Cross Wrappers & Traditional Wrappers Enter

I prefer (after roller sets or flat ironing)...

  • Cross-wrapping it keeps my hair bouncy

    Votes: 9 16.7%
  • Traditional wrapping it keeps my hair bouncy, but I don't like what it does to my edges

    Votes: 15 27.8%
  • Traditional wrapping=bouncy hair; I have NOT experienced damage to my edges

    Votes: 22 40.7%
  • Cross-wrapping because it doesn't damage my edges, but my hair is NOT as bouncy

    Votes: 8 14.8%

  • Total voters
    54
  • Poll closed .

nymane

Well-Known Member
Back when my hair was very healthy I wrapped it every night with no problems... fast forward

Now it seems to be taking a toll on my edges (since they were already suffering), it's not really bad, but I notice it, and I don't want them to get worse. Anyway, I tried cross wrapping and I can't get the same swang/bounce that I do with the traditional method.

I've watched the cross wrap videos on youtube...

I was wondering if any of you ladies have any wrapping tip/tricks that protect edges, but still leave the hair bouncy.

TIA!
 
Me tooooo. Like, I have done the cross wrapping thing but the result isn't the same as traditional wrapping. IDK....maybe I'm doing it wrong. All I know that it is better than traditional wrapping.
 
Me tooooo. Like, I have done the cross wrapping thing but the result isn't the same as traditional wrapping. IDK....maybe I'm doing it wrong. All I know that it is better than traditional wrapping.

Yeah I might have to sacrifice bounce for health, hopefully someone gives us some tips! :)
 
I've never tried the cross wrap but I've done the traditional wrap for years. I've found that my hair looks good after the first day, but by day 2 my hair is so flat.

I don't like flat hair so I've stopped wrapping. If I wear my hair down I'll use pin curls and it leaves a slight wave/curl in my hair. To keep it straight I part in 2 and bring it to the back and just use a pin to keep it in place.

It's pretty straight the next morning but still has some volume. My aunt flat irons her hair and she just puts a satin bonnet on at night with no pins, wrap or anything. Her hair stays straight so I'm sure you just have to play around and see what works.
 
I don't like the manipulation that I have to use to unwrap and wrap my hair the traditional way! The cross wrap leaves my ends looking funny(probably user error). So I have been pincurling my hair at night, and using one large roller in the back of my hair to get a bump in the ends, or just using a few rollers down the back of my hair if I want a straighter look, less volume.

Traditional wrapping over time, even changing directions, pulls my edges too much.
 
I've never tried the cross wrap but I've done the traditional wrap for years. I've found that my hair looks good after the first day, but by day 2 my hair is so flat.

I don't like flat hair so I've stopped wrapping. If I wear my hair down I'll use pin curls and it leaves a slight wave/curl in my hair. To keep it straight I part in 2 and bring it to the back and just use a pin to keep it in place.

It's pretty straight the next morning but still has some volume. My aunt flat irons her hair and she just puts a satin bonnet on at night with no pins, wrap or anything. Her hair stays straight so I'm sure you just have to play around and see what works.

I don't like the manipulation that I have to use to unwrap and wrap my hair the traditional way! The cross wrap leaves my ends looking funny(probably user error). So I have been pincurling my hair at night, and using one large roller in the back of my hair to get a bump in the ends, or just using a few rollers down the back of my hair if I want a straighter look, less volume.

Traditional wrapping over time, even changing directions, pulls my edges too much.

I agree, I think pin curls might be the way to go. I've tried them, but I don't want my hair to be curly/wavy; I know there are different types of pin curls so maybe I'll experiment
:scratchch
 
i do a traditional wrap and my edges are fine, i dont know what i can do to help.
Im currently half wiggin it so when i get my relaxer i will try cross wrapping and see if i can acheive that swang, sorry i wasnt much of any help.
 
For years I have been on and off with wrapping because it tends to make my scalp sore. I never really noticed any problems with my edges...but I'm getting some thinning now. I can't say its from the wraps though.
 
I have tried cross wrapping and it does not give me the same look and I have to flat iron my ends when I cross wrap which I don't like to apply heat everyday.

When I traditional wrap I usually switch sides every 2 days. My edges are already thin and wrapping did not do that..lol..
 
I have been wrapping my hair now for most of this year and I have good results. I don't have any problems with my edges, my hair is not flat and the ends are not thin. It took me a while to figure out the keys for me:

FIRST - moisturized hair that has good protein/moisture balance is key or else it will be stiff and not swing no matter what your technique.

I make sure I wrap my hair by parting in small sections vertically and then wrapping that hair around with a wide tooth comb, then part another small slice and wrap etc. I think this keeps my scalp from being tender because I'm not forcing my hair against the follicle.

I also wrap slightly down and over my edges and nape so that hair is not exposed, its covered by the longer, thicker hair on top. Make sense? I'm protecting my edges with the hair over it.

Last, I don't wrap very tight, and I don't brush it alot, just a little with the boar bristle brush to smooth it after I wrap it with the comb. I also don't tie my scarf tight around the nape. My hair stays bouncy as long as I keep it moisturized for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.
 
