Hair braiding has a long history, dating back at least 5000 years. It has been a big part of many cultures all around the world including Asia, Africa, the Americas, Egypt and even Europe. For instance, in Africa hair braiding can be traced back as far as 3500 B.C. There, it was a social event among women. In Europe during the Renaissance, the French braiding was used to keep the hair as clean as possible as it wasn’t always an option to bathe as often as you might wish. Aztec women, in the Americas, would take narrow strips of colorful cloth and braid them into their hair then winding the braids around their head. In Egypt, hair braiding was practiced on wigs that Egyptian royals wore.