Conversation with Asian woman about plaiting hair when wet

nijilah

New Member
So I went to the beauty supply store to look at hair falls. I am trying to keep my hands out of my hair in 2011. I had my hair in 2 plaits a little past shoulder length (my hair is currently almost mid-back length when straight). I don't usually wear my hair out like this but my 5 year old had the same style so we were quite cute.

Anyway, the Asian later at the counter asked me if my hair was wet. I stated yes and that I plait my hair after I wash it. She said that hair is very fragile when it is wet and she is surprised that I have any hair at all, especially such long hair. She said that is also probably why my braid is so thick until it reaches the shoulder and then it really thins out. She said that it is best to air dry your hair and then braid or style it after it is completely dry. I told her that I have big hair and if I don't braid it, I would look crazy. She said that she can see that I have thick curly hair and if I just put a silk scarf on it while wet, then that would smooth it down. She also said our hair (my daughter and I) is quite beautiful and don't waste our money on wigs. She said try it for a few months and I should see a lot more length and health in my hair. She didn't even let me look at a fall! I just bought conditioner and left.

What do you think?
 

JennyKenny

New Member
I have heard that hair is at its most fragile when wet. Not sure why, would be interested in knowing. So, I usually follow the same routine the Asian lady suggested---wash and condition, let my hair air dry (sometimes in big fat twits and sometimes not). It is usually dry or close to being dry when I do my 2strand twists. Sorry I don't have any more thoughts. But, would love to know how it works out for you.
 

kami02

New Member
My hair definitely breaks easily when i comb when wet, which is why I have a love/hate relationship with roller setting.
 
Last edited:

tricie

Well-Known Member
Wow, sounds like she knows her stuff! Well, if you do try this, let us know how it works out. I manipulate my hair quite a bit when it's wet, and would expect the same thing if I were to air dry...a giant, frizzy fro! :lachen:
 

Times2Times3

New Member
How do you keep it from tangling while it's airdrying? A scarf won't work for me, I would have to braid while air-drying. I'm not sure I agree with her advice.
 

LaFemmeNaturelle

Well-Known Member
no I dont agree. When I was relaxed, then cool. I could airdry loose or clipped up. But now that I'm transitioning, my hair needs to be stretched while its airdrying to prevent unneccessary tangles and that means braided or bantu knots for me. If you're like me, then the reason your braids are thinner near the ends is because you have layers and the longest layers are in the back so yes it will appear that the braid thins out. That doesn't mean your hair is thinner towards the bottom. There is no way I'll let my hair airdry with just a scarf and think I won't have hell to pay when I try to style after it's dry.
 

brg240

Well-Known Member
How do you keep it from tangling while it's airdrying? A scarf won't work for me, I would have to braid while air-drying. I'm not sure I agree with her advice.

I'm wondering too, my hair would be a giant mess if i let it airdry loose :nono:
 

arosieworld

Thanks 4 our nail *****!
My mom says that too. She says its just like nails you have to wait till they are completely dry unless you use product to help protect it...I think that is only true for some hair... Her hair is very fine but my coarse hair seems to need water to be more flexible and less prone to breakage....
 

bride91501

Well-Known Member
Hair is weaker when wet because the protein bonds are temporarily broken when hair is wet. I need a little slip when I'm braiding my hair, so braiding on dry hair would definitely NOT work for me. I normally allow my hair to dry to around 75% before I braid it. That's my happy medium.

Definitely great advice the BSS lady gave you.
 

BlkOnyx488

Well-Known Member
I have 4a/b natural hair. airdrying is a major no no
I usually section my hair in 6 braids and sit under the dryer to dry, that whay it dries with a little stretch

But everyone is different
 

Poopiedo

Well-Known Member
I plait my hair loosely after I cowash in preparation for wearing my wig. I plait one plait, run coconut oil down the length of the plait, pin it up and tie down with my satin doo rag. I haven't experienced any breakage, actually I've received quite a bit of growth from that method. Now if I plaited tightly I can see how breakage would occur because hair is most fragile when wet.
 

kblc06

Well-Known Member
:look: Uhmmm, for me, dry combing is a huge NO-NO on my natural hair. My hair is much more easily manipulated wet when I use a conditioner with slip. I'd have a whole bunch of broken pieces if I didn't style my hair wet as opposed to dry.
 

Foxglove

A drop of golden sun
I braid my hair when wet to stretch it out. When I use a scarf I end up with a twa. Styling from a shrunken twa as opposed to hair stretched in braids is a lot more hassle so I'll still be braiding while wet
 

Stormy

Well-Known Member
I agree with the Asian lady about the wet=weaker hair part. At least that's true for me. I have to let my hair dry first or at least 90% before braiding otherwise I loose quite a bit of hair. As for the scarf, I don't know about that one. I mean I would have to pull mine back then cover it. I have to do something to stretch it in order for it to air dry nicely.
 

