Naturals do you blow out

[Curlykutie]

your hair braiding? I don't and I was wondering is it better to blow it out or just wash,detangle and moisturize?

 

[MrsJaiDiva]

I guess it's what works for the individual, but blow outs don't work for me at all. My hair explodes into a huge poofy mess. I just keep it to WnG's, and soon twist outs.

 

[Ogoma]

your hair braiding? I don't and I was wondering is it better to blow it out or just wash,detangle and moisturize?

Is this for braiding your hair with extensions? I read somewhere on here that it is better not to as the hair will shrink up and get messier quicker or something to that effect. It believe it was an Nonie's comment.

 

[Curlykutie]

Yes it's for extensions.

 

[naturalTAN]

After washing, I add my leave-in and plait my hair in about 6-8 big braids and let it air-dry. The next day, I gently comb each braid out with a wide-tooth comb and this leaves me with a blown-out look that is stretched enough for extension braids.

 

[NappyNelle]

I used to do the same thing as naturalTAN, but I was transitioning at the time. I would still use her method over blowing my hair out because I don't have a dryer, and air drying with moisturizer is so much easier to me.

 

[Poohbear]

If I were to get extensions on my natural hair, I would blowdry it first. My natural hair, even when airdried, is too shrinky and loves to matt.

 

[Nonie]

Is this for braiding your hair with extensions? I read somewhere on here that it is better not to as the hair willhrink up and get messier quicker or something to that effect. It believe it was an @Nonie's comment.

Ogoma is right: I do not believe in blowdrying hair if you want good neat braids that last a long time wash after wash. Before my last install, I had straightened hair and on the weekend I was going to put them in, I washed my hair so that it was not stretched straight. I usually part with fingers when putting the extensions in but I know I'd love straight parts when styling my braids so before washing my hair, I made nice straight parts when putting it in the braids I was to wash my hair in.

Because I undo and rebraid my hair throughout the wash, I end up with braids at the end of my wash and you can see how shrunken my hair was at the end of my wash. I let my hair airdry in the final braids so that my hair is partly stretched like @naturalTAN does.

Braiding when my hair isn't straightened by a blow dry or flat iron means when I wash my hair, there will not be that accordion effect as my hair shrinks. You can see the freshly done braids here:

Below were my braids after a wash. They unraveled up to where my hair was, but the braids stayed neat:

I washed my hair twice a week. Below are the same braids 10 months later after another wash:

Besides the accordion effect, if your hair is blowdried straight or flat ironed before you put the extensions in, when you wash your hair, you'll have the braids looking fuzzy as the previously straight and sleek hair shrinks and sticks out of the braid.

I think of braiding pre-shrunken hair that is braid-stretched as being the same as buying pre-shrunken jeans. Washing doesn't change the look. And when I undo my braids, my hair is usually very straight and easy to deal with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j68_fk46rNk

 

[SoopremeBeing]

I normally air dry until it's slightly damp, then I blow dry for five minutes. I can't let my hair completely air dry: a lot of matted mess that I don't like to deal with.

 

[Curlykutie]

Thanks Nonie,I'm going to wash my hair use a little moisturizer and twist the night before and get it done.

 

[KurlyNinja]

Nonie

You have SO much hair!!! Sorry for my surprise reaction, its just that I've never seen a full shot of your hair. And its gorgeous!

 

[CandiceC]

Nonie, you wore the same braids for 10 months?

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie

You have SO much hair!!! Sorry for my surprise reaction, its just that I've never seen a full shot of your hair. And its gorgeous!

KurlyNinja, you're not talmbout the extensions are you? That be another someone else's hair that was shipped from across the sea and I paid a good penny for it then braided it into my own to pretend it be mine.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie, you wore the same braids for 10 months?

CandiceC I believe I wore them longer than that. IIRC, I wore them from April 2009 to August 2010. I still have the hair and the video I posted I actually made to show someone who asked me how I'm able to reuse my hair even after such a long time that it doesn't get damaged. That's why I don't feel guilty spending about $200 for two packs of human hair, coz I use it for years.