I have been wrapping my hair now for most of this year and I have good results. I don't have any problems with my edges, my hair is not flat and the ends are not thin. It took me a while to figure out the keys for me:

FIRST - moisturized hair that has good protein/moisture balance is key or else it will be stiff and not swing no matter what your technique.

I make sure I wrap my hair by parting in small sections vertically and then wrapping that hair around with a wide tooth comb, then part another small slice and wrap etc. I think this keeps my scalp from being tender because I'm not forcing my hair against the follicle.

I also wrap slightly down and over my edges and nape so that hair is not exposed, its covered by the longer, thicker hair on top. Make sense? I'm protecting my edges with the hair over it.

Last, I don't wrap very tight, and I don't brush it alot, just a little with the boar bristle brush to smooth it after I wrap it with the comb. I also don't tie my scarf tight around the nape. My hair stays bouncy as long as I keep it moisturized for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.

I think I get what you're saying...wrapping in small sections sounds different; I'll give this a try. Thanks
 
i used to wrap my hair all the time years ago... now, no can do... especially wet hair, too much manipulation & breakage and it takes forever to dry now that my hair has gotten pretty long... i might wrap after a roller set but it's still too much manipulation for my liking
 
I dont like the manipulation of traditional wrapping, it works for a week or 2 after a fresh relaxer but thats it, i'm 10 weeks post now and i can still pull off a cross wrap, i get good bounce and swang if i use the right products and do it the right way.
 
When I wore a weave I used to cross wrap every night. My hair has never been long enough to cross wrap so I do a traditional wrap every night. I use a wide tooth comb and my boar bristle brush to keep my ends healthy.
 
Check out buildablebeauty on youtube, her wrapping tutorial is really good and very little manipulation. I'm going to start doing it that way when i do traditional wraps.
 
I have been wrapping my hair now for most of this year and I have good results. I don't have any problems with my edges, my hair is not flat and the ends are not thin. It took me a while to figure out the keys for me:

FIRST - moisturized hair that has good protein/moisture balance is key or else it will be stiff and not swing no matter what your technique.

I make sure I wrap my hair by parting in small sections vertically and then wrapping that hair around with a wide tooth comb, then part another small slice and wrap etc. I think this keeps my scalp from being tender because I'm not forcing my hair against the follicle.

I also wrap slightly down and over my edges and nape so that hair is not exposed, its covered by the longer, thicker hair on top. Make sense? I'm protecting my edges with the hair over it.

Last, I don't wrap very tight, and I don't brush it alot, just a little with the boar bristle brush to smooth it after I wrap it with the comb. I also don't tie my scarf tight around the nape. My hair stays bouncy as long as I keep it moisturized for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.

This is exactly what I do. And I hardly ever switch directions and I never have problems. Ditto everything above!:yep:
 
I checked her out...it was okay, but I like this method for traditional wrapping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av1xqkpL5hE

Thanks for the clip though!

I like her method but i couldnt use that size comb to wrap my hair at this stage in my stretch, even when i'm just relaxed i dont like doing it cause i feel like its unnecessary stress. Also when i use a brush, my edges always feel tender afterwards and tight and i dont like that cause i feel like i'm going to lose them if i keep it up.

I guess all in all you just have to use the right tools for you, traditional wraps will probably work for me now if i use my shower comb so i'll give it another shot.
 
I wrap traditionally and my edges are fine. I switch directions though.

I also don't wrap EVERY night, only the first 2 nights, maybe.

I usually don't care about the style after that and just bun or banana clip it.
 
I voted cross-wrapping. I do it kind of differently though. I part my hair down the middle, cross the two sides, but I don't pin it up. I simply throw on a bonnet and call it a night. I don't have problem with my edges, and my hair comes out bouncy and soft. I was using NTM silk-touch leave in (sparingly) on my hair and that was fine. I find CHI Silk Infusion much better though :yep:
 
I have been wrapping my hair now for most of this year and I have good results. I don't have any problems with my edges, my hair is not flat and the ends are not thin. It took me a while to figure out the keys for me:

FIRST - moisturized hair that has good protein/moisture balance is key or else it will be stiff and not swing no matter what your technique.

I make sure I wrap my hair by parting in small sections vertically and then wrapping that hair around with a wide tooth comb, then part another small slice and wrap etc. I think this keeps my scalp from being tender because I'm not forcing my hair against the follicle.

I also wrap slightly down and over my edges and nape so that hair is not exposed, its covered by the longer, thicker hair on top. Make sense? I'm protecting my edges with the hair over it.

Last, I don't wrap very tight, and I don't brush it alot, just a little with the boar bristle brush to smooth it after I wrap it with the comb. I also don't tie my scarf tight around the nape. My hair stays bouncy as long as I keep it moisturized for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.
same here. i dont wrap tightly. well i wrap lazily. just use a wide tooth comb swing it around brush down. throw on a scarf and go to sleep.
 