Fhrizzball

Well-Known Member
I band my hair to help it airdry some before styling. If you wash your hair in sections though you can just leave it in those section and let it dry that way. Perhaps braiding it damp as opposed to wet would help out.
 

RossBoss

Well-Known Member
Why does this Asian lady know more about black hair care then most black hair stylist?????

Because she makes her living off of Black dollars. lol.

Anyway, this is not advice for just Black hair, ALL hair, no matter what the race, is fragile when wet. It's a no brainer.
 

Carisa

New Member
This advice she gave you may work for some but not me. I have to dry in braids because if I leave my hair loose and airdry there will be hell to pay!
 

bb09

New Member
This is my dilemma exactly. I could go back and thank each and every one of your posts, but this isn't my thread :lol:.

For the ladies who disagree with the woman's advice, how do you style after washing? -as in how many plaits, and do you do it immediately after washing hair? PM if you like cos I don't want to steer the thread, but it (my hair) either sticks together like velcro when wet [which makes it hard to manipulate], or is ridiculouss to comb when dry! What to do?
 

Tiye

New Member
I have 4a/b natural hair. airdrying is a major no no
I usually section my hair in 6 braids and sit under the dryer to dry, that whay it dries with a little stretch

But everyone is different

Same here. Well I'll try anything once but I have the feeling that dry braiding on shrunken down hair might not go well so this tip might be texture dependent.

I'd be kinda annoyed if the lady refused to sell me a wig - that's like saying you have good looking feet so no shoes for you today. This is one of the reasons I tend to cover my hair when I go to bss and other such stores - I don't like people eyeing my hair and making note of everything I buy or don't buy in those types of environments (I guess I'm just odd).
 

Mook's hair

New Member
But if your hair is already long, and the Asian lady comments that it is thick and beautiful then you are doing something right. Don't go changing all willie-nilly now, you'll mess around and cause a problem for yourself and then be wondering why the heck did I listen to some random Asian lady.

Do you Boo-boo! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 

Loverain

New Member
That is interesting. I have heard other ladies state that you shouldnt comb or brush hair when wet because its stretches then breaks. But for me I can only handle my hair when wet. I detangle in the shower and it has made my hair 100% more managable. I barely loose any hair from breakage. But everyone's hair is different, her advice might work for you.
 

nzeee

Well-Known Member
i believe the benefits or dangers of wet manipulation depends on your hair type. asian hair should be left to air dry before manipulation and should not be wet combed. and by 'asian hair' i just mean non-curly hair.

i won't spread bad science since i can't properly articulate my findings from the research i've done, but i've read that our hair type (or curly hair in general) should only be manipulated when wet. yes the hair is more fragile in this state but our hair is also at its most flexible when moist so it's a bit of a trade-off. curly hair is more fragile in general and prone to breakage. when curly hair is manipulated dry, this increases the chance of breakage. when wet, our hair is more pliable and less likely to snap. imo there's also the question of lubrication; water is a lubricant and helps to prevent tangles. if i combed or otherwise manipulated my hair dry in its curly state i'm just begging for a fight since it would be more difficult to get through the curls/tangles without a lubricant.

there's also the shrinkage factor. i've recently learnt that even soaking wet w/ conditioner, if my hair is left unstretched then there will be all kinds of hell to pay in terms of extreme tangling later. since i don't use heat, my only method of stretching is braiding (not twisting) or cornrows or flattwists etc.

i don't know your hair type OP, but after detangling during the wash/conditioning process there is no way in hell i'm gonna let my hair airdry and shrink up. for many people, shrinkage = tangled mess. if i let my hair airdry/shrink w/out stretching then i'll have to go through the entire detangling process all over again in order to stretch it out again to style it. detangling is pretty traumatic for the hair (only a slight exaggeration in my case) which is why i only wash weekly and braid/stretch my hair soaking wet, immediately after the wash. doing otherwise doubles my chances of breakage since i would have to detangle twice.

i think its great that asian lady had nice things to say about your hair but IMO she should keep her mouth shut until she learns more about caring for curly hair in general and black hair specifically lest she dole out bad advice to unsuspecting strangers.
 

BlkOnyx488

Well-Known Member
I usually get my hair products from the cooking aisle so nobody knows to take notes when I grab up 3 bottles of Evoo, organic apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil.:grin::yep:

The feet comment is too funny:lachen::lachen::grin:

Same here. Well I'll try anything once but I have the feeling that dry braiding on shrunken down hair might not go well so this tip might be texture dependent.

I'd be kinda annoyed if the lady refused to sell me a wig - that's like saying you have good looking feet so no shoes for you today. This is one of the reasons I tend to cover my hair when I go to bss and other such stores - I don't like people eyeing my hair and making note of everything I buy or don't buy in those types of environments (I guess I'm just odd).
 
Top