Crown and Glory 2023!

[Napp]

I decided to switch my style from ponytail to braids and do the crown and glory method. My hair is getting long but the whole front has broken off at the new growth. Thankfully I have enough length where I can get my hair done with no extra hair added. My hair is on the thin side though idk if it’s just my hair is fine or my hair is actually thin or both.

It only cost 80 bucks to get my hair braided. I will do my best to keep the parts but I wouldn’t mind getting them done again. I think my next set will be twists.

 

[MzSwift]

They look great, @Napp !

I love when they start to soften and swing more after a few water rinses. Also the ends start to naturally curl.
Have fun with them! I usually just ponytail them or rock a high/top bun. lol

 

[Tangles]

I took my braids out completely on Friday, washed and conditioned on Saturday. When it comes to dealing with my hair after taking out braids, I'm so indecisive until it induces anxiety. I can remember when I first went natural, I was so attentive to my hair. Now, and especially since it has thicken back up from all of the breakage, it feels a little overwhelming to deal with (See pic). I spent the majority of the day Saturday installing mini braids, then later into the evening, attempting to put in some crochet braids onto the mini braids. Well, that was a fail and I then proceeded to take out the mini braids. Now, my hair is loose and for now I've decided that I would wear my hair in a puff but with a phony puff over my hair. I will try to keep my hair out of braids for the month of June; fingers crossed. If I don't get back the patience I once had with my hair, growing it longer will be a waste because I'll end up cutting it off

 

[MzSwift]

Aww, @Tangles . What made you anxious about the mini braids?

Please don't feel like you have to wait until you have longer hair to rock them. I started rocking them with 3" of hair and alternated them w/cornrows under wigs (during cold months) to grow my hair out to WL. And I'm someone who had never had hair past my shoulders.

When they were short, I used to pin the front back or just one side. But more often than not, I just rocked them w a headband just as I would a loose puff. Letting the ends curl up naturally helps the style to look better. They kept me from having to deal w SSKs, dryness and overmanipulation that I had w loose hair. Also, my texture was not WNG type so having it in mini braids allowed me to WNG daily without all of the fuss.

 

[Napp]

They look great, @Napp !

I love when they start to soften and swing more after a few water rinses. Also the ends start to naturally curl.
Have fun with them! I usually just ponytail them or rock a high/top bun. lol

I don’t plan on getting them wet until my trip lol. I’m going to a water park resort. I don’t know much about wearing braids with real hair. How often can I wet them? Can I deep condition with them in? So far they have been so stress free I want to keep them for at least a month

 

[Tangles]

Aww, @Tangles . What made you anxious about the mini braids?

Please don't feel like you have to wait until you have longer hair to rock them. I started rocking them with 3" of hair and alternated them w/cornrows under wigs (during cold months) to grow my hair out to WL. And I'm someone who had never had hair past my shoulders.

When they were short, I used to pin the front back or just one side. But more often than not, I just rocked them w a headband just as I would a loose puff. Letting the ends curl up naturally helps the style to look better. They kept me from having to deal w SSKs, dryness and overmanipulation that I had w loose hair. Also, my texture was not WNG type so having it in mini braids allowed me to WNG daily without all of the fuss.

Thank you MzSwift for your reply. I really am having second thoughts about growing my hair longer. With the amount of hair I have now, it is a little overwhelming and it's not long at all, but it is getting denser. I think it's the way I look with the mini braids that doesn't make me want to wear them out. I'm so used to looking a certain way that it's hard getting used to, especially since my hair is in the in-between stage with length. But here is the crazy part, I used to wear mini braids in my hair when I first went natural and did everything you suggested to make them more appealing. I was younger then too. I'm gonna keep going until the end of the year and see where my hair ends up length-wise. That way, if it gets long enough for me to pull it into a ponytail, I can keep them in longer and not have it out.

