NATURALS Who Wear Braid Exxtensions...

[KizzieNapps]

I'm thinking of getting bread extensions for the winter months but I'm terrified of my hair drying out and not to mention the tangles and knots I will have after not detangling for a few weeks in braids. Has anyone been able to successfully wear braids w/o their hair drying out and breakage? Do any naturals use the crown and glory technique from growafrohairlong.com? Please share your regimens and tips. TIA.

 

[Keedah]

I had kinky twists in for 2 months with no problems. I washed weekly and put a leave in conditioner in a spray bottle and applied it to the twists only and applied olive oil daily. I had the edges redone after 4 weeks. Just make sue you use lots of conditioner when you take them out.

 

[BeetleBug]

I'm natural and I'm wearing micros right now. I took down the braids around my crown. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to redo them or just take all the braids down. New growth is getting out of control. I have no breakage and I have minimum shedding ( I'm surprised about that). My hair remained moisturized due to me spritzing my hair everyday. I didn't have to shampoo tough buildup out. I just used a little conditioner to get rid of the "dirt" and it rinsed right out. I wash my braids like every 2 weeks and I spritz my braids and scalp with a mixture of water/ Hairveda's Whipped Cream everyday. I got my braids done in early September.

 

[MrsQueeny]

I have braids right now (avatar pic). I wash my hair at least once a week and spray daily with a braid spray. I remove them by putting a cheap conditioner and water in a spray bottle and spraying it on the braid. Then I use my fingers to work out any dreaded sections and then follow with comb. I wear mine up to 3 months. HTH Q

 

[KizzieNapps]

How do you ladies poo??? Do you dilute it and pour it on the scalp?? Thanks for the responses so far, they are helping me already and taking away some of the fear. I dont know why I'm so anxious about it.

 

[MrsQueeny]

How do you ladies poo??? Do you dilute it and pour it on the scalp?? Thanks for the responses so far, they are helping me already and taking away some of the fear. I dont know why I'm so anxious about it.

Oh yeah I put water in an applicator bottle then the shampoo and shake it. I just squeeze it out on the length of my hair. I have a bunch of lather without applying it directly to the braids causing buildup. I massage my scalp and then rinse. I do the same with conditioner. Q

 

[KizzieNapps]

Oh yeah I put water in an applicator bottle then the shampoo and shake it. I just squeeze it out on the length of my hair. I have a bunch of lather without applying it directly to the braids causing buildup. I massage my scalp and then rinse. I do the same with conditioner. Q

Thank you Que, Build-up was one of my big concerns as well. I will definitely try this method

 

[KizzieNapps]

Another question, how do you DC while in braids w/o getting build-up. Should I do this like the Poo?? Just apply to the length of my hair, put on the shower cap and go??

 

[nuggetrock]

I've been wearing twists with extensions since June. I keep them in for 4 to 5 weeks then take down and give it a break for 2 to 3 days and get it done again. I moisturize with Infusium23 on the twists daily and seal (now that it's winter in Jersey) with an aloe vera/jojoba/jbco mixture. I use the C&G method to wash once a week. I use a huge 32oz cup with diluted shampoo and pour it over my head and squeeze through the twists...same with conditioner. I use a clarifying shampoo every other week to shampoo. I also use MT on my scalp only nightly ...and I'm discovering I have to re-braid more often now due to growth!

Also check out the braid regimen under "Favorite Stickies"...it was very helpful

HTH

 

[MrsQueeny]

Another question, how do you DC while in braids w/o getting build-up. Should I do this like the Poo?? Just apply to the length of my hair, put on the shower cap and go??

