The kids love this for a bit of fun. It can take quite a while so make sure your child will be able to sit still for the time it takes. Bargain for the price. The price will vary with the lenght of your hair, but for a guide, a medium length hair will cost around 70,000 Rph to braid.

You may find the hawkers will hang around because they know you can't walk away until you hair is finished. It's a great way to have an easy care hair style with all the swimming.

Check out Ashlee's braids...

Heres a suggestion for a place to have your hair braided in Sanur - "Have just returned from Bali. If you want your hair braided, go to Lulu 1 and Lulu 2. They are at the Sanur market. If you are coming in from Grand Bali Beach Hotel, go past the first Restaurant, bar. They are just around the corner at one of the shops. It is opposite a shop that sells cd's, playstation games, etc. They have done my hair 3 times now and every time, people have stopped me to ask who did it. They do really small braids and it stays in really well. If you go to them, please say hi from Sue."

The beads might be uncomfortable to sleep in if they are placed on shorter hair.  Also, be aware that the scalp becomes exposed to the sun and can become sunburnt. Kids if you leave them in and swim a lot you'll end of with green hair ...great look?#@#?

Hair extensions are the latest thing in Bali. They match the hair to your colour, then The tie it to the end of your hair and then start the plaiting process. The burn the end of the extension when they finish. 

The following are comments from other families -

"you can wash the hair normally with shampoo and conditioner and even be quite rough - no big deal keeping it clean. be careful of head lice - a lot of people get these from the combs used. you might want to take your own comb (one that is good for making parts in the hair) to keep the hair from going green, get a shampoo especially for balancing out chlorine. and most of all, if she wants her hair braided - and its knotty - she's gonna need some willpower to sit through some (possibly) rough brushers. make a decision whether she wants to do this and stick with it - no whining ;0) LOL xox lisa"

"Melasti Beach Spa in Legian has a very nice hair salon too. Air conditioned, clean and sterilized combs and brushes!They will do a shampoo and condition before the braids if you want. I know people who have had their long hair done and it takes up to 3 hours so you may want to do it in a salon instead of the beach"

"there are two women (I think one's name is Colleen) who do a great job plaiting hair. Wash and condition your daughter's hair just before going to them. Costs around 25000rp and allow a good hour and a half.Washing plaited hair is tricky - practically all you can do is dab on shampoo and gently rub then rinse. You'll have to put sunscreen on her scalp between the plaits regularly to avoid sunburn.
How to stop blonde hair going green ? Keep her out of chlorinated water I guess."

"There is braiding almost anywhere by anyone on the beach strip. Throw some conditioner in her and detangle it.To stop it going green use 'solarcare' - from hairdressers or price attack. It's a leave in conditioner. You can also get a shampoo that helps get rid of the chlorine. Bicarb can also be used but is a little harsh - you will know when she has a build up of chlorine in the hair as it's goes slimy. If all else fails and it does go green you can apparently use tomato juice - the red counteracts the green. Have the braids done in the first 2 days you get there - then take them out and have them done again just before you come home - she will want to show her friends AND you get another 2 weeks of not having to brush. My daughter also has VERY long hair - when she was 4 took about 3 hours to do mid length hair - her hair is bum length now - could be a long wait."

TATTOO'S

There are alot of places on the street and vendors on the beach that now offer these Henna tattoo's that are only temporary. Be very careful if you want to get one of these . Many people are allergic to the chemicals and end up with ugly blisters and some people even end up with scarring. The best way to test if you are allergic is to have a small dot put onto your arm and see if it causes any problems.

A small tattoo will cost 20,000 Rph to over 100,000 Rph for a large ornate one.

If you don't want to take the risk, then just don't get one!