 

[MzSwift]

I don’t plan on getting them wet until my trip lol. I’m going to a water park resort. I don’t know much about wearing braids with real hair. How often can I wet them? Can I deep condition with them in? So far they have been so stress free I want to keep them for at least a month

Ooh, have fun!!

Yes and yes!! That's why I love them so much! You can do anything in them that you do with loose hair, without the fuss of detangling!
Yes, DC in them. I usually wet them daily or every other day and wear them down when I'm trying to be cute. lol. But mostly just wet them in the shower, slather on condish and then pull them back into a ponytail and that's it! Put on some big hoops and then go about my day. They're so easy and they make me hair lazy but they also help keep hair on my head bc I'm not overmanipulating it into a style all of the time. Girl, I've even plaited them to rock under wigs.

I have kept them in for months at a time by refreshing them one-by-one every 3-6 weeks. Take one down, finger detangle and rebraid. it. Don't take down the whole thing at once unless you are switching to a totally different style.

The only thing to watch out for is buildup at the roots. I typically only get it around the perimeter, the rest of my hair is fine. I'm sure that's bc of how I apply my product. But I refresh them often enough that buildup is minimal. Also, I started doing a clarifying poo the day or so before I take them down. That helps as well. Otherwise, I haven't run into any drawbacks besides the TIME it takes to put them in and take them down. HTH!

 

[Napp]

My braids are almost 2 weeks old and have grown out so much. I stopped washing them daily because some unraveled in the back. now im just wearing them in a bun. Will rebraid in a week or so. Thinking of adding more hair too. I really like the ease of my hair in this style.

 

[MzSwift]

I just found my stash of short curly wigs!!! I've been looking for them for the past year!
My face is fatter/rounder now and I haven't felt good rocking my pixie or straight wigs so I've just been keeping a bandana over my cornrows.
This find has just changed the game for me. I can comfortably say that I will be rocking my hair in cornrows under wigs until further notice and alternating in mini braids when I want to wear my hair "loose."

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@MzSwift I've always loved that gif lol

 

[Napp]

Decided to convert my braids to spring twists. Will probably do it when I get a chance

 

[Napp]

Ended up braiding my hair up again with no extension hair. It took me about 4.5 hours. I cannot do this again unless I wear my hair for at least 4 weeks at a time, not only after 2 weeks. I think daily washing killed their shelf life so i will not be wetting my braids as much and using dry shampoo to extend the life of these braids. I think i will try adding hair next time to bring the shelf like of the braids up to 2 months.

I really like Pure O Natural Neatbraid Beauty Professional Conditioning Shining Gel. Its much better than Shine and jam Magic fingers and Esha slick and slay. Its not sticky or oily and has great hold. Its even good for edges. my hair looks so neat and professional looking. This is a staple already!

 

[MzSwift]

Finished my mini braids Monday night. I decided to install them since I have a few events coming up and if I don't feel like rocking the wig, I can have an easy ready style. I'll probably keep them in a few months, refreshing them. They still help me HYH bc I am always surprised at my blown out or flat ironed length after rocking them for a while. I'll upload some pics later after I wet/wash them, I'm pooped!

@Napp

Aww, sorry to hear about your braids. Yeah, I agree that they're not a short term style. When I was natural, my ends would curl too and end up knotted. But once I started heavy sealing them and baggie bunning at night, I saw a decrease in SSKs. Did you heavy seal your ends? Did you still wrap it up at night? I like to use a satin mens skull cap and it helps to restrain the hair while I sleep, which flattens out the ends a bit. I think that also helped to reduce knots. You can definitely get away w rocking them for a few months if you wash/wet it less often, kinda like w extensions. But the benefit is that they can be wet or washed if you need to (like if you were in a stinky environment and you need to get the lingering smell out of your hair) and they will dry faster than with extensions. And if you need a break, you can still rock a wig over them or a high curly ponytail!

 

[Godsdaughter001]

Checking in. I took out my wet and wavy weave. Left it out for about a week. I’m in faux locs until at least the end of May.

