..a little girl's island braiding dream....

[Carlz]

Hi everyone! since my daughter (6) saw a friend with her hair all braided (from a fiji holiday) she's been busting to have it done.

 

We are travelling in Sept on Pacific Star and wondered if anyone got their child's hair braided at either Lifou or Vila?

 

I'd greatly appreciate any tips on where to go, how long it took and price I should expect to pay. I'm not into haggling with natives...but I'm also not into getting ripped off!

 

thanks &

cheers

Carlz

[LouLou28]

My 6yo had her hair braided in Lifou - cost about AUD$10 I think. She has very thick hair, so had less braids than those with finer hair. It looked great, and was very easy to look after for the remainder of the cruise (it stayed in until we got home).

[Carlz]

Thanks Linda-

it doesn't cost that much at all! Did you just find someone to do it on the beach or the city?

[LouLou28]

On Lifou there aren't any shops as such except a small market where you get off the tender. There are some girls/ladies there sitting on rugs doing massages and/or braiding. They did a great job!

[howsthis]

My daughters got their hair braided at the Vila markets in the town part and I am pretty sure it only cost $10.

[sayaguru]

Yep it was $10-15 in Vila. Pretty cheap way to fulfil a child's dream. Wish my daughters wishes were so cheap. LOL

Ask them if they do small braids. On my cruise some peope got it done on Wala Island for $5 but he braids were very hick and didn't look as good. If you have some beads bring them with you and they should vbe able to put beads on the ends. That looks really nice. Make sure they don't do it too tight on the scalp too. My daughter was ill and threw up as it was sooo tight.

As mentioned- watch the sunburnt scalp. You can leave it in for a while too which is great. She can show her friends.

I'm sure your daughter will be thrilled.

[frog cruiser]

It may a goog idea to take your own comb and hold it for them as they stick the comb in thier own hair.I think it is great to see the kids big and small old and young with braids.(I have not heard of infections but it is better to be safe than sorry)and may hair is now longer and I may get a couple not a head full as I am old ask Suey.

[Carlz]

Thanks for all the great tips...I'll have my comb, beads, 10 bucks and sunscreen all ready...She has quite a bit of hair...I may end up spending my whole time sitting in the marketplace!

 

Obviously some of you had kids with you while visiting Vila and Lifou- what did they enjoy doing there?

 

my kids are 9(boy) and of course Ms hair thang the six year old, but I will also have my 12 year old niece with me. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks again for the tips,

C.

[chaz cruiser]

It may a goog idea to take your own comb and hold it for them as they stick the comb in thier own hair.I think it is great to see the kids big and small old and young with braids.(I have not heard of infections but it is better to be safe than sorry)and may hair is now longer and I may get a couple not a head full as I am old ask Suey.

 

Ah but Aunt Frog... Don't you remember when Marion did that (i.e. took her own comb). But the lady braiding her hair just stuck Marion's comb into her hair. We didn't dare tell her until after they had finished!

 

Cheers,

Charmain:)

[MsMinx]

Just remember to put sunblock on the exposed head after the braids...my friend had her scalp burnt!!

 

Excellent advice! I get a burned scalp and forehead every time I have my hair braided! And when it peels it looks SO bad :p

 

I've found that there are good and bad hair braiders on every little island. Best advice I can give, especially if your little girl is so keen to have braids done, is to not go to the first stall you see. Have a wander around and look at the other girls hair and ask the ones with the best looking braids which market / lady did theirs!

 

Also, warn your daughter that it is going to hurt a bit. The ladies tend to pull the hair very tight and it can be quite uncomfortable while they're doing it ;)

[LouLou28]

[quote name=Carlz;11010955Obviously some of you had kids with you while visiting Vila and Lifou- what did they enjoy doing there?

 

my kids are 9(boy) and of course Ms hair thang the six year old' date=' but I will also have my 12 year old niece with me. Any suggestions?

C.[/quote]

 

We did the same cruise with our then 9yo boy and 6yo girl (so were just missing the 12yo that you have:D).

 

Lifou was my son's 'most boring' port .... my daughter loved it! She was made a fuss of at the vanilla plantation on the tour we did (they put flowers in her hair!) and she enjoyed interacting with (or trying to) the local children in the village. My Son thought it was all very different - and is pleased he lives where he lives.!

