This summer, I went on a mission to achieve my dream braid style: microbraids with enough free-flowing hair to keep the look lightweight, movable, and effortlessly cool. Think Zoë Kravitz’s signature braids, but with a little more volume and movement.

Then I learned a game-changing secret from one of Kravitz’s hairstylists: her entire head isn’t actually braided. The front is microbraided, while the back is installed with microlinks. Suddenly, everything clicked. I didn’t need to braid my entire head—I needed bundles.

My first stop was L.A.-based luxury hair brand Hair So Chic LA, where I picked up four bundles of the 24-inch Raw Indian Curly Bundles. The hair had the perfect amount of curl: enough to create that effortless, beachy wave, but still easy to manipulate. Add water and the curls became even more defined. The hair stayed soft and moisturized throughout the summer with a little bit of Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Finishing Mist product, and, most importantly, it never became unbearably frizzy.

The bundles alone cost me about $1,000. And before we go any further, let me be clear: this is an expensive hairstyle.

Next came the even harder part: finding someone who could execute both flawless, neat microbraids and a flat sew-in. I quickly realized that many stylists specialized in one or the other, but finding someone who could do both was another story. With a trip to Europe less than four days away, splitting the installation between two people wasn’t an option.

Eventually, I decided to book Famata Sherman for the full installation. Naturally, in true Type B fashion, I scheduled the appointment for the same day I was flying out.

Three hours into the appointment, not even half of my braids were finished. This was my first time getting microbraids, and I had severely underestimated how long the process would take.

Then came another Type B plot twist: I realized my flight was three hours earlier than I had thought.

So, I made the only decision I could. I left Sherman’s shop with roughly a quarter of my hair completed, paid her $250 for the work, put on a bonnet, and headed straight to the airport.

My hair journey was now continuing in London.

The second I left Famata’s shop, I started searching TikTok for anyone who could finish the job. I DM’d nearly 40 hairstylists, only to hear the same response: no availability.

Then I remembered I had another option: my trusted friend, celebrity hairstylist, and British Vogue contributor Charlotte Mensah.

Mensah is nothing short of a hair fairy godmother. She has paved the way for so many Black hairstylists and built a legacy around celebrating textured hair. And, thankfully for me, she made room in her schedule and squeezed me in.

After landing in London at 7 a.m., I raced to her salon on Portobello Road. Her in-house braider immediately got to work, spending another four hours completing my microbraids.

For context, just the leave-out-to-braid portion—the middle and perimeter of the front of my head—took approximately eight hours total between both appointments. They meticulously replicated the existing braids so that both sides looked completely seamless. You would never know that two different people had worked on my head.

Then Charlotte took over.

She sewed the tracks into the back of my head, shaped the hair, and created exactly what I had envisioned: a voluminous, natural loose wave that gave me major Solange “Cranes in the Sky” energy.

I was immediately obsessed.

The final installation cost another $700, bringing my grand total to approximately $1,950.

My bank account was not happy. My hair, however, was thriving.

And honestly? It was worth it.

The style lasted me nearly two months, and it ended up being one of the most functional hairstyles I’ve ever had. Because my entire head wasn’t braided, the bundles kept the style light and airy while still giving me plenty of hair to play with. I could throw it into a ponytail, clip it up with a claw clip, wear it half-up and half-down, or simply let it flow.

It was also the perfect summer hairstyle.

I somehow survived a Paris heat wave with my hair looking almost exactly as it did when I left the salon. Because my leave-out was braided, there was no chance of sweating out my natural hair. That alone felt like a miracle.

At night, I would usually braid the loose hair so that I could wake up with an effortless body wave. It made getting ready in the morning ridiculously easy.

And on the days I forgot to braid it? I’d simply brush out the curls and crimp the hair for a more polished finish.

As the braids got older, I actually loved them even more. Because they were so small, they began to move naturally with my scalp. The hair blew in the wind, dried quickly, and somehow looked even more effortless with time.

It was probably the most naturally styled I’ve ever felt.

Almost every day, someone asked me who did my hair. And every time, I had to give them a long, complicated answer because, yes, two different people worked on it. But I always shared both names because, depending on where you’re located, both women are incredibly talented, professional, and worth knowing.

So, would I do it all again?

Absolutely.

Would I spend nearly $2,000 again?

That’s where things get a little more complicated.

My next mission is to figure out how to recreate this exact look for less. Because while I loved every second of having it, I would also love to keep a little more money in my bank account next time.

Consider this the beginning of my search. I’ll keep you updated.

Read the original article on Essence.