About

Vanessa Charles, Sunny Braids founder

"I built Puerto Rico's #1 braiding studio, served more than 3,500 clients, and turned professional braiding into five actions beginners can learn."

Vanessa Charles · Founder, Sunny Braids

3,500+ clients served Puerto Rico's top-rated studio Creator of the 5 Braid Actions™

Vanessa Charles, founder of Sunny Braids, Puerto Rico's top-rated braiding studio.

Who is Vanessa?

From software engineer to Puerto Rico's #1 braider

With seven years of experience as a software engineer, Vanessa learned how to break complex systems into simple, repeatable steps. After serving more than 3,500 clients and training beginner braiders, she applied that same approach to braiding.

She realized that most beginners weren't struggling because they lacked talent — they needed braiding explained in a way their hands could understand. That insight led her to develop the 5 Braid Actions™, a simple system for learning the techniques behind professional braids.

Today, How to Braid brings Vanessa's real-world experience together in one educational platform for beginners, parents, aspiring professionals and anyone ready to learn a new skill.

Most beginners aren't missing talent. They're missing a method their hands can follow.

3,500+

Clients served

Braiding studio in Puerto Rico

7 yrs

Software engineering background

Actions behind every braid

The method she built

Every professional braid is built through five actions

Instead of teaching style after style, Vanessa teaches the five universal actions underneath all of them. Learn the actions once and you can apply them to any braided style.

Action 01

Parting

Create clean, professional parts that give every braid its shape.

Action 02

Grip

Hold consistent tension so braids look even and last far longer.

Action 03

Feed-In

Add extensions smoothly, without bumps, gaps or loose sections.

Action 04

Hide

Camouflage the natural hair inside the extensions for a seamless finish.

Action 05

Seal Ends

Secure the ends properly so the braid doesn't unravel.

This is why students can create clean, professional braids in 7–30 days rather than months or years of trial and error.

See the 5 Braid Actions™

How she got here

A hobby, a studio, then a teaching system

Nothing about How to Braid was theory first. Every part of it came out of the chair, one client at a time.

Seven years writing software

Vanessa spent her career breaking complicated systems into small, repeatable steps that anyone on a team could follow. That habit never left her.
Braiding as a hobby in Puerto Rico

What started as something she loved doing turned into a steady stream of clients, and then into Sunny Braids.
3,500+ clients and a top-rated studio

Sunny Braids grew into Puerto Rico's #1 braiding studio and a six-figure brand, built on repeat clients and word of mouth.
Training beginner braiders

Teaching new braiders showed her the same sticking points again and again. The problem was never talent. It was that no one had named the actual movements.
The 5 Braid Actions™

She named them, sequenced them and built the training around them. That system is now the backbone of every course on How to Braid.

Who she teaches

Built for people starting from zero

You don't need a background in hair, a client list or years of practice. You need the right five things explained in the right order.

Complete beginners

Never braided before? The method assumes exactly that and starts with how to train your hands.

Parents

Braiding your own child's hair, without the guesswork, the tears or the salon bill.

Aspiring professionals

The same standards Vanessa uses in the studio, so your work holds up with paying clients.

Anyone learning a new skill

If you like a clear system with steps you can practise, this was made the way you learn.

What she stands for

Teaching the way she wishes she'd been taught

A few things Vanessa refuses to compromise on in every lesson she records.

Steps, not secrets

Nothing is held back for a "next level" upsell. Every action is named, shown and broken down so you can repeat it on your own.

Real studio standards

What you learn is what Vanessa does on paying clients — clean parts, even tension, ends that hold.

Hands before theory

Braiding is a physical skill. The training is built around what to practise, in what order, and what "right" should feel like.

Beginners are welcome here

No gatekeeping and no assumptions. Starting from zero is the normal starting point, not the exception.

Learn the Method Straight From Vanessa

Discover the five actions behind professional braids, how to train your hands and what to practice first.

Watch Free Class

Free beginner training · Watch online · No experience required