African Beauty Hair Braiding & Henna has operated in College Area since 2001, serving San Diego from 5728 El Cajon Blvd, 92115. The braiding menu runs the full spectrum: box braids, knotless braids, cornrows, feeding cornrows, Senegalese twists, crochet braids, micro braids, and dreadlock installations, with extensions supplied by the shop or brought by the client. Henna bodywork extends the service list beyond hair, offering traditional mehndi patterns for bridal events, festivals, and personal adornment alongside the braiding chair. African Beauty's two-decade presence on El Cajon Blvd near SDSU predates most of the braiding salons now clustered on the corridor, and Sonia Hair Braiding represents the newer wave of operators that filled in around the original anchor. Styles range from waist-length goddess locs that take four-plus hours in the chair to quick two-cornrow installations that finish under 45 minutes, with pricing that scales to braid count, length, and extension volume. The shop occupies a ground-level storefront with wheelchair access and accepts walk-ins alongside booked appointments. Clients heading to or from braiding sessions pick up matching accessories and headwraps at Mona's Fashion Junior & Plus further east on the boulevard, completing a braid-to-style pipeline in one trip. The original ownership has maintained continuous operation at the same 5728 address since 2001. The shop's hair-product retail section stocks braiding hair, edge control, and oil sheen lines that keep installations looking fresh between re-braid appointments spaced four to eight weeks apart.