Braids, Kinky Twists or Weave for Fragile Edges?

[Papoose]

Let me start this with a little bit of background. I come from a family of women that have fine hair and fragile edges. When I was younger, I was able to wear breads with no damage at all to my edges. After a few bad experiences at the braid shop over the years, I really have to baby my edges. If I get my edges redone every 3 weeks, I seem to be ok. I have yet to find a good braider here in Houston and I'm a bit apprehensive about hittin up the African shops here.

OK, here's my question. Which style do you think is best? I'm really interested in retaining as much as possible. For braids and twists, what size is best to protect my edges?

For Houston ladies, I would love recommendations on braid & weave shops.

Thx!

Ediese: I lost my notebook with the phone numbers of your weavers. Can you send them again? Thx!

 

[yorkpatties]

IMO, none of the above. Anything that pulls or adds weight isn't a good idea for fragile hair, especially edges. I have the weakest temple area and about 2 days of any of the above and my temples are broken off. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Papoose]

IMO, none of the above. Anything that pulls or adds weight isn't a good idea for fragile hair, especially edges. I have the weakest temple area and about 2 days of any of the above and my temples are broken off. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I'm torn. My edges are ok now, but I know I have to be really careful with them. I've had success in the past with all three and I really want something that will give me get up and go flexibility. I'm about to go on a cruise and I need something that will hold up. I've considered going to get my hair professionally twisted without extensions.

 

[yorkpatties]

Twists with natural hair should be fine, I hear of some women complain of thinning over time with twists but this is from extended wear. I've worn flat twists on my natural hair with a phony pony on vacay with good results, but I didn't take the pony out at night and experienced very bad breakage. I love the look but I am scared to try it again.

 

[ravenhairedcharm]

I agree with yorkpatties, I would avoid them altogether, but if you absolutely have to, make sure that the parts are fairly large and the hair isn't too heavy. Kinky/fluffy twists maybe a good choice because you can get away with bigger twists and the hair used for twists is usually lighter? (I'm not too sure)

 

[Papoose]

Thanks for the responses ladies. I'm leaning towards getting my hair twisted without extensions. I'm thinking that if I get it professionally done, it will last longer and look neater.

 

[hair4romheaven]

I would get a full a full wig with bangs so it doesn't sit on the edges. That way your hair is hidden you can baby your egdes and not have to worry about the "look" of your hair. If you stay consistent you egdes should be ont he way by summer and then you can wear your hair out.
HTH

 

[Foxglove]

You could do a weave with the edges left out. Kinky twists/braids just be careful that they don't braid too tight and that they don't use too much hair on the edges

 

[Papoose]

I would get a full a full wig with bangs so it doesn't sit on the edges. That way your hair is hidden you can baby your egdes and not have to worry about the "look" of your hair. If you stay consistent you egdes should be ont he way by summer and then you can wear your hair out.
HTH

hair4romheaven: Thanks for the suggestion, but I can wear my edges out now with no problem. They're fine. It's just that I have to be careful about the amount of stress that I put on them. For the women in my family, it doesn't take much to damage edges. My concern is the pulling from the kinky twists/braids and the tendency for stylist to put a lot of extension hair on one strand of your natural hair. I am currently in grad school and I don't have a lot of time to spend on my hair. I'm just looking for a protective style that will last for a while. I've been wearing wigs for a few months and need a break. Besides, I'd like to go straight from work/school to the gym without stopping home to take off my wig.

Thanks for the responses ladies!

 

[PPGbubbles]

I have very fine egdes and try to protect them. I like to rock my kinky twist like to so to keep tension off the front. The hair is added at the end of the corn row.

I actually plan on putting some in next week

For individual I do micros with human hair and I only put a small amount of hair per braid in the front.

and for weave I leave my edges out so there is no tension

 

[DivineNapps1728]

I've tried micros, box braids, kinky twists, Senegalese twists, wigs and full sews in & in terms of alleviating tension along my edges my preference is for Senegalese twists; full weaves are a far second.

With Senegalese twists I always use kanekalon hair, which is light, & I add less hair to the perimeter twists so they don't hang heavy or pull. I prefer these twists to a weave because I can moisturize & massage my edges as I please without concern about causing build up or matting of tracks; I can also wash my hair in twists whenever I want effortlessly. Weaves are good if you want nothing along your edges at all, but mine get very dry & unruly if I skip out on using the products my hair likes; on the flipside, if I do tend to my edges under my weave as I'd like to the tracks get weighed down, tangled & ratty too quickly.

 

[Papoose]

PPGbubbles : Thanks for the ideas. So, you cornrow the very front of your hair and add hair at the end for the twists or is it a crochet style?

DivineNapps1728: I've never tried Senegalese twists. Does your hair friz when you wash it?

It sounds like both of you do your own hair. How did you learn to do it? How long did it take? Since doing your own hair gives you the ultimate control, I'd like to develop my skills.

 

[PPGbubbles]

PPGbubbles : Thanks for the ideas. So, you cornrow the very front of your hair and add hair at the end for the twists or is it a crochet style?

DivineNapps1728: I've never tried Senegalese twists. Does your hair friz when you wash it?

It sounds like both of you do your own hair. How did you learn to do it? How long did it take? Since doing your own hair gives you the ultimate control, I'd like to develop my skills.

The bolded is what I did in the front and the rest of my head is in individual twists

 

[Papoose]

The bolded is what I did in the front and the rest of my head is in individual twists

Looks like i have to step up my cornrow game too! Guess I'll be visiting Youtube on the weekend...

 

[DivineNapps1728]

PPGbubbles : Thanks for the ideas. So, you cornrow the very front of your hair and add hair at the end for the twists or is it a crochet style?

DivineNapps1728: I've never tried Senegalese twists. Does your hair friz when you wash it?

It sounds like both of you do your own hair. How did you learn to do it? How long did it take? Since doing your own hair gives you the ultimate control, I'd like to develop my skills.

When I wash my hair while in Senagalese twists it curls as opposed to frizzing; washing it actually calms some of the frizz unless I'm rough.

I learned to do extensions by watching people who knew how to do them install twists/braids/etc, then I'd go home & practice on my own head. I'm sure watching you tube vides would help as well. How long it takes to master a hairstyle depends on how often you try it. When I started practicing twists my first set was secure, but my parts were huge & the twists were too long; my second set came out very well though (I should add that I'd been braiding sans extensions since I was twelve so it wasn't foreign to me).

With whatever style you want to learn, watch tutorials of stylists that use techniques that result in your desired outcome; then every day you have free time install one braid & take it out, just to develop a comfort level with the process.

HTH !

 

[tru4reele]

Senegalese twists are very gentle on the edges. I have some in now and I like them. They are medium sized, not micro size and are looooong. They come to my butt. I am natural so I have a lot of twists and I wish I had gotten them shorter. I can only wear them a couple ways because of the length. But anyways I vote for Senegalese. And DON'T go to the African hair braiding shop if you are worried about your edges. I found my braider from CL and she is good. Slow but good.

 

[tru4reele]

Double post

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Senegalese twists are very gentle on the edges. I have some in now and I like them. They are medium sized, not micro size and are looooong. They come to my butt. I am natural so I have a lot of twists and I wish I had gotten them shorter. I can only wear them a couple ways because of the length. But anyways I vote for Senegalese. And DON'T go to the African hair braiding shop if you are worried about your edges. I found my braider from CL and she is good. Slow but good.

Why do the African braiding sisters braid so tight! Good heavens!!