Ages ago, I saw a picture on Instagram of the most beautiful ombre braids, and it stuck with me. It was an off-black, pink, and pinkish blond combination. I scoured Amazon and Ebay hoping to find a similar ombre, and finally it hit me to just do a Google Image Search – duh! I was elated to find Catface Hair by Mariette Immaculate; the brand being Black-owned was icing on the cake!
I ordered 6 packs of 3 different ombre blends in 24 inches (folded length): black pink candy (3 packs), black pink grey (2 packs), and brown blonde ombre (1 pack). I used 4 packs to complete small knotless braids, which I did over the course of 2 days. Each pack is 100 grams. Given the size of my braids, they were extremely lightweight and easy to manoeuvre.
The hair was soft and easy to braid with. Sometimes braiding hair can feel too harsh against my knuckles even with added product. I didn’t have that problem with the Catface Hair. To speed up the install process, I prepped the hair in advance. I did an ACV rinse and shampooed the hair, letting it dry overnight. Then I stretched it and sectioned it on spool racks (available here). I also pre-parted my rows for the braids.
During the braiding process, the only product I used was Shine ‘n Jam Magic Fingers for Braiders by Stasha Harris. This is by far the best braiding product I have ever used. It made my parting and braids neater. It also helps your hands glide while braiding. Although this hair is soft, after 98 braids (yes, I counted!), anything will make your hands sore, so a good product really helps. A 2-pack of Magic Fingers is available on Amazon UK (available here). Amazon UK also has the green version, Shine ‘n Jam Silk Edges (available here), which also works well. If your hair is a looser texture, you might like the yellow version, Shine ‘n Jam Conditioning Gel (available here).
To seal the braids, I dipped them in hot water and a little oil. Sometimes I re-dip my braids once they’re a few weeks old, but I didn’t do that this time. I wanted to see how frayed they’d get, and after 6 weeks, they were still decent. None of them unravelled, but they lost some of that straightness you have after the initial sealing. The photos in this post are after about 3 weeks.
I loved this hair; it’s my favourite colour combo to date! A few things to consider if you’re ordering from Catface. I received my order 10 days after purchase, so I’d order at least 2 weeks in advance of when you plan to install your style. It’s better to order too much versus too little because you can’t run to the beauty supply and pick up more hair! Keep in mind, this isn’t like buying a traditional pack of XPressions hair. Each pack of Catface braiding hair is only 100g. For small braids, I’d recommend getting a minimum of 5-6 packs. For medium or large braids, a minimum of 8 packs.
Overall, I’d definitely order from Catface Hair again. There are a few more colours I’d like to try. Plus, if there’s a Black-owned option, I’m always going to opt for that first. I hope Mariette extends the line to include spring hair and marley hair in the ombre colours at some point. There are a number of crochet styles already available. The entire collection can be found on shop.catface.me.
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Sincerely,
AC
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