Parandi for shorter hair?

[bmcfarland]

Hello everyone :)

I just learned of the lovely paranda (parandi?), and was wondering if it is possible to incorporate one into shoulder length hair? They're so pretty, and I feel like I could maybe try to bun my hair if I could get one to work? (Or not, since I am not very good at making buns.) I have skimmed over the main paranda thread, but didn't see much regarding shorter hair.

Also, just as a side question, are parandas damaging at all? Do they become tangled in the hair? Maybe I am misunderstanding the construction of the paranda.

[Anje]

I think you should be able to do it, if you can get a couple braid crosses, and it shouldn't be damaging at all, unless there's so much weight that it pulls. All a paranda is is a 3-section bundle of yarn that gets added to fatten a braid. They can actually be great for protecting hair in a braid.

[walterSCAN]

I think what a lot of the shorter haired ladies were doing was french braiding the parandi in so that it would be a little better anchored before you run out of hair. It looks pretty cool when you do it that way, too. :) As long as you are careful to keep your hair and the parandi smooth as you braid, it should not tangle into your hair. (There is a little potential for that, with F hair like mine anyway, but things have to go pretty haywire for it to actually get tangled.) Like Anje's already said, parandis are, on balance, actually a pretty protective way to wear a braid, since your ends aren't exposed.

Good luck with it, and we want to see your parandi if/ when you get one in! (If you're making one, watch out-- they're addictive. I have 3 now, have given away 2, and have 4 others that are earmarked as gifts.)

[bmcfarland]

Okay! Thanks for the info. :) Do either of you know where I might be able to find a parandi online? Would I have to buy a special one for short hair? (like a thinner or shorter length?)
Also, I'm sure there are videos on youtube that show how to work a parandi into the hair, right?

[browneyedsusan]

I wore one when my hair was about your length, frenchbraided. It was hard for me to get it started, and hard to manage the long lengths of yarn with my shorter hair, but looked neat when it was in. Others are better at putting them in than I am, though! They're fairly easy to make. Video tutorial. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORTatPrRWGk)

[walterSCAN]

I haven't looked for them online, but I think I've seen others mention that there are some for sale on etsy. I don't think you'd necessarily need a thinner one unless you prefer the look to be thinner, and the length will depend entirely on how much parandi you're ok with having hang down past your braid. What I'd do is braid your hair the way you'd like to wear the parandi, measure from the top of that braid to where you'd like the parandi to end, then add 8-12" to that measurement to allow for braiding. I personally like long tassels at the end of my braid, so my parandis are pretty long.

You may need to search a little to find a video tutorial for how to put one in-- I want to say someone here made one, but I can't remember who or where it is. (sorry!)

[lapushka]

If you braid it into shoulder length hair, it is going to make your braid thicker, thus it's far less easy to still bun because of the thickness.

[Anje]

If you braid it into shoulder length hair, it is going to make your braid thicker, thus it's far less easy to still bun because of the thickness.
Ah, but if you make it sufficiently long, that won't matter. Even super-thick hair (or parandas) can be bunned with enough length.

[bmcfarland]

Thank you for the information. :) Hopefully I can find the time to go shopping and then make the thing! I shall poke around youtube to find some videos. I'll let you know how it goes!! (This could take a while, though, since I work most days.)

[Larki]

I haven't looked for them online, but I think I've seen others mention that there are some for sale on etsy. I don't think you'd necessarily need a thinner one unless you prefer the look to be thinner, and the length will depend entirely on how much parandi you're ok with having hang down past your braid. What I'd do is braid your hair the way you'd like to wear the parandi, measure from the top of that braid to where you'd like the parandi to end, then add 8-12" to that measurement to allow for braiding. I personally like long tassels at the end of my braid, so my parandis are pretty long.
If there are, they aren't called paranda or parandi, I searched for them. :( There are only like three.