So, unfortunately I had a set back with the faux locs. I should have kept the weave in! Instead of doing them myself, I let someone else do them "professionally". Now I remember why I don't like to let other people do my hair. So, the front of my hair used to reach in the middle of my chest. After taking down the faux locs, it's now at the bottom of my chin and looks like it's thinned. The back of my hair went from BSB to APL. I just took them down the last week of May. I was very bummed out and down about this. But, I'm back being optimistic. This is not the first set back I have had and I know what to do to get my hair health back.

So now I've had my hair out wearing wet buns and I will do that until the end of the month. I'll be back doing the C&G in July. I'll get some box braids and wet my hair daily and seal with rice bran/jojoba/wheatgerm oil.

 

[Napp]

Finished my mini braids Monday night. I decided to install them since I have a few events coming up and if I don't feel like rocking the wig, I can have an easy ready style. I'll probably keep them in a few months, refreshing them. They still help me HYH bc I am always surprised at my blown out or flat ironed length after rocking them for a while. I'll upload some pics later after I wet/wash them, I'm pooped!

@Napp

Aww, sorry to hear about your braids. Yeah, I agree that they're not a short term style. When I was natural, my ends would curl too and end up knotted. But once I started heavy sealing them and baggie bunning at night, I saw a decrease in SSKs. Did you heavy seal your ends? Did you still wrap it up at night? I like to use a satin mens skull cap and it helps to restrain the hair while I sleep, which flattens out the ends a bit. I think that also helped to reduce knots. You can definitely get away w rocking them for a few months if you wash/wet it less often, kinda like w extensions. But the benefit is that they can be wet or washed if you need to (like if you were in a stinky environment and you need to get the lingering smell out of your hair) and they will dry faster than with extensions. And if you need a break, you can still rock a wig over them or a high curly ponytail!

I haven't been heavy sealing my ends since I got the braids. I will go back to sealing my ends. I might have to pull out my headband wigs for a little change of pace. I missed my wigs. I'm going to wash and style a few tonight!

 

[MzSwift]

@Godsdaughter001
Oh no! That sucks. Sounds like you've got a good plan to get your hair back on track! Luckily, it's only June and six months is a lot of time turn things around. I'm sure you'll see some good progress by the EOTY.


Update:
Here's my wig for the moment. I plan to rock it until it gets too ratty and then move on to another curly one.




And here are my minibraids. To me, they look better with age and they get a little messy and less scalpy.



So I'll be rocking them under my wig for HYH and out in a ponytail/bun on days when I can't be bothered to throw on my wig. lol
Probably the rest of the year. Hoping to see some good progress by the EOTY.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

Time to take these braids down. They're starting to love each other a little too much for my liking.

 

[MzSwift]

Time to take these braids down. They're starting to love each other a little too much for my liking.

Ah yes, the marrying. Lol

Are you planning to switch styles? If not, can you just refresh them one by one so that it's not a cumbersome task?

I do it once a month. To me, it's like doing a loc retightening but the style isn't permanent.

 

[Napp]

So, unfortunately I had a set back with the faux locs. I should have kept the weave in! Instead of doing them myself, I let someone else do them "professionally". Now I remember why I don't like to let other people do my hair. So, the front of my hair used to reach in the middle of my chest. After taking down the faux locs, it's now at the bottom of my chin and looks like it's thinned. The back of my hair went from BSB to APL. I just took them down the last week of May. I was very bummed out and down about this. But, I'm back being optimistic. This is not the first set back I have had and I know what to do to get my hair health back.

So now I've had my hair out wearing wet buns and I will do that until the end of the month. I'll be back doing the C&G in July. I'll get some box braids and wet my hair daily and seal with rice bran/jojoba/wheatgerm oil.

Those faux locks be eating up peoples hair. This isn't the first time I've heard this. Its more of a regular style than a protective style. Not all braided styles are protective.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

Ah yes, the marrying. Lol

Are you planning to switch styles? If not, can you just refresh them one by one so that it's not a cumbersome task?