I did the traditional wrap on APL-BSL length hair for years, and it worked fine for a while, but at about year 5, it started thinning my edges. I'd always alternate the direction I'd wrap every other month, but my edges in front and back still got thinner than I liked. So, I stopped wrapping altogether, and worked hard on the edges. My edges re-bounded and so did my hair overall...it seemed about 30-40% thicker when I stopped wrapping, wearing it down all the time, and stopped the heat.

ETA: My mother does the traditional wrap, and I don't think she knows to alternate the direction to prevent thinning on one side, because she has severe thinning on the left side and in the crown due to wrapping, excessive heat and relaxer use, and just plain old bad habits like using a rattail comb to comb thru 4b hair! I try to suggest things about hair to her, but she's always been very indignant and thinks she knows every thing, so I've kept quiet since. Oh well.
 
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I traditional wrapped for years always wrapping in the same direction (clockwise). My hair is thinning on the right side. Not sure if it's due to wrapping in the same direction for years. My left side is on point with no thinning. I stumbled upon cross-wrapping a few months ago. Attempted it. It worked okay but it always left a big indent in my hair (my error, obviously). Then I came upon the LHCF and I'm focusing on protective styles like buns, etc so no more wrapping for me except when roller setting and doing the saran wrap treatment. I'm trying to rebuild thickness and overall health of hair.
 
When I do a traditional wrap, I change direction each time, 'BUT' I section off the edge that is supposed to be combed against the follicle and instead of wrapping it up, I comb it down and lossely pin the edge...for instance, if I wrap to the right then I section off a tiny part of the left edge and comb it to the left and pin it...and vice versa...so the bulk of my hair is wrapped in one direction, but my weak edges will go in their natural direction...I know this may sound confusing, but think of it as a mini cross wrap just for a teeny tiny section in the front...hth...and hope ur not totally confused...lol
 
I traditional wrapped for years always wrapping in the same direction (clockwise). My hair is thinning on the right side. Not sure if it's due to wrapping in the same direction for years. My left side is on point with no thinning. I stumbled upon cross-wrapping a few months ago. Attempted it. It worked okay but it always left a big indent in my hair (my error, obviously). Then I came upon the LHCF and I'm focusing on protective styles like buns, etc so no more wrapping for me except when roller setting and doing the saran wrap treatment. I'm trying to rebuild thickness and overall health of hair.
off topic but what is the saran wrap treatment?
 
I have been wrapping my hair now for most of this year and I have good results. I don't have any problems with my edges, my hair is not flat and the ends are not thin. It took me a while to figure out the keys for me:

FIRST - moisturized hair that has good protein/moisture balance is key or else it will be stiff and not swing no matter what your technique.

I make sure I wrap my hair by parting in small sections vertically and then wrapping that hair around with a wide tooth comb, then part another small slice and wrap etc. I think this keeps my scalp from being tender because I'm not forcing my hair against the follicle.

I also wrap slightly down and over my edges and nape so that hair is not exposed, its covered by the longer, thicker hair on top. Make sense? I'm protecting my edges with the hair over it.

Last, I don't wrap very tight, and I don't brush it alot, just a little with the boar bristle brush to smooth it after I wrap it with the comb. I also don't tie my scarf tight around the nape. My hair stays bouncy as long as I keep it moisturized for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.

When I do a traditional wrap, I change direction each time, 'BUT' I section off the edge that is supposed to be combed against the follicle and instead of wrapping it up, I comb it down and lossely pin the edge...for instance, if I wrap to the right then I section off a tiny part of the left edge and comb it to the left and pin it...and vice versa...so the bulk of my hair is wrapped in one direction, but my weak edges will go in their natural direction...I know this may sound confusing, but think of it as a mini cross wrap just for a teeny tiny section in the front...hth...and hope ur not totally confused...lol

Both of these methods sound like they could possibly solve my wrapping dilemma!! Cross- wrapping doesn't even touch traditional wrapping as far as results for my hair, but after years of wrapping... I've started to notice my thinning left edge and a lil thinning into the crown on the left side, and I am almost positive its been from wrapping.

I think protecting my edges w/ longer thicker hair might help... but I will try the "sectioning off" method first! It just makes soooo much sense! When I wrap, the left side is the only side being pulled in an "unnatural" direction, and the only side becoming thin. Im sure the "direction" is the culprit. I will attempt the "sectioning off" and " down and cover" methods and report back.

Thanks so much for these ideas ladies! Anymore advice... any visuals :grin:?
 
off topic but what is the saran wrap treatment?

After the hair is dry, rollers come out, apply product of choice, wrap hair (traditional style), cover head with saran wrap, sit under dryer for ~15mins. I'm at work and can't log into youtube to provide you with a link but if you search LHCF or yt, you should find a good visual representation of how this works. HTH.
 
I included a picture of how I do a 'traditional' wrap, to hopefully clear up any confusion...sometimes I put a little less of the edges into the semi-cross wrap, but it's easier to visualize with a larger section of hair...also...I alternate sides each time, this has pretty much kept my edges from breaking and my scalp less sore from combing against the grain...hth...:o.....also, please excuse the sloppiness of the wrap, I just wanted to give u guys an idea of how it looks.
 

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