match her outfits. They dress the braids up nicely without having to use beads.

 

[CKay]

We could not believe how aggressive the hair braiders were in St. Maarten. I actually had one lady poke me in the side when another hair braider approached us. At one time we were surrounded by three ladies all telling me they would give me the best price. They were offering to do my daughters whole THICK head for twenty dollars. Interestingly, some women on the ship paid over a hundred dollars to get their daughters hair done on St Maarten. They made me so uncomfortable I told them all we weren't going to do hair braiding. I was able to get my daughter's hair braided on the ship on our Thursday day at Sea because there had been a cancellation.

Buyer Beware...
CKay