In West African tradition, waist beads are often worn by women as a symbol of femininity, sensuality, and spirituality. The colors and patterns of the beads may have specific meanings depending on the region and tribe, but generally, waist beads enhance a woman's natural beauty and protect her womb.

In some parts of the Caribbean and the Americas, waist beads are also worn as a symbol of femininity and fertility. The colors of the beads may represent different spiritual energies, such as red for passion, green for abundance, or yellow for joy.

It's important to note that these meanings are not universal or standardized, and that waist beads may have different meanings and significance depending on the individual wearer's beliefs and intentions. Waist beads have become a movement of empowerment, a way for women to express themselves, set positive intentions, and celebrate their Divine feminine energy. Ultimately, the meaning of waist beads is a personal and subjective one and can be influenced by cultural, spiritual, or aesthetic considerations.

Strands ship after they are manufactured. Please allow up to 4 business days following order placement. All orders are processed and shipped within 5-7 business days of order.

Once your order ships, you will receive an email notification with your USPS tracking number. You can track the status of your package with this tracking. Once we ship your order, it is within the USPS system. Please contact your local post office and provide your tracking number for updates.

Strands ship after they are manufactured, which is approximately 4 days following order placement. After strands are packaged, they can take up to 1-3 days to ship. Please keep this in mind while ordering and calculating the arrival times of strand(s). Every waistbead is beautifully crafted by hand just for you!

Domestic Standard Shipping can take anywhere from 3-10 business days to arrive, while Insured Priority has a much shorter ETA of 1-3 business days. For international shipping, order arrival ranges from 7-14 business days to complete.

1. Untie your waistbeads (Most beads are tied in a slip knot so pull the string which will release the knot.)

2. Choose where you would like to place the waistbeads on your stomach or hips.

3. Once you choose the placement for your waist beads, shift all the access beads over towards the end of the string.

4. Tie both sides of the string in a knot.

5. Important: to strengthen the knot, wrap the thread which you are lying in a loop around the waist beads, tie, and repeat 3x while ensuring that you are pulling the thread tightly to secure the knot.

6. Cut off excess thread and beads after tying. *suggestion: You can use your access beads as ankle bracelets, so you can reload them around your waist beads to give the illusion of a second strand of beads. Get creative.

Most of our waist beads are traditional tie-on beads made with non-stretch nylon thread. You will receive a long strand of beads that you will then fit to your waist. You do not need to know your exact measurement or select a size when ordering tie-on beads. Our standard beads are approximately 45 inches in length and will generally fit up to a US size 18. If you would like a longer length, you can choose from our extended length 60 inch beads here.

Traditionally, once beads are tied, they are not removed, as they are supposed to stay on. You can bathe, exercise, and do just about anything in your beads. The nylon thread will dry quickly on its own after being exposed to water from bathing and swimming.

Waistbeads are often worn to for a journey, like weight loss, or any intentional journey, so some prefer to cut them once they have served their purpose. If you want the option to remove your beads, we suggest tying them at your lower hip, so they can be removed overhead, or you may opt for our screw on strands which can be found here.

Our beads are made with multiple layers of ultra strong non-stretch nylon thread to create a rope like effect for durability. Most of beads are glass seed beads, but also sell strands that have select crystals and stones.