Crown and Glory Vets, please help

[sunshinelady]

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess already.

Do I really need to use the sponge to wash my braids?
Did you really wash every day?
How did you condition your hair?
What braid spray worked the best for you?
Did you use a creamy leave-in?
Did you oil your scalp?


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?

 

[naturalgurl]

I'm not a crown and glory vet, BUT I transitioned in braids and came out with a huge mane. I rinsed my hair every other day. I didn't use shampoo and conditioner because it caused build up and gave me a helluva mess to pick through when I took my braids down. My advice, DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT WILL CAUSE BUILD UP. This is most products. Knowing what I know now, I would use extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and what not to oil the scalp. I would use castile soap every two weeks to wash. If you wash a lot this causes all of the dirt to clump up where the braid is attached. When you take your braids down I would SATURATE the hair with olive oil and some cheapy conditioner to cause slippage and to make seperating the build up clumps easier so you won't lose so much hair. Good luck girly! Here's a BUMP for the crown and glory pros.

 

[baddison]

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess all ready.

Do I really need to use the sponge to was my braids?
Did you really wash every day?
How did you condition your hair?
What braid spray worked the best for you?
Did you use a creamy leave-in?
Did you oil your scalp?


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?

I got tremendous growth doing the hardcore C&G challenge here on the boards. Its almost over for me....next week I will be out of braids.

My regimen was simple, maybe a bit modified:
First off, I didn't do boxbraids, only cornbraids with extensions. Did them myself. Unfortunately they only lasted about 2-3 weeks, before getting sooo loose they needed to be redone. NO problem for me, since it only took a few hours to slap some really nice cornrows in there....

I washed my braids 1x per week....every saturday (sometimes 2x per week, on Wednesday)
I never sponged my braids I always used diluted shampoo followed by diluted conditioner. I also always use a stocking cap over my head to keep the braids in place and definitely minimize the "frizzies".

I made sure I use the pads of my fingers to massage the scalp areas, where the braids were parted with the shampoo and the conditioner. I used ORS aloe rid clarifying shampoo all the time, since I was spraying heavily each and every nite.

I sprayed my braids nightly with DooGro LeaveIn Growth Lotion (protein) and then a round of BRX Braid spray(non-protein). Covered the head with shower cap (a form of baggying...) and then put my silk scarf over it.

In the morning, after my workout & shower, the braids were still moist(never dripping wet...), and smelled great. They dried during the day.

Every 2-3 weeks when I took down braids I would simply pamper my head for the whole day before the braids went back in....this included a nice long DC w/heat, and air drying in six big fat braids. And I did this for seven months straight.....no breaks whatso ever!!!

Absolutely loved the results!!!

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will chime in with what worked for them.....

 

[Radianthealth]

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess already.

Do I really need to use the sponge to was my braids? I don't sponge my braids. I apply the braid spray/infusium mixture using a spray bottle. I lightly scrunch the braids with my hands to make sure that they are moist
Did you really wash every day? No I wash my hair once per week on Sundays. I wash with diluted shampoo in the shower
How did you condition your hair? I condition my hair with Cathe Howse's conditioner. I use my fingers to scrunch it through the braids and I keep it on for the duration of my shower then rinse out. I may sit under a heating cap for a while one day.
What braid spray worked the best for you? I use African Royale Braid Spray, it works great! I mix it 50/50 with Infusium and put it in a spray bottle. I try to spray my braids every night before going to bed but I think I spray them about 3-5 times per week.
Did you use a creamy leave-in? I don't use a creamy leave in because this would case build up.
Did you oil your scalp? When I first put in my braids I oiled my scalp but I don't anymore because for me this attracts lint and build up.


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?

I don't know which member you are referring to. I do my own braids and this method works well for me. I haven't done it long enough to experience any growth it is mostly a way to style my hair without chemicals since I am pregnant.

I also tie my hair up at night with a silk scarf. I braided my own hair using wet and wavy hair and I braid it into a couple of braids at night after spraying it and tie my scarf on. I do not have the back braided because I got lazy. I just put on a fall...I started a thread about it a while ago.

 

[naturalgurl]

I got tremendous growth doing the hardcore C&G challenge here on the boards. Its almost over for me....next week I will be out of braids.

My regimen was simple, maybe a bit modified:
First off, I didn't do boxbraids, only cornbraids with extensions. Did them myself. Unfortunately they only lasted about 2-3 weeks, before getting sooo loose they needed to be redone. NO problem for me, since it only took a few hours to slap some really nice cornrows in there....

I washed my braids 1x per week....every saturday (sometimes 2x per week, on Wednesday)
I never sponged my braids I always used diluted shampoo followed by diluted conditioner. I also always use a stocking cap over my head to keep the braids in place and definitely minimize the "frizzies".

I made sure I use the pads of my fingers to massage the scalp areas, where the braids were parted with the shampoo and the conditioner. I used ORS aloe rid clarifying shampoo all the time, since I was spraying heavily each and every nite.

