Are micros inherently damaging?

[LadyPaniolo]

Or does it depend upon how well you take care of them (moisturize, tie up at night, careful washing)?

I've heard some of y'all talk about micros like they are the debil himself!

I'm putting micros in my hair right now and I wondered what you ladies thought.

 

[BeetleBug]

I have micros in right now. I have taken down some braids around the edges and other places to redo them. My edges are still intact and I have no breakage. I think it depends on how you are taking care of them and how tight they are.

 

[Nubian.Queen]

I have micros in right now. I have taken down some braids around the edges and other places to redo them. My edges are still intact and I have no breakage. I think it depends on how you are taking care of them and how tight they are.

I totally agree...especially how tight they are and how tight you style your braids.

 

[TLC1020]

Although I voted depends on how you care for them... My hair became damaged.. I wore micros for two months, used braid spray/oil, washed them in the shower and spruced them up some.. When I took them bad fella's down my hair was so matted together I felt like crying and pulling my hair out I went back to the African shop and she looked like she was confused when I asked her to take out the remaining braid. She did but she didn't know what to do next, she said she is not a licensed stylist so she is not sure what to put in my hair...

 

[bellebebe]

Braids in general are damaging if you don't care for your natural hair. It sucks out the moisture of your hair and that's why you always need to keep it moisturized.

 

[nappystorm]

Never damaged mine. I think what damage the hair is pulling the braids back in a ponytail right after they are done. I usually wear mine down and wait 3 or 4 weeks before I pull them up. Also I think the way people take them down can be damaging too. I slather mine with conditioner and slowly unravel each braid. It takes forever but I still have my hair.

 

[GeorgiaCutie]

I had micros and my hair wasn't damaged with them. It actually grew a them.A lot of people get braids and think they can just leave them alone and not care for them. They need to be washed and moisturized. If your braids are too tight do not pull them back everyday then be suprised when you have no edges. You just have take care of them

 

[LadyPaniolo]

Never damaged mine. I think what damage the hair is pulling the braids back in a ponytail right after they are done. I usually wear mine down and wait 3 or 4 weeks before I pull them up. Also I think the way people take them down can be damaging too. I slather mine with conditioner and slowly unravel each braid. It takes forever but I still have my hair.

Amen to that. Pulling them back into a ponytail when they are freshly done and don't have any new growth under them WILL rip your hair out. Ask me how I know.

 

[LadyPaniolo]

Although I voted depends on how you care for them... My hair became damaged.. I wore micros for two months, used braid spray/oil, washed them in the shower and spruced them up some.. When I took them bad fella's down my hair was so matted together I felt like crying and pulling my hair out I went back to the African shop and she looked like she was confused when I asked her to take out the remaining braid. She did but she didn't know what to do next, she said she is not a licensed stylist so she is not sure what to put in my hair...

I'm so sorry you had matting with your micros. It sounds like you did everything right and still had damage. I guess every style isn't for everybody.

 

[DarkAngell]

I had micros over the summer and my hair thrived. I moisturized ....but not even as much as i should've. I was very careful taking them out. Took me 14 hrs

I did do it on natural hair. I know that makes a difference in the outcomes for some people.

 

[ResultsMayVary]

I think it depends on the type of hair you have, for instance ...

any type of braids, even loose, moisturized and well taken care of damage my edges only because the hair there is very fine, thin and weak, but the rest of my hair thrives in braids.

 

[Nonie]

I would discourage anyone from getting micros unless you're doing them yourself so you can regularly touch them up as they get loose at the base (this not only stops them matting but also ensures they don't break off with your hair or pull it off--Anyone who's a veteran of braids can tell you how painfully they swing, especially along the hairline when they are loose); so you can ensure that the braids are put in firmly but not tightly; so you can ensure that the additional hair added per section of your own, is a lot less than that section of your own hair.

Now as I always say, micros are relative. What some call micros, I call nano because they look like three hairs were used per section. I call my braids micros and while the braids look thin, they are that way because I add very little hair. To give you an idea how much hair I use, in the braids you see below, I used one pack and 1/8 of Beverly Johnson's Wet n Wavy Human Hair. I've heard of people using 6 packs. BAD!!!