I do it once a month. To me, it's like doing a loc retightening but the style isn't permanent.

I actually don't know what I'm gonna do. I tried taking them down one by one and redoing them, but I didn't have a system and just gave up a lil bit lol. I might just wear it in a bun or ponytail for a little bit.

 

[MzSwift]

I actually don't know what I'm gonna do. I tried taking them down one by one and redoing them, but I didn't have a system and just gave up a lil bit lol. I might just wear it in a bun or ponytail for a little bit.

Lol, aww. ((BIG HUG))
I just turn on some Snapped/Dateline on TV and do one row at a time (row from ear to ear) starting at the front. So that way, if I don't get to finish another row, my hair looks refreshed. lol

 

[MzSwift]

Converting my minibraids back to cornrows. It's only been 2 weeks and I've got a lot of loose roots. It's looking like it usually does at 4 weeks! I'm not complaining bc this is encouraging but just a disappointment bc I love the ease and versatility of rocking my minibriads. I can usually keep these in for 3-4 weeks before they start to look like this, even in the summer. Hoping it's that one of the growth aids/techniques I've been
using is actually working bc I'm usually a slow grower (approx 4"/yr). It's a lot easier for me to refresh cornrows weekly or biweekly than it is for me to refresh minibraids biweekly.

I am definitely seeing more hang time on the tails of my cornrows than I was a few months ago.

 

[MzSwift]

Family trip is over! Converted minibraids back to cornrows. I've missed them! lol

Trying out 13 cornrows this time instead of 7-8 to see if I can keep them in longer before refreshing them.
Hope to stay in cornrows until my Oct hair check in

 

[Napp]

I’ve been wearing 5 big cornrows for a week and they have began to tangle at the roots at the back of my head where they are kind of loose. I am going to the beach and then redoing them smaller like @MzSwift. I will also do piggy back box braids instead of cornrows because I can do the tighter in the back

 

[Napp]

I realized that I don’t need to moisturize my hair daily while in braids. Once or twice a week is enough. My hair still feels soft and moisturized and tangles less this way

 

[MzSwift]

Wow! Already coming up on 2 weeks in these cornrows. They're holding up really well! So smaller cornrows is a WIN! I've barely rocked a wig bc I rarely leave the house. So they stay under a satin skull cap and a bandana. Also, I've cut back to only cleansing them in the shower 1-2x/week. My scalp needs water daily so I put 80-90% water + herbal oil in an applicator bottle and use that daily on my scalp before applying my growth aid. I also GHE at least 3x/week - sometimes overnight, sometimes during the day.

While I could probably go another week, I'm gonna wash, DC and redo them anyway. I like to stay ahead of matting by redoing them often instead of pushing it a month and having a setback from matting/tangling.

 

[Napp]

Back to crown and glory method. I got my hair done in mini twists with added hair professionally.She added too much hair per section and it’s very heavy and stiff. I hate it but I’m going to keep it because I spent a ridiculous amount of money on my hair to get it professionally done. I will keep the parts and redo them myself in 1-2 months. No oils just braid spray and water based scalp drops and a dry shampoo every 2 weeks focusing on the scalp. I’m keeping the regimen super simple. I have no patience for my hair anymore

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@Napp I'm glad you found something to help. I personally do not like a lot of hair added to my styles myself. I had some braids once and it was soo heavy. I could only last a month with them and I got the most relief with it in a bun.

 

[MzSwift]

GL w your twists, @Napp! I totally understand needing a hair break.

Update:
So I didn't redo my cornrows, had another project come up. Too tired to do them now. Wednesday will be week 3. I did wash and DC them though. Still M&Sing daily and keeping them under some satin.

 

[Napp]

Currently liking Jamaican mango lime gro spay. The PJ in me wants to try different braids sprays but this one works well so I’ll stick with it. Currently looking for a good twisting gel