Previously I've worn the same hair from end of 2004 to summer 2006. I just undo and redo the braids one at a time while watching TV and so I'm able to keep the same hair all that time without having my hair loose. It also keeps the braids looking good.

 

[KurlyNinja]

Nonie

Aw... is that really not your hair??? Because it looks like it. I so want it to be your hair so I can drool over it.

 

[Curlykale]

@Nonie this is genius, it makes so much sense. And your hair looks great! I think I remember you saying that, in order to prevent matting near the scalp, you need to add some kind of hair (instead of braiding your hair only) because it kind of keeps your strands tidier.
And basically by undoing and redoing each braid you remove the shed hair without tangles.

I see that you braided from the very start of the scalp: is this needed in order to prevent a mess when you shampoo your braids? I have always wondered how people shampoo their braids without going crazy but your pictures and techniques make it look so easy that I want to braid my hair right now.

That would be my first question.
The second one is: do you braid with some kind of product or not?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the slight off topic...

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie this is genius, it makes so much sense. And your hair looks great! I think I remember you saying that, in order to prevent matting near the scalp, you need to add some kind of hair (instead of braiding your hair only) because it kind of keeps your strands tidier.
And basically by undoing and redoing each braid you remove the shed hair without tangles.

I see that you braided from the very start of the scalp: is this needed in order to prevent a mess when you shampoo your braids? I have always wondered how people shampoo their braids without going crazy but your pictures and techniques make it look so easy that I want to braid my hair right now.

That would be my first question.
The second one is: do you braid with some kind of product or not?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the slight off topic...

@Curlykale, I'm not sure I understand your question w/r/t "braiding from the start of the scalp". Are there people who leave the roots loose and then braid from somewhere in the middle? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your question. Can you explain what other way there is of braiding so I know how to answer?

Shampoo is the easy part. I apply it undiluted to my fingers and feel through my braids to my scalp. Cleaning the scalp is the most important part and so I aim to get shampoo on that. (This is of course after wetting my whole head.) I massage it into the scalp to get it clean. This massage is the highlight of my wash. I then hold head under the shower head and let the lukewarm water start to rinse. As the suds run through my hair, I squeeze handfuls of braids while letting them hang down. I squeeze so the suds soak through and clean my hair. If the suds aren't white, I will repeat the scalp shampoo and braid squeeze during the rinse.

Now THIS is the important part: when you apply conditioner, you MUST skip the inch or so close to the scalp. That hair is new and much healthier than the older hair and it won't suffer if you don't condition it. But the main reason for this is by avoiding the base of your braids, you don't risk conditioner getting caught at the start of the braid and matting up your hair so that it breaks the day you take the braids out. Also in order to apply conditioner well, use the relaxer application method--only without a brush. You could either have all the braids plaited together before starting and pull out a few at a time; or you could have them all braids loose and plait the ones you have already applied conditioner to in order to keep them out of the way. So no matter which method you use, you take a few braids, apply some conditioner on your fingers and then skipping the section of the braids closest to your scalp (about an inch) you smooth conditioner from that point all the way to where you hair ends. Do that to another bunch and then hold all those with conditioner together an squeeze several times moving along their length so that conditioner penetrates the braid to condition all your strands. Whether I use the all braided first method or braid after application method, I leave the braids hanging down so that conditioner can be concentrated more toward ends where it's most needed and away from my scalp. Another reason for skipping that inch close to scalp (I do this even when not wearing extension and even when my hair is loose), is because conditioner is for hair and it has no business on the scalp. Conditioner is supposed to leave coating when you rinse it off to protect hair and that coating on the scalp would only lead to itches on my head. I'm not saying you won't get some conditioner on your scalp, but at least you didn't get there on purpose.

Rinsing is done again with the squeezing motion and after you get the conditioner out, you should still let more of the shower water spray your scalp as you massage to make sure you don't have any residue. I usually know my hair is properly rinsed when I don't see anymore frothing water coming out of it.

