It's 8 a.m. when Shannon Ross of Reading pulls into the empty lot of Hair It Is in Pleasant Ridge, her short hair neatly tucked under a summer straw hat.

        Half an hour and a cup of coffee later, she is washed, dried, conditioned, fortified with fashion magazines and on her way to Rapunzel-like braids at the hands of stylist Sereta Johnson.

Stylist Sereta Johnson of Hair It Is in Pleasant Ridge is about halfway through the nine-hour process of braiding the hair of Shannon Ross. (Dick Swaim photos) | ZOOM |

        By 5 p.m., with a short pause for pizza, the nine-hour transformation leaves her with hundreds of fettuccine-width braids knotted into her hair and cascading over her shoulders into soft, gentle waves.

        In a day, she has “grown” a year's worth of hair and a totally new look — for a month or two anyway.

        The process is long (“We should have them bring cold cuts and fruit plates,” says Ms. Johnson) — and costly (about $300 or more, depending on the hair extensions that are added). But Ms. Ross is pleased.

        “I love them to death,” she says. “I had a lot of confidence in Rita (Sereta's nickname) and knew she'd do a fabulous job. I'm pretty impressed.”

        She will have to do little to her hair for the next couple of months but wash it and let it dry. No detangling. No setting. Maybe just a touch of mousse to keep the ends wavy.

        And when the braiding is done by a professional, damage to the hair is lessened, though stylist Donetta Johnson, also at Hair It Is, still has warnings.

        “As a stylist, you want hair that is healthy. Braids add tension and pulling that often weakens hair. Some hair can handle the stress and tension. But most women who get braids have chemical relaxers in their hair to make it straight and that weakens it. It's best if it's done on hair without relaxers.”

Shannon Ross of Reading shows off her new look | ZOOM |

        “A lot of ladies get braids to take a break from chemical treatment. We ask them to wait for six weeks after relaxers because it's too much for the hair,” says Diane Bates of You Are So Beautiful Hair Salon in Pleasant Ridge.
       

Dates to ancient Egypt

        According to Essence magazine, hair braiding dates to ancient Africa when cornrows were worn ceremoniously in the third dynasty of Akhethoptep of Egypt. Braids began to make their Hollywood history on the shoulders of the very un-African Bo Derek in the movie 10 in 1979.

        Since then, they have been reworked, rebeaded, twisted, turned and wrapped into hot looks for Brandy Norwood, TV's Moesha, who made them her signature, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson, Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones and Teresa Weatherspoon of the WNBA's New York Liberty.

        Saturday, sisters Venus and Serena Williams took the battle of the braids to the U.S. Tennis Open — Serena on one side with some of her blonde braids wrapped in a bun, the others flowing down her back, and Venus, the victor, with braids neatly wrapped at the back of her head.
       

Not just for women

        Long or short, micro or mini, braiding seems to have found a home.

        “With natural hair, there's a lot more braiding going on,” says Sereta Johnson, as her fingers grab wisps of long, wavy purchased hair Ms. Ross has brought with her.

        “And guys are doing a lot more braids,” she says as she slides her fingers along the length of the bundle, deftly separates a few strands, flips them apart and over Ms. Ross' short hair. Fingers whipping and tucking, she overlaps again and again, tightens with a little twist and lets the ends fly free. Her time: 50 seconds per braid.

        “Braids help people who want to get into natural hair care,” says Ms. Bates. “I have more women than ever, but men are getting more into natural hair care. They're definitely catching up. The guy are getting into crazy designs, zig-zags, cross-loops.

        “Some guys are wearing lots of twists where the hair is sectioned off and twisted to the scalp. It's a good way for letting their hair grow longer,” she says as she finishes zig-zag, crossover braids on Derron Bell, 14, of Finneytown.

        He pronounces the result “lookin' good,” and says he like both braids and twists.
       

Choice of styles

        The choice of braiding is limited only by the imagination — and the wallet. Short hair is no problem because of the availability of hair extensions — natural or synthetic. “Hair needs to be 3 to 4 inches to hold the braid,” Sereta Johnson says.

        Micro and mini-micro braids: After consulting with a stylist, those looking for longer hair styles buy bundles of natural hair (actually two small bunches per pack) from a beauty supply store or salon, (about $30 and up in lengths from 10-18 inches). They're usually available in many colors and textures — curly to straight — to suit the look. The bundles are broken down by the stylist and braided in with the natural hair.

        Micro braids are made with about 15-20 strands of hair and take about six to eight hours to style. Cost: about $250. Micro-minis use about five to 10 strands of hair in each braid and take twice as long. Cost: about $350.

        Synthetic braids also can be purchased already woven. They're attached to the client's hair using a latch hook, which cuts the time, or they're sewn in using a weft.

        Cornrows:A row of hair that is sectioned off and braided, usually straight or at an angle. Cost: about $50 and up.

        Twist: Hair is twisted, starting at the scalp in rows. Cost: about $85.

        Crazy braids: Random braiding in different directions and patterns. Cost: about $65.

        Zigzag braids: Braids close to the head in z-shaped directions. Cost: about $50 and up.

        Bantu knots: Hair is divided into plaits then twisted into knots atop the head. Cost: $65-$70.

        Box braids: Hair is sectioned into plaits and braided. About $150, depending on length.

Braids hair to stay
Imagination inspires composer's work for CSO
Artist finds creativity in tornadoes' power
Dylan celebrates 60 with a rockin' good time
In face of tragedy, the shows will go on
Ultimate scene stealer
The Early Word
Top 10s
Get to it