I sprayed my braids nightly with DooGro LeaveIn Growth Lotion (protein) and then a round of BRX Braid spray(non-protein). Covered the head with shower cap (a form of baggying...) and then put my silk scarf over it.

In the morning, after my workout & shower, the braids were still moist(never dripping wet...), and smelled great. They dried during the day.

Every 2-3 weeks when I took down braids I would simply pamper my head for the whole day before the braids went back in....this included a nice long DC w/heat, and air drying in six big fat braids. And I did this for seven months straight.....no breaks whatso ever!!!

Absolutely loved the results!!!

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will chime in with what worked for them.....

I love the idea of baggying the braids and letting them dry during the day. I will try this when I get braided up again!

 

[SouthernStunner]

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess already.

Do I really need to use the sponge to was my braids?
Did you really wash every day?
How did you condition your hair?
What braid spray worked the best for you?
Did you use a creamy leave-in?
Did you oil your scalp?


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?

No I did not use a sponge.
Ummmm I co-washed about 2-4 times a week
I used S-Curl mixed with Infusium moistureolige as a spay
I used VO5 as a co-wash and left a little in as a leave in
I MT or OCT daily so that is all I put on my scalp
I used coconut oil as a sealent

My hair came out so soft and full of moisture I cant wait to go back in braids in 1-2 weeks. I cant handle the new growht (4 months post) and I am not relaxing until Dec 09 so that will be 16months post. No I dont think I am transistioning but I want to thicken up my hair but if I like the texture I may go natural, I am not sure but this will give me time to decide.

 

[LongHairNWaiting]

Well Ladies, I have been doing C&G for approximately 6 months now (no breaks). I have gotten FANTASTIC results! I washing "daily",(plus I stay in the gym almost every day), so washing my hair daily is a plus. After my washes I spray my hair with Infusium23 Leave-in and then put plenty of LeKair Cholestrol +Olive Oil on my hair. I leave my hair wet all day, and it dries throughout the day. I work at night, so it is best for me to wash my hair during the days, esp. when it is cold outside.

Nevertheless, for those who are crious I have had NO BREAKAGE. I have gains approximately 2+inches in growth. I will continue to do so until I reach bra strap length. This also allows me to stretch my perms for months. I'm loving it!!!

My reggie = I wash my hair directly with water, and place MT\TeaTree\Palmers\ and Cathy Howe Conditions all mixed into 1, with water. I leave in my hair for 5mins and then rinse. I usually use shampoo on my hair maybe around 2xs a week, shortly have my deep conditioning pre-poos.

So far, this has really been working. I only recently started mixing my conditioners. I was using straight Cathy, and\or MT in water bottles. But I came to realize that since I am wearing braids, I am missing the benefits of soooo many other conditioners that I have, so I mix maybe 1/3% of each and allow MT and Cath dominate my mixtures.

I'm trying to find my staples and see what gives me the most growth results.....

Here's to happy washing ladies.....

 

[Lucky's Mom]

When I have braids - I use an industrial sprayer and never really use a sponge.

I think the sprayer gets the moisture in just fine...
I use Ayruvedic practices while in Braids. Very easy.

Oh - I do the baggy thing too.

 

[Nonie]

Do I really need to use the sponge to was my braids?

I never sponged my braids. Truth be told, I used to lump myself with C&G-ers even though I was following my own program. I could afford to do this because I did my own braids so could redo them as needed.

Did you really wash every day?

No I washed my hair twice a week. I did not use diluted shampoo but used it neat. I used my fingers to apply it directly to my scalp. I would focus on massaging my scalp well to clean and then when rinsing, I would squeeze my hair as diluted shampoo ran through it.

How did you condition your hair?

I would apply conditioner using fingers the way relaxer is applied smoothing from near base to the ends of my hair. I say "near base" because I would leave the bottom inch or so of my hair untouched. This ensured no build-up at the point where my braids started. My argument was it is the older hair farther from my scalp that needed pampering the most. I would apply condish to a few braids at a time and squeeze so the condish soaks into the hair. Then I would put those braids into a plait to get them out of the way. Then I would baggy and go under a dryer if DCing or just don a cap while I shower then rinse. Rinsing would involve squeezing the braids as water runs through till there was no more frothing. To conclude the wash, I would make a solution of 1/4 cup ACV in a basin or bucket of water and dunk my head in the solution so during which time I would massage my scalp to my heart's content. This further helped ensure no condish residue on scalp while sealing my hair's cuticles.

What braid spray worked the best for you?

I did not use any.

Did you use a creamy leave-in?
No.

Did you oil your scalp?

No.

To help retain moisture gained from my washes, I baggied every night. Not having products on my hair or scalp meant no itches or skin rashes. Nor that icky feeling of products on neck or ears. My hair stayed soft and whenever it felt dry, I would take that as a cue to wash my hair. Not using products also kept my hair fairly clean so that sometimes I could just