If you must hide your relationship because of a difference in values -- whether religious or cultural -- seek the help of people who have been in similar situations. Bide time to help your parents and/or partner adjust to the situation. By surrounding yourself with caring and respectful people, you can rise above your parents’ closed-mindedness if they are unwilling to change. Assure your partner that they are cared for and that you don’t agree with your parents but don’t want to lose your relationship with them. Build his confidence that your parents' opinions won’t hurt your relationship. Let him know that he is more important than your parent’s approval and that the secrecy is temporary. You don’t need to put a time limit, but it can be expected that your partner may give you an ultimatum. No one wants to be in a relationship that their partner is ashamed to be in. Be prepared to choose between telling your parents or losing your partner. This isn’t about who is right or wrong, this is about how you define family and your own values. Everyone will have to learn to respect and accept one another if you want to have them in your life. Be strong in your own values and communicate respectfully that you are unwilling to compromise that. Hiding your relationship should not be permanent. It may take time for your parents to realize that only you know what’s best for you.  If it means losing your parents, that is for them to decide. Being true to yourself is what's most important for your mental, emotional and physical health.
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One-sentence summary -- Surround yourself with supportive people. Support your partner. Don’t take a side.


Start by washing your hair as per usual, and then use a deep conditioner to help soften your strands. Leave the conditioner on your hair for the amount of time recommended on the bottle, then rinse it out with cool water. To minimize dryness and frizz, use a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo. When you’ve rinsed your conditioner out, use a wide-tooth comb to brush out all the tangles, starting from the ends and working towards the roots. For even gentler detangling, use your fingers to tease out any knots and tangles. Use your hairdryer on “low” to blow out your curls, so that they are almost completely dry. Brush out your hair once more to make sure there are no knots, and then you’re ready to start your braids. Blow-drying your hair will help stretch and relax the curls, reducing frizz and making the hair easier to manage during the braiding process. Box braids use ‘braid hair’ – synthetic hair strands that are very long – to fill in the space on your scalp and give you plenty of fullness in your braids. Take each chunk of hair out of the packages individually, and hold them in the center, cutting off the elastic bands holding it together. With a grip on the center and the 2 tail ends of the hair hanging down, begin pulling the strands on 1 side of the hair. This will give the ends of your hair a more natural look, otherwise the packaged hair is blunt-cut straight across and your braids will look a bit unnatural when you’re finished.  Choose your braid hair in a color similar to your own, and get at least 2 large packages. The longer and thicker you want your braids to be, the more packages of braid hair you will need. If you want shorter braids, use fewer packages and cut the braid hair into halves or thirds. When you’re pulling the hair, gently tug at small strands rather than big portions of hair. Run your fingers through the hair when you’re finished evening out the ends to remove any knots that might have shown up. Section off your first piece of braiding hair into a strand that is about 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) wide. Then, separate off ⅓ of this section. You should be holding 2 sections with 1 that is twice as thick as the other. Wrap the smaller strand around the larger one, so that the tail ends are facing opposite directions (like ‘><’). Take the smaller strand and grab it at the center where it is intertwined with the first strand. Carefully twist the strand over and under, so that the 2 tail ends form a single piece that sticks out between the original tail strands. You should be left with 3 strands of approximately equal size, which you can hold in 1 hand. Use a rat-tooth comb to carefully section a small piece of hair on your scalp, approximately 1-inch by 1-inch (2.5 cm by 2.5 cm). It will probably be easiest to start on 1 side of your head near your hairline and work your way back, but you can start wherever you are comfortable. Use a bit of hair gel or edge control product to prepare this section, making it easier to manipulate. If you want to do basic box braids, you can section the hair into square “boxes.” You can also get creative and make sections in other shapes, such as diamonds or triangles. Hold your braiding hair in your hand so that 1 strand is between your thumb and index finger, a second strand is between your index and middle finger, and the third strand is hanging behind the first 2. Grab the section of hair closest to your scalp with your thumb and index finger, as close to the roots as possible. To start the braid:  Reach your empty hand around your head and grab the third strand of braiding hair hanging behind the ones gripped in your hand. Simultaneously pull the 3rd strand of hair under and incorporate the hair from your scalp into the section between your thumb and index finger, and twist it over in the opposite direction. Pull the third loose section of hair into the middle, between the other 2 sections. You should now have 3 separate strands of hair that are held tight to your scalp, with your natural hair incorporated into 1 of the sections. . With your braiding hair as close to your scalp as possible, begin braiding tightly in the traditional pattern. Alternate placing the left-most strand over the middle section, and then the right-most strand over the middle section. When you reach the end of your braid, the strands should taper out into a smaller and smaller braid. You don’t need to use an elastic band to hold it in place, as it should hold on its own. Repeat the same steps as aforementioned to braid the rest of your head:  Section a 1-inch by 1-inch (2.5 cm by 2.5 cm) piece of hair from your scalp, and apply gel or edge control. Prepare your braiding hair and part it into 3 strands. Use the twisting method to combine your natural hair into your braiding hair. Complete the braid using a regular 3-strand method until you reach the ends. As you braid, it is important to take the time to make sure they are all smooth, flexible, and even. If you notice any bulging strands or lumps in your braid, you’ll need to take it out and start over from the beginning. If your natural hair is sticking out from the strands of your braiding hair, you’ll need to remove your braiding hair and add gel or edge control to moisturize it and reduce frizz.  You may have to re-braid the same strand multiple times in order to get it just right. If your braid is uneven, you may have started with sections of differing thickness. You’ll have to take out your braiding hair and re-split it into 3 even sections.
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One-sentence summary --
Wash and condition your hair. Detangle your hair. Blow-dry your hair to relax and defrizz your curls. Prepare your packages of braiding hair. Get a strand of braiding-hair ready for braiding. Section off your hair on your scalp for braiding. Start your first braid. Braid your section of hair Braid additional sections of hair. Perfect each braid.