LADIES WHO TRANSITIONED: How Did/Do You Braid?

[davisbr88]

Good morning ladies!
I created this poll to get a sense of how people transitioned. For those who braided/twisted with extensions, how long did you keep your hair braided up and how frequently? What types of braids did you get? How long did you wait in between installations? Did you have any negative effects (such as thinning) and how did you combat those effects? If you had no thinning or breakage, how did you prevent it? How did you keep your hair moisturized in braided styles? How did you prevent excess tangling during your take-down?

I am wondering because I had Senegalese twists installed last November and removed in January, and got more reinstalled in the middle of February with plans to remove in April. A few days later I want to install a crochet braid style, and was wondering if that would be too much stress. I have yet to experience excess shedding or any breakage but last time I removed the twists, some parts of my hair tangled soooo bad that I had to cut them (luckily they were relaxed ends and not new growth). I do not ever plan on doing any type of braided extensions after the crochet braids, which I will wear for a month.

I watched LongHairDontCare2011's video on her journey and saw her experience with thinning edges and was just wondering if anyone else had experienced it that severely and how they recovered. My current regimen includes weekly washing, conditioning, and deep conditioning, with daily scalp stimulation and alternating between oiling scalp and applying a homemade cream, daily moisturizing with lotion and sealing with coconut oil and I think because of that, I did not experience much damage and have not noticed any thinning. Just want to hear of some experiences you all have had and what advice you might offer. Suggestions on additional steps to my regimen are also VERY welcome.

 

[davisbr88]

***bump***

 

[Foxglove]

I went between micros, senegalese twists, and kinky twists in my transition. I left them in anywhere from 6-12 weeks. Sometimes I got them back to back and sometimes I would go a couple of months between braids. I wouldn't have been able to transition as long without braids. I can tell you the braids were wonderful to my natural hair but terrible for my relaxed hair. Then again I didn't sleep in a scarf or DC or anything like that. All I did was wash and spray braid spray on my scalp and the braids. I guess that reggie was good for the natural hair but I can see why my relaxed hair broke off
Also I guess my braider was good bc I never had any problem with my edges falling out. I think as long as you make sure they don't braid too tight you should be fine as far as breakage. Also make sure you do a good protein DC between braids
I also wanted to add detangling is what causes a lot of breakage for people. Instead of waiting until you get all the braids out to detangle, detangle as you take each braid out. That means remove braid, then use oil or condish or whatever and detangle the hair that was in that braid. Use your fingers first then wide tooth then small tooth comb. This will save you hours of detangling and tears and headaches later

ETA thanks for reminding me about pics Nonie
I transitioned for 15.75 months and this is how much growth I had

 

[Nonie]

For those who braided/twisted with extensions, how long did you keep your hair braided up and how frequently?

I kept the extension braids in for the entire year I was transitioning. I do my own braids so I redid them as that became necessary, always working on one at a time. I started with about 1 inch of growth in August 2001 and about 5 inches relaxed hair. I was following a regimen of trimming/dusting every 6-8 weeks so whenever I'd undo a braid to redo, I'd snip off about a 1/4 inch. I continued that trimming regimen even after all the relaxed hair was gone. And by August 2002, I didn't have anymore relaxed hair and had about 5-6 inches of natural hair.

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What types of braids did you get?

Human Hair singles/micros. The hair I used was Wet N Wavy but it doesn't look that way in this pic from being washed. This was a braid-out. WNW hair gets straight when I braid it in the sections that contain my hair:

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How long did you wait in between installations?

I didn't take any breaks really. The plan initially wasn't to stay natural but just to grow a healthy "stock" of virgin hair and then get a relaxer from someone who seemed better than previous stylists. But I was having to much fun with braids, so in August 2002, I undid all the braids washed my hair and air-dried in big plaits. Washed the extension hair I had used all year (which BTW, got washed twice a week since August 2001 while it was on my head)...and once both my hair and the extension hair were dry, I put them back in for another year.

Did you have any negative effects (such as thinning) and how did you combat those effects?

I did not have any thinning.

If you had no thinning or breakage, how did you prevent it?

Redoing my edges as soon as the hair got loose, whether from a wash or new growth ensured that the braids never swang painfully, which I think would precede them falling off with your hair. Also because I do my own braids, I am careful to add very little extension hair per section of my own since my scalp isn't yet used to have so much weight bearing on it. Sometimes I would take the extensions out in the front and just cornrow my own hair back, tucking the ends among the extensions, so that I could give my edges a break:

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How did you keep your hair moisturized in braided styles?

