Threading (Irun Kiko)
Source: Vogue Black
This picture from the Vogue Black gallery of vintage hairstyles brought back memories of high-school in Nigeria. Girls were given the option of wearing their hair in cornrows, cutting it into a TWA, or threading. For anyone not in the know, threading involves tightly winding a thin piece of latex-like thread around a section of hair (like wrapping ribbons around a maypole, with the section of your hair standing in as the maypole) so that the hair is completely encased by the thread. Because of the rubbery/latex-like feel of the thread and the tension applied to ensure a firm hold, the threaded section of hair feels quite stiff and can be rolled and molded into different shapes as in the photo. BGLH ran a great post on this a while back.
I think I only ever had my hair threaded once, because I feared for my hairline even at a young age (I still recall my sisters having massive tension headaches after having had their hair threaded). Plus my hair is quite fine so that, apart from potential physical damage, I don’t think my hair would fully showcase the style’s beauty.
In high-school, girls with natural hair loved having their hair threaded because it effectively gave them a blow-out when they took the threads out, such was the stretching effect of the style! For comparison, my hair is so fine that bunning my hair while wet and allowing to dry achieves a similar blow-out effect…I don’t think I could wear this style to my day job, but I wouldn’t mind trying this on my next holiday to Nigeria…if I can find a sympathetic hairdresser…a la Timberlake, maybe I’ll be bringing threading back 
KoralK
August 20, 2010
LOL @ the tension headaches…i sure do remember that. unlike you, i ddnt have an option, it was either the dreaded thread or rocking a TWA (at that age i sure ddnt see it as rocking…lol…and it ddnt have such a nice name – TWA, it was called “BOLOLO”…lols)
I definitely will not be going back to it…but i wish u luck.
Perhaps u culd post a pic when u get it done?
Nice article…:)
cherchezlacurl
August 20, 2010
I know, right!? It’s like threading is the most intense hairstyle you can have done by an African stylist – they take out every bit of their aggression on your poor hair! I am still weighing the idea in my head, but as luck would have it I will be in Nigeria soon and will have the chance to attempt having my hair threaded! I don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to post a photo though
Mia Farraday
August 21, 2011
I have a threading story. My mother threaded my hair, and sent me to school with strict instructions not to touch it. I had huge, full, natural and almost unmanageable hair- she’d taken out my cornrows the night before and just put my hair in three large threads to last me for the day. But I got to school and due to a new girl with perfect blonde hair and the fact that I hadn’t yet fully cottoned on to the fact that my Black, African hair would not flow down my back when released like hers, I disobeyed my mother and took out my thread. Yeah. Ended up looking like a lion cub. I got in SO much trouble when I got home.
Cherchez la Curl
August 21, 2011
Lol! I have too many stories re hair mishaps as one of roughly 5 black people/the only one of African descent in my entire elementary school. Although my problem, as it were, was my complete lack of vanity as a child. Oh the photos of my sins! My cup overrunneth with ashiness and fuzzy hair; definitely not a good look. My sisters tried to help “sort” my hair out but I was extremely uninterested. Thank God things have changed…kind of, lol.
The Hair Gospel
May 4, 2012
Interesting post, we had a good experience with hair threading. Funny enough, it actually made our hair soft when we took the thread out after 1 week.
cheers
cherchezlacurl
May 20, 2012
That’s interesting, that you had a good experience with threading! I suppose it depends on how accepting your hair is of tension: my hair starts breaking if I wear the same part for a week, (i.e. breaks very easily) so threading is not the best option for me