Now because I love to finish my wash with an ACV rinse, I will usually put 1/4 cup of ACV in a basin of lukewarm water (about 2 gallons) add 20 drops of lavender essential oil and 20 drops of rosemary essential oil. Sometimes I'll add liquid sage. I then dunk my head into that solution and as my hair soaks in the goodness of the solution, I massage my scalp to my hearts content. This massage ensures I remove any conditioner residue, is good for circulation...and the soak of my hair ensures the cuticles of my hair are closed due to the acidity of the solution.

Now I do want to mention that if one is worried that the braids may slide or unravel, one could put the braids in several big plaits and wash in them. You would not have to unravel them during the wash. You would still be able to feel through them to your scalp because you'd do the plaits loosely at the base. You may just need to undo during the rinsing to ensure you remove all shampoo and conditioner...but even then undo one at a time and then rebraid it back. The other cool thing about putting the braids in plaits is the conditioning part will be quick and easy as your have your hair already divided. But still do work on a few braids at a time so you can ensure you don't waste conditioner and you apply it meticulously. Like do only say 5-10 braids at a time till you have completed that section then plait it up to get it out of the way as you work on another.

When I braid my hair (and this where many of you will clutch pearls), I do not use ANY product. I honestly believe this another reason why I don't have any matting when I take my braids out. That and redoing the braids one at a time as I get new growth so that I move the tension of the extension's starting point to the newer strong hair and also stop any matting that might've been threatening to happen. Because I wash my hair twice a week and because I baggy every night on bare hair, I find my hair stays so soft...has a nice fresh smell of conditioner (as that is the last thing--beside the ACV rinse--that was used in my hair) and just feels so clean. In fact, my wash takes minutes and is more like an excuse to get moisture in my hair and get my massage on...than really to clean my hair. But a clean scalp means easy flow of sebum and honestly my hair doesn't feel dry.

I do DC when in braids too. (My regimen doesn't change just coz I'm in braids.) I just follow the same rules of application of the treatment, skipping the base, squeezing the braids for penetration, braiding the treated areas so I can focus on the rest, leaving my hair hanging. Because the braids are long, if I want to wear a "cap" for the DCing, or even just a regular conditioner so I can complete my shower without conditioner dripping all over me, I use a plastic bag. I hold it open in front of me, bend over letting my hair fall into the bag. I then use the handles as ties and tie them behind my head while still holding my head down. Then I whip my head up so hair is flipped over my head while in the bag and hanging. The other good thing with this is your ends end up bathing in the liquid that collects inside the bag so getting a good dose of conditioning.

Sorry for the long response.

 

[temfash]

After washing, I add my leave-in and plait my hair in about 6-8 big braids and let it air-dry. The next day, I gently comb each braid out with a wide-tooth comb and this leaves me with a blown-out look that is stretched enough for extension braids.

This is the same way I prepare my hair as well.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie

Aw... is that really not your hair??? Because it looks like it. I so want it to be your hair so I can drool over it.

@KurlyNinja, did you miss the photo of the shrunken hurr just before the braid extensions pic? Plus the question I was responding to was w/r/t extensions. Girl will you stay awake in class?

What's more, I think everyone and their momma know I'm of the 4B persuasion. Braids on my hair alone don't look silky nor would they be wave like wet n wavy human hair. My braids without extensions have this dull look:

They may be shiny if my hair is straightened:

And my hair doesn't hang long when it's been freshly washed. My hair shrinks so that clearly would not be my hair:

I can't believe you really thought that was my hair. You need time-out for that coz as vocal as I am about 4B stuff, I dunno how you'd confuse that with kinky hair.

 

[Curlykale]

@Nonie thanks a lot for explaining in detail, your answer really helps.Especially because I always get matted hair near the scalp in like... 48 hours and I thought it was just my hair being like that, I couldn't explain it.
Instead, I am guilty of coating my roots with thick conditioners before braiding for my braidouts. Wrong.

As for my expression "braiding from the scalp" (lol) I guess you don't braid from the ends do you ! Yeah, I meant that I "get distracted" when I start braiding and the braid starts "wherever". lol. Wrong again.

This is going to save my mental sanity.

 

[Rocky91]

i always blowout my hair first.
it's much easier to deal with, for me (if i'm braiding it myself) or the braider.
the look doesn't really change after a washing if they were done properly.