Hi, my name is Ana Rodriguez.
I'm from New York City.
Here, I'm going to be showing you guys
how I create the best, the neatest, and the cleanest
stitch braids with a little design to it.
So, this client, his hair is a little moist, curly,
so I will have to stretch out his hair
with the blower and the comb,
just so I can have more length.
Because if I was to braid curly hair,
it's going to be messy, puffy,
and it won't look neat.
So, for me to start the client,
I split the hair evenly down the middle.
So I lined up my comb on the person's nose,
and I go up towards the scalp.
This client asked me for four stitch braids with a design.
So I will have four different sections of hair.
For me to section out the hair evenly,
I guide myself with the person's headline.
For me to create the shapes,
I use my special tool, which is my comb.
That's my pencil. That's my life.
I'll just shape it out and section it together,
make sure it looks like what I want to create,
and then I'll just braid it into
one big braid to create my heart.
A lot of people come to me for design,
especially for hearts, the money sign,
zigzags, or special intricate designs.
But usually I am known for this type of design.
Now I'm going to incorporate this heart
into the stitch braid.
A stitch braid is when you see the lines
braided into the hair.
I create a stitch braid by picking up the hair
with my pinky nail or the comb,
and it gives me that line when I braid it in.
For me to create those clean lines,
I make sure I put my gel and section out the hair,
so I don't have no strand that doesn't belong there.
Because it will give my image a whole different look.
It won't give it the cleanness.
Each strand matters.
So, on one side, I created the heart images.
On the other side, the client asked
to create the star image.
So I will have to section out the hair
like the little triangles
and pull it up to make sure it's giving me the image
that I want to create, like the star.
Now I am applying my star into the stitch braid.
It all depends on the shape that I am creating
when I incorporate it into my stitch braid.
For the star, I add it diagonally,
just so it could keep my image of the star.
So, once I am getting to the nape of the head,
I try to not pull too much but make sure it's tight,
so I don't get a bulky look at the back
and it won't get lifted up. It'll be laid flat.
Here, the client asked me for wooden beads.
I am applying the beads into the quick beader,
which is a utensil I use to put in the beads
on the person's hair. It saves me so much time.
My favorite part is when the client comes in
and they are so happy with the outcome of their hair.
Ana: It gives them a uplift. It gives them,
I don't know what. If it's power, or energy,
or the vibe is different.
They are amazed by what I can do.
It's unbelievable how I can change somebody's life
or the way they feel about their hair.