I do it with less water to dilute it. I let it sit while in the shower and wash the rest of my body and rinse my hair last giving it time to work. I don't dc as often while in braids because my hair doesn't go through a lot of stress while being in the braids so it is not needed. Q

 

[KizzieNapps]

I've been wearing twists with extensions since June. I keep them in for 4 to 5 weeks then take down and give it a break for 2 to 3 days and get it done again. I moisturize with Infusium23 on the twists daily and seal (now that it's winter in Jersey) with an aloe vera/jojoba/jbco mixture. I use the C&G method to wash once a week. I use a huge 32oz cup with diluted shampoo and pour it over my head and squeeze through the twists...same with conditioner. I use a clarifying shampoo every other week to shampoo. I also use MT on my scalp only nightly ...and I'm discovering I have to re-braid more often now due to growth!

Also check out the braid regimen under "Favorite Stickies"...it was very helpful

HTH

Going to go check out the Braid Regimen now! Thank you!!

 

[LadyPaniolo]

You've definately gotten some great advice in this thread. I have used the Crown and Glory method to get some serious growth.

Right now I'm bunning my braids, since my hair is long enough to rub against my clothes if I wear my braids down. Being braided offers some protection, but leaving the braids rubbing all over rough surfaces will still cause breakage. Some people get kinda lazy with this aspect when they are in braids, and it's not good for length retention. I still sleep with my satin bonnet on, and I also put a satin pillowcase on my pillow.

You mentioned that you are concerned about getting breakage while detangling. Wearing your hair in braids keeps the hair from getting tangled to begin with, in my experience. As long as your hair is combed through well while it is being braided, it stays that way till you take your braids down.

Another tip for healthy braids... when your hair is braided, some people divide the natural hair into 3 sections, and each strand of the braid contains natural hair and added hair (Kanekalon, etc). I used to do my braids like that, but I find that it makes takedown more difficult and can lead to tangling and breakage.

Now I attach the braid hair, and let my natural hair be the third strand all the way down till the last inch or so of my real hair. Only at that time do I "borrow" some hair from the two strands of synthetic hair and sandwich the false hair on either side of my ends. This becomes the third strand which I braid down either till the end (Kanekalon braids) or for an inch or so past my real hair and then tie off (human hair braids).

This method keeps the ends from sticking out of the sides of the braids, which is so embarassing! When people from 10 feet away can see the demarcation where your real hair ends, that is just not a good look! It also protects the ends from rubbing against things.

Whew, I wrote a book!

Hope this helps

 

[PPGbubbles]

I wear braid quite often. I have become a big fan of kinky twist because they do not take as long to remove as individuals.

But I was with diluted shampoo in applicator bottle as well. As far as dryness that can be combatted with using a diluted braid spray, diluted infusium, or any other diluted leave in off your choosing.

Most problems that ladies have come from 3 things
1) getting hair braided too tight initially
2) constantly pulling hair into tight ponytails
3) not taking the time to be carefull when removing the braids

If you watch out for these three things as well as moisturize your hair will grow just fine in braids.

 

[Nonie]

How do you ladies poo??? Do you dilute it and pour it on the scalp?? Thanks for the responses so far, they are helping me already and taking away some of the fear. I dont know why I'm so anxious about it.

I apply undiluted shampoo to my scalp and massage scalp to clean and then when I start to rinse, I squeeze it through my hair to get the dirt out of my strands.

I honestly think that if this is your first time doing this Crown & Glory is the safest regimen to follow and then later if you want to tweak your regimen get ideas. There are many people who've followed it and had great success. I had already developed a braid regimen by the time I heard of it so I didn't really need it, but I do recall a few members being featured on the site and they had great success.

I shared a few of the things to keep in mind in this post.

 

[darlingdiva]

I usually get individuals w/ Kanekalon hair for two months in the summer. When I wash them, I section the hair into three parts. Then I pour some Fantasia IC Tea Tree Naturals shampoo into a cup and dilute it with water. I pour the mixture over each of the sections.

I try to preserve my edges by not pulling them too tightly while styling. I also tell the braiders not to braid the edges tightly.

I spray my braids w/ JC Leave-In almost daily, and I wash the braids weekly. I also sleep with a scarf every night.

When I undo the braids, I take the Better Braids Unbraid Spray & generously spray the braids from ends to root. Then I begin removing the braids.