If you won't be doing your own braids so you can touch them up as needed, then I suggest you follow the Crown and Glory directions to a T. That means, no micros. Pencil sized braids is what Robin advises. www.growafrohairlong.com

 

[Lanea87]

I never had any problem with them besides my edges but not lately.

 

[Digital Tempest]

I think it depends on how well you care for them and your hair type. I took care of them when I used to get them, but no matter how I sliced it micros just did not agree with my fine/thin hair. It took me forever and plenty of breakage to learn this, too.

 

[Ramya]

I wore them when I transitioned the first time. I didn't lose any hair at all but they weren't tight or heavy and I was very careful with them.

 

[danigurl18]

I've worn them for years and I have never had any damage from them...

 

[asummertyme]

just make sure you take really good care of your hair and when they grow out retouch them especially the nape and edges..and u should be fine..,but they are a mutha to take out..i am still taking out braids for the last week and they werent even friggin micros..

 

[GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I]

When I do my own singles with human hair, they are good. When I got my hair done at African shops (except for 1 dear stylist who is a licensed cosmetologist), takedown revealed just how much micros damaged my hair. I took care of it. I think my snapped hairs came from how they braided them.

 

[yuriko]

For me, they have always been damaging, no matter how well they were done, and how well I took care of them. I have learned to take better care of them, but I would defer, and just do slightly bigger braids, but micros seem to work well for some people here, but I cant risk no setbacks any time soon

 

[nc cutie]

I have had micro's for 9mths. Not the same ones. But I always have tremedous growth. It is keeping the hair that I have a problem with. That's why I am glad to find this website.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

Braids damage my hair but then again I get real lazy when I have them.

 

[Ivonnovi]

I voted it depends how you care for them. (and how they are put in.)
I recently had mine "professionally" braided, and have lost a braid or 2 with my hair from around the my temple area. I've since redid my fragile temple area with less hair per braid and less tension at the roots. As for the rest of my head, after 6 weeks I'm working my way back through my head and slowly doing them over.

With that said. If you know your hair is thin and fragile, you should take the precautions to protect those areas. (As I should have. The professional's finished product looked better, but WAS NOT THE BEST for my hair type. )

 

[pisceschica]

I think it depends on how tight they are and the frequency in which you get them. . but me personally I wouldn't get them especially if my hair was fine and more than two inches. .

The only thing about braids is if you moiturize the w/ sprasy etc even ones specifically for braids you may have problems with them looking dirty and then you have to wash them which causes them to slip. .

 

[Encore]

ha! i will never put micros in my hair, one little tug, there goes the whole brain, maybe on NATURAL (non relaxed) yes. but RELAXED. absolutely not, the hair is fragile enough and I seen girls completely loose their hair line from pulling it back in styles...ill pass thank you.

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Actually, the last set of micros I had were the smallest I've EVER had. To my surprise, they didn't leave a lot of damage! It's really weird. My hair line is very sensitive to braiding so I don't do micros more than once a year or so.

 

[jennboo]

Whenever you plan to get your hair braided, section off your edges (clip'em up, twist'em) so that the braider knows not to touch those sections of hair.

Learn how to install extensions and install your own braids around those sensitive parts. Its more likely that you'd put them in looser, grab bigger sections of hair, and handle the edges more carefully.

I no longer allow braiders to braid my edges, i do them myself, and have had great results.

 

[atlien11]

I have never had any luck with Micros. There were very pretty but my hair seemed much thinner once i took them out

 

[almond eyes]

I stopped wearing braids because eventually I did not have the time to get them done often because of work and it was very drying on my hair. However, when I lived in West Africa my hairdresser used to do micros on my head and I would get them done every four weeks. She used a method that did not ruin my hair or hair line. I would only slip the extension from the top to remove. I would never get my hair done in micros too small like strings (literally like strands of hair) or with a hairdresser that did not know how to braid the micros in a way that I would not be able to loosen the extension from the top as opposed to the extension braid sitting so tight on the root of the hair that one must loosen from the bottom. African hairdressers in the States hate to braid it where one can loosen the extension hair from the top because they have to bend and twist which they hate.

Best,
Almond Eyes