 

He loved Vila! (something to do with being able to buy cheap new release DVDs!!!) and they both put the glass bottom boat and snorkelling tour as their absolute favourite of the entire cruise!

 

My daughter loved all the fresh fruit and coconut juice at all the tour stops (watch how much of that coconut juice they have ... it can have dire results --- resulting in spending much time in the bathroom!!!!!):eek:

 

My 6yo daughter fully embraced Turtle Cove too ... she spent almost all of every sea day there ... and as soon as she had partaken of her chips and tomato sauce for dinner I would take her back there between our courses - where she would happily stay until she decided it was bed time and they would page me to come and get her!

 

9yo boy didn't spend as much time in Shark Shack ... he was happy to do his own thing and spend time with us ... he loved it in the afternoon when I would have a cocktail and he would have a mocktail ... he felt very grown up!

 

Next cruise we'll have a 16yo nephew and 18yo niece (and their parents with us) - so who knows what they'll enjoy!!!!

[pink poodle]

Hi! I am the mother of two princesses (late teens though) who love to get their hair braided. My advice would be to make sure your daughter's hair is washed, because once the braids are in you can't wash it.:eek: Another tip would be to consider getting it done at the last port if possible because then her hair will still be braided when you come home.If she's anything like my two, she will want to show her braids off to the rellies back home. :D Hats wouldn't fit over either of my girls' braids, so to avoid sunburn maybe you could try some of that sunscreen in a roll on thing like deodorant. It's easier to put on their head and not as messy than the ones in a container. Also wherever you get it done, have a good look around first at how they are doing it. Some people braid in corn rows and others just do it really messy.

Best wishes, from Pink Poodle.

[Teegiee]

i've had my hair braided 4 times now.. i have found that the best place is in Vila market. it cost about $15, but it was so worth it.. the lady put coconut stuff in my hair which smelt great and made the braids stay in longer.. it did cost a lot more, but so worth it.. It lasts ages as well and only took 30 min.

[DucknChook]

A 30+ spray on sunscreen like Hamiltons or Sun Sense would be ideal for protecting braided heads.

[Carlz]

Thanks everyone for the tips! I'm going to look for that coconut lady! It's amazing how cheap it is considering any type of braiding where I live starts at around 80-100 bux:eek: We are spending a week on the gold coast after our cruise so I think Ms hair thang will enjoy flashing her braids around dreamworld!;) The cornrow braids look so amazing...the people who do it are really very talented! My little girl is gonna love this!!!!!!!!!!!

and I'll bring enough beads for my neice as well as I am sure she will want it too!

Can anyone tell me how long it took to do? Her hair is fine but quite long

 

regs Carlz

[Carlz]

ok just re read and saw the 30 mins by Teegiee- thanks! that's quick- I really thought it would take much longer!!!

[lisss]

My tips

 

1. The best braiding I saw done was in the Vila marketplace in the city as others have said.

 

2. If possible watch the ladies doing someone else and see if it looks good, some of the plaits I saw were very chunky, messy and loose and generally looked disgusting. Some VERY talented women in Vila were doing not just cornrows, but cornrows with the hair zigzagging if that makes sense. It looked fantastic!

 

3. As others have said, wash hair before, however if the braids are tight enough you can easily still wash your hair by gently massaging shampoo into the exposed sculp and along the plaits when necessary.

 

4. Not sure if you can count on 30 min, some of the ladies I saw were VERY slow, others fast, so pick carefully!! :)

 

Have fun!!!

[scrappingyankie]

my 8 year old and 5 year old both had their hair done. The 5 year olds went much quicker as she has a lot less hair, but the 8 year old has long thick hair and it did take quite a while and althought she loved the end result, after the first 1/2 hour she was over it and by the end she was in tears because it did hurt as they had to pull it so tight.

 

Take sun cream as you will need it for the scalp and also bring something that she can read or entertain herself with while she waits for it to get done.

[aussiedisneyfan]

My daughter refuses to get it done now as she is a sook with pain. A lot of the stall have pictures too of the different styles of braids. I am sure that a souvenier shop in Vila sold bags of the beads for a few dollars.