Any naturals band their hair every night?

[Arian]

I'm just curious. I band my hair after washing/dcing to stretch it so that it won't shrink or create more knots than I can handle.

I was wondering if it would be too much manipulation to band it each night before bed. It seems that I get knots on the end when I twist or braid each night.

Anybody else do this?

 

[BlkOnyx488]

i usually do 6 sectioned braids to prevent srinkage. i have tried banding a few times i didn't like the results as much.

i guess i am not much help
well at least i bumped your thread

 

[Curlykale]

I do 6 braids too and often gather them into a bun. I don't think it should be a problem, especially if you use elastic bands that don't cause damage (with metal parts). you could even wrap the sections with silk or satin and then band if you feel nervous about it, or band using satin ribbons: that's just an idea that came into my mind right now though as I've never tried, but I don't think it's necessary... And if you hair feels moisturized and you are not pulling it a lot or scratching it with those bands, I don't think it would be overmanipulation. I do manipulate my hair every night by making those braids, and since I moisturize while doing it and I only use my fingers (gently), I find it beneficial. My hair is happier when stretched.

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I don't do that but I don't think there is anything wrong with it, I think thats old school hair care and how many stories do we hear about how long our hair use to be lol. I wouldn't say that was low manipulation especially if you style every morning but it isn't high manipulation either. Just my opinion tho.

 

[southerncitygirl]

everyones hair is different try it and see if it works for you. also up your moisture levels maybe thats why you are getting the knots.

 

[darlingdiva]

I band my hair when it's in twists (in other words, almost every night). I soak my non-metal elastic bands in a jar that is filled with whatever oil I have on hand (right now, it's grapeseed oil.).

I like banding because it stretches my hair and it produces a nice wave along the length of my twists.

 

[lilyofthenile]

I don't band. I tend to twist or put it in braids to stretch it.

 

[Nonie]

I too braid to stretch my hair. Never thought banding could stretch my hair as well as braiding does. Every time people say braids make their ends knot up, I"m intrigued and wish I could see the sort of braids they make? @Arian, do you braid to the ends? Also when braiding, do you smooth/stretch out your hair?

Anyway, I don't think banding nightly is too much manipulation. I would not dream of going to bed w/o braiding my hair if loose and I consider that common sense and good practice. Anything different would lead to more manipulation than my hair can stand and lots of breakage. The minimal manipulation of nightly braiding (or banding) would save you the need to detangle which IMO is over-manipulation.

 

[growinghealthyhair]

Nonie

That's really good info. Takes notes*

 

[MzSwift]

I band my hair nightly the majority of the time that I wear it loose. I hope that makes sense.

When I'm away from home and my hair is loose, I'm usually rocking a puff b/c it's easy. So every night, I take down my puff, M&S,put my hair into 2-5 banded ponytails (banded all the way down) and then wrap with my silk scarf. The process takes about 10-15 minutes with a loose fro.

HTH!

Just to add: I only wear my hair out for about 1 week at a time. I primarily do PSing or low manipulation styles.

 

[Arian]

Thanks to everyone that responded. I've been natural for a year and am still trying to find something that works. Someone mentioned before about starting a hair journal and I have been recording methods that work for my hair. Banding is what I have tried lately, so was just wanting to get some feedback.

Nonie, I have been braiding to the ends. I have determined that I simply wasn't moisturizing my hair enough. Today, I used the LOC method to moisturize my hair and I must say that it works. Also, co-washing 3x's a month and shampooing and DCing each month helps me out with moisture. I have narrowed down my products quite a bit and happy to say that I have found what works. My only issue is that I have so many products to use up. (going off on a tangent though)

But now that I know it is okay to band every night, I will do so when I'm not wearing twists.

 

[Poohbear]

I don't band my hair. Seems like too much work for my very shrinky hair. When my natural hair is loose, I usually put my hair into 4-6 flat twists at night. When my hair is in small twists, I put my hair into 1-3 braids at night. When my hair is straightened, I put it in a loose high bun at night.

 

[Foxglove]

I braid nightly. it's a lot faster and easier than banding to me and stretches my hair out pretty nicely