Interview with Karen Ribble of Braided Image Hair Braiding

~by D. A. Fox and Leia B.~

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Karen, when did you first learn how to braid hair?

I learned to braid hair from my mother and maternal grandmother when I was a very young child. My grandmother is right handed as am I, but my mother is left handed. When my grandmother would try to teach my mother any sort of needle work or craft she would tell her to just turn it around. So my mother flipped her braid over not realizing that you do the same thing with both hands when braiding. By proximity I learned both the French and Dutch techniques because of it. I had two sisters with very long hair that needed braiding for school every day and for working on the farm.  Braids will always be popular in Texas! I learned the braiding basics really well when I was a child. That, and milking cows prepared me for braiding professionally many years later. Anything you learn even a little bit as a child comes much easier as an adult.

How long have you been working in this field?

On your site, you have a link to hair care tips, which shows you are interested in taking care of hair, as well as braiding it! Are you a long hair enthusiast?

I grew up with two sisters both having very long hair. I never had hair past my shoulders when I was growing up. I was such a tom boy, my mother kept my hair short to very short. In adulthood the situation is reversed. I have, through my business, grown into a long hair enthusiast.  Now that my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life, I have really grown to love it. It has become part of me. That feeling is cultivated through the process of getting it to be long and beautiful, and of course encouraged and reinforced when I get compliments on my unusually long, braided hair.      

How long is your hair? 

My hair is just past my tail bone. I am shooting for the classic length of just below my bottom. My hair has never been this long before and I do not have any idea of how long it will get before I reach my limit. The length a person's hair will reach is determined by the life span of the individual hairs. Although that life span is genetically predetermined, it is also affected by external factors such as stress and nutrition.  Now that I am getting older and grayer (I got gray very prematurely) I have noticed and felt a lot of pressure from society to cut my hair. It seems as though I am not the only one to notice this phenomenon. I love seeing all the support group/web sites for long hair. I hope this trend continues.  

How long does hair have to be in order to braid it?

Depending on the thickness of the hair, it must be at least 3 to 4 inches before I can braid it. Because braiding takes up length, the thicker the hair is, the longer it must be before it can be braided.  

Do you have many long-hair customers?

I have many, many, long hair customers that come back time and time again. Part of my theory on this phenomenon is that people with short hair styles often enjoy the personal, intimate, pampering of a hair dresser on a regular basis. People with long hair often miss that intimate grooming experience. Getting a braided do, is one way of having that sort of experience over and over without sacrificing your hair length. You get a fun and different hair style for a few days with a break from tending your long hair.    

9- strand braid

 
What kind of hair accessories do you use to secure the hair that you braid?

I keep an assortment of hair bands to accommodate for different colors and thickness of hair. Generally I use soft bands that do not break the hair. I use orthodontic bands for the ends of tiny braids.  I use bob pins to secure the braid tails in up styles. I also keep a huge assortment of ribbon roses and satin ribbons for decorating the braids. I have found that braiding ribbon into a braid often helps hold it together better and give it weight. Great for fine or thin hair.

What is the most popular braiding style amongst your customers?

The crown style is by far my most frequently requested braid. A crown style stays up very well, and looks good on almost everyone. Crowns are very comfortable to wear even with very long hair. The weight of the hair is evenly distributed around the head and will not usually cause a head ache.

Have you ever made up your own braid designs?

Yes. Over the past 18 years of braiding hair professionally I have cultivated a huge portfolio of over 100 different braid styles. When I am braiding at a show I make most of them available for my customers to choose from out of picture books. My huge selection of styles is part of what sets me apart from other braiders. I often hear customers exclaim that they never dreamed there were so many ways to braid hair. People love looking at my pictures so much it has inspired me to put together a picture book to sell, featuring just pictures of braids. Look for it to be out by this time next year.

How do you keep the hair smooth when braiding?

What tips would you give someone who is trying to learn how to braid their own hair?

Only look in the mirror to check if your additions are smooth.  Do not look in the mirror to do your braiding! The reverse image will be confusing. Just think about what your fingers are doing with the braid.

What do you think is the most common mistake people make when they are braiding their own hair?

I think the two most common mistakes people make are trying to look in the mirror while they are braiding and thinking it will be easier to braid wet hair. For me, braiding wet hair is like going in slow motion.

Do you have instructional videos or books that can help people learn to braid?

Yes. I have had so many people over the years say they wanted to learn to braid that I was inspired to teach people how. I believe that I have self-published the very best braiding instructional material available anywhere. I have a "Beginning Hair Braiding" book, video, and DVD that teaches specifically how to braid on someone else. I also have a "Braid Your Own Hair" book, video, and DVD that teaches specifically how to braid on your own hair. It is a very different process to braid on your own head than to braid on someone else. Thus the two different complimentary sets. Very often when someone switches from braiding someone else to braiding their own hair, they unintentionally invert the braid. My instructions teach how to do the exact type of braid desired. 

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