I didn't use any braid spray or oils or leave-in moisturizer while I was in braids. Instead, I would just shampoo and condition my hair whenever it felt dry. Sometimes I would condition wash. The idea was just to wash it so as to "moisturize" it with the water. The regimen I was following did suggest to leave a little bit of conditioner in your hair, but I always was uneasy about that. Still I did try it once with Humectress by Nexxus which is both a leave-in as well as wash-out conditioner, and didn't like it. I much preferred my hair with no products so I stuck with that. I did baggy every night.

How did you prevent excess tangling during your take-down?

When my hair is in braids, it stays stretched and detangled. When I undo my braids, I use my fingers and not a comb so I can feel how far up the braid I am and therefore not dig in too deep and create a knot as I try to pull through. Patience helps too. I usually braid or undo my hair while watching TV or a movie on DVD. That way time flies while I'm having fun.

Another reason I think I don't experience tangles or matting is because I don't use products so my hair doesn't get glued together and my redoing the braids over the course of their life allows me to remove shed hair so that there's little extra hair to cause problems.

 

[KinkyGenius]

To prevent matting/tangles during takedown: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=90692

 

[BrandNew]

Here are the braids I had during my 8 month transition:

I kept my hair moisturized with Tee Tree Braid Spray (IIRC). I didn't experience thinning or major breakage. These were easy to take down. I redid them about every six weeks or so. Depending on how good they still looked. In between installs I washed, DC and trimmed. I was using Boundless Tresses while in braids as well. I always wore my hair in a bun, so it wasn't causing stress on my hairline (and it was the summer and the heat was on).

 

[ms.blue]

I wore braids (human hair) back to back for two years and only rested one time b/c I was broke. Some of my relaxed hairs broke off so I end up cutting them off. I did not wash my hair while in braids & I would keep them in 3-4 months at a time. My temples suffered a bit b/c the hair there is fine and after awhile I would unbraids those braids at the temples. This all happened b/w Jan 2005-Dec 2006 b4 I knew about hair boards and washing braids. Now when I get my hair braided b/c I wash & con my hair every two weeks I get way less shedding & it's in a better condition when I take them out. I also try not to get my temples braided & I also redo the front every two weeks which helped a lot.

 

[motherpopcorn562]

I wore braids from april to dec. my hair grew about 3 inches. I washed them weekly and used oils and braid spray everyday. i did experience some thinning around the edges, maybe because the braids were very heavy ( to my waist). However when i did my own braids in college I never had any thinning.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

In the very beginning, I tried individual braids and loved the look but hated the takedown and I didn't know how to handle my two textures so I lost alot of hair taking them down (this was in the beginning of my transition when I had no idea what I was doing yet).....I then started doing senegalese twist and loved them the takedown was a no-brainer and when I got near my edges I would always use a thinner section of hair then the rest and this prevented thinning for me

I'm thinking of putting my hair in some twists again....not sure....but if I do it it'll be in probably 6 weeks and I'd redo the edges at three weeks in. If I were ever to do a micro braid style it woud be a crochet microbraid style....its way faster and easier.

As for crochet braids....they're the love of my life....I'll be going back to these on and off forever....can't get enough. I wash weekly, moisturize my braids under right after and dont think about it again till my next wash day.....its a good look

 

[davisbr88]

Thank you SOOOOO much for all of your responses, ladies! This has really been helpful for me. I will definitely check out that thread about braid take-down as well.
Please keep your experiences coming!

 

[shakenspirit]

i transitioned almost two years ago...i mostly wore braidouts,bantu knot outs. I made the brilliant decision to bleach my hair blonde while i was transitioning so that caused some breakage but not that much the twists etc actually helped keep my hair quite healthy.im guessing using extensions might even be better for some because that allows you to manipulate your own hair less HTH

 

[Lylddlebit]

For those who braided/twisted with extensions, how long did you keep your hair braided up and how frequently?

I kept my braids in continuously for the entire time that would have been a transition(and before and after that period) With interval breaks in between.


What types of braids did you get?
I have had almost every braided style that I can think of. with the exception of silky dreds.


How long did you wait in between installations? The shortest time was a day....the longest time was a month during the time I was "unconsciously" going natural. Before and after that period the shortest time was a day the longest time was 7 months.

Did you have any negative effects (such as thinning) and how did you combat those effects?
Yes my edges on one side in the front (I think it was the left side) has a tendencies to thin with tight braids or very small braids....however it always thickens up shortly after taking a break from braids. So I wasn't a big issue to me.

If you had no thinning or breakage, how did you prevent it?
aside from that temple area my hair was in good shape. I just moisturized my braids everyday and took really good care of them in general after they were put in.

How did you keep your hair moisturized in braided styles?
Braid Spray, conditioners, washing. Moisturized hair before, during and after braids.

