Every parent would know the struggle of having to get up to dress themselves and their children on work days, and then rush out to take them to school and then travel to work. This Melbourne, Australia woman seems to be enjoying this sort of life as she dedicates a lot of her time in the mornings creating awesome braids that are veritable works of art, for her daughter.
Mother of 6-year-old Grace, Shelley Gifford, is a self-proclaimed hair braid obsessive and this has been this way from ever since as she would never pass on taking any chance she got to braid family and friends’ hair.
“At the time though I only ever knew how to French and Dutch braid,” she said. “I wasn’t aware that so many other extensive braids existed.”
In early 2014, she discovered a whole new world of creative hairstyles being done by other mothers on social media. It was then she created her own Facebook and Instagram braiding accounts. This was followed by following other hair and braiding accounts, asking questions occasionally, watching video tutorials and attending braiding and up-do workshops.
“I just love learning new styles and advancing my skills,” she said. “I’m hair obsessed.”
With her mother being a hair/braid-enthusiast, 6-year-old Grace benefits by getting different hairstyles every day. The styles for each morning are usually thought of the previous night. On a regular, braiding time would take around 15-20 minutes, but on weekends, this is a different story. On non-school days, this is when the more intricate styles are tried out.
“A lot of people ask how I get my daughter to sit still for so long,” she said. “Grace is perfect. I’ve been styling her hair since she was a toddler so she doesn’t know any different.”
“Our lives are so busy with school and after school activities that I love that morning time where we are all together as a family,” she continued. “My husband is never far from our side when I am braiding and occasionally, if I’m lucky, he will make the coffees.”
