Davinona Training Head African American with 100% Human Hair Mannequin Head Cosmetology Afro Hair Manikin Head for Practice Styling Braiding with Free Clamp+Braid Sets (Natural Black)

I got this for my daughters to practice braiding hair. Hair so soft and mimics the African hair texture. It’s shed a little bit not too much. It’s easy to work with and most of the parts come pre parted and my daughters love working with it.

My review is based on the fact that this is £30.I don't have anything to compare it to, as I have never used any other mannequin before but for £30 to just practice canerows I think this will do the job for a beginner/ intermediate level like me. I watch Internet videos to help me.I purchased this to improve my skills so that I can do my own hair and not look crazy. I've had the mannequin for around two weeks and my first impressions are as follows :The box it comes in is very cute and can be reused. I plan on keeping the box to store it in. It comes with a stand although I think the table I have doesn't keep it from sliding so putting something in between the table and the clamp bit, like something rubbery or with grip, to reduce slip would help. As when moving the head around the clamp on the table moves and I kept having to push it back into place. The next time I practiced I held it in between my knees. That worked also but I would mess up the plaits I made moving it around.The smell - when you first open the box it smells horrendous. Like a mixture of wet dog and a chemical relaxer.. Like a wet dog was getting a relaxer. I looked up on the internet to find out how mannequins are made and I can see why it smells. It gets dipped into a vat of some liquid which I assume is to help preserve it. Before use I rinsed it in a big bowl with water and apple cider vinegar.. an internet tip. Your whole bathroom will smell of the chemical but once it dries the smell of the mannequin starts to dissipate over the days. About two weeks later if I hold the head up to my nose there is only a faint smell.Texture- straight out of the box the texture is quite kinky. I have natural hair and I wanted something that was close enough for me to get a similar experience while practicing. After the ACV rinse the texture loosened and after plaiting the texture straightens out a bit, similar to natural hair. But still textured enough and still feels soft. The pictures shown are straight out of the box and after washing and my second full head practice of random plaits.Shedding - A little annoying but expected. It sheds more than I thought. The first full practice there were lots of broken hairs all over the table and shed hair. I am gentle but still sheds. The picture with the newspaper is how much it shed on my second full head practice. There's lots of hair on the mannequin so you won't notice but I'm sure after many months of practice it will show.Overall I am happy with the purchase. If it were very expensive I would probably be disappointed but for £30 for some lockdown hair plaiting practice, I'd say it's suitable. Just be prepared with something to wash the hair with and air it out, especially if you want to give it to a child.

My teen loves this. She’s been learning how to plait in different styles and this has really helped

Seems to be maybe 4a type texture. Not necessary to wash as slight smell (although not bad smell) goes after around 2 days. Washing is not necessary. Texture will change after wash but you can still plait. Its a very good and practical product for learners.

Softness

This product initially I thought would be good, but sadly whenever my daughter uses it, the hair falls out. She has tried simple hair braiding and a clumps of the hair falls out. I wouldnt recommend

I’m really happy that the item I bought is is really useful

Exactly what I wanted to practice cornrows. The hair is easy to manage and comb. It comes with a smell once you open it from the package, but that’s normal for new products. But after leaving it open for 2 days because I was too busy to start using it, the smell disappeared. I’ve not washed it yet, hopefully the hair stays in good condition afterwards. But it’s worth it.