How did you prevent excess tangling during your take-down?
I always too mine down myself. I take my time do it right. If u take good care of your braids/hair while you have braids and use a decent quality hair you shouldn't have issues if you take your time during the take down.


Disclaimer: No proofreading as usual, please excuse my typos.

 

[soon2bsl]

In the very beginning, I tried individual braids and loved the look but hated the takedown and I didn't know how to handle my two textures so I lost alot of hair taking them down (this was in the beginning of my transition when I had no idea what I was doing yet).....I then started doing senegalese twist and loved them the takedown was a no-brainer and when I got near my edges I would always use a thinner section of hair then the rest and this prevented thinning for me

I'm thinking of putting my hair in some twists again....not sure....but if I do it it'll be in probably 6 weeks and I'd redo the edges at three weeks in. If I were ever to do a micro braid style it woud be a crochet microbraid style....its way faster and easier.

As for crochet braids....they're the love of my life....I'll be going back to these on and off forever....can't get enough. I wash weekly, moisturize my braids under right after and dont think about it again till my next wash day.....its a good look

BMP, how do you wash in crochet braids? Would it be pretty much the same technique as washing with a sew in? I have a sew in now and I use an applicator bottle with diluted shampoo, and also with my conditioner and lift each row to wash. I would like to do have crochet braids as my next PS but am wondering does the crochet hair get frizzy/tangled/worn looking etc since it's synthetic? Thanks.

 

[davisbr88]

BMP, how do you wash in crochet braids? Would it be pretty much the same technique as washing with a sew in? I have a sew in now and I use an applicator bottle with diluted shampoo, and also with my conditioner and lift each row to wash. I would like to do have crochet braids as my next PS but am wondering does the crochet hair get frizzy/tangled/worn looking etc since it's synthetic? Thanks.

Co-sign, BMP! I went to your blog and saw what you said about washing your crochets, and then that you condition and put gel on the hair... is that what keeps yours from getting frizzy?
Thank you!

 

[MissMeWithThatIsh]

I'm seriously considering crochet braids. I just need to know where to get them...

 

[davisbr88]

I'm seriously considering crochet braids. I just need to know where to get them...

You can do them yourself!
Check these videos out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTDxOgUM1vI
http://www.youtube.com/user/toysvoice#p/search/2/oWtfmuN0ggk

I plan on doing my own on May 1.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

BMP, how do you wash in crochet braids? Would it be pretty much the same technique as washing with a sew in? I have a sew in now and I use an applicator bottle with diluted shampoo, and also with my conditioner and lift each row to wash. I would like to do have crochet braids as my next PS but am wondering does the crochet hair get frizzy/tangled/worn looking etc since it's synthetic? Thanks.

Yep, same concept as washing with a weave It doesn't get frizzy on me at all I add gel to the curls after every wash, I sleep with a satin bonnet every night shake my curls out in the mornings and bounce

Co-sign, BMP! I went to your blog and saw what you said about washing your crochets, and then that you condition and put gel on the hair... is that what keeps yours from getting frizzy?
Thank you!

Thanks so much for reading my blog! I'd say what keeps it from getting frizzy is gelling the hair after every wash and sleeping with a satin bonet at night every night there are a couple more tricks but don't worry everyone I will be posting a video on everything I do to keep my crochet braid styles fresh super soon

 

[MissMeWithThatIsh]

You can do them yourself!
Check these videos out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTDxOgUM1vI
http://www.youtube.com/user/toysvoice#p/search/2/oWtfmuN0ggk

I plan on doing my own on May 1.

ok... that doesnt' look too difficult. I might give it a try

 

[soon2bsl]

Yep, same concept as washing with a weave It doesn't get frizzy on me at all I add gel to the curls after every wash, I sleep with a satin bonnet every night shake my curls out in the mornings and bounce

Thanks so much for reading my blog! I'd say what keeps it from getting frizzy is gelling the hair after every wash and sleeping with a satin bonet at night every night there are a couple more tricks but don't worry everyone I will be posting a video on everything I do to keep my crochet braid styles fresh super soon

Thanks BMP! I ended up finding/reading your blog after I posted my question, but thanks again for responding.

 

[AimWard]

When I transitioned (about 15 years ago), I used braids and I learned very quickly that I was allergic to synthetic hair. I kept them in 2 weeks and swiftly took them out. Haven't had braids since.

 

[missjones]

Think I'm subscribing . I'm trying to do my own braids for the first time this weekend. I'm excited!

 

[Imani]

bump!

I'm transitioning and in braids now and would like to hear more tips! I'm scuuuured for my hair! (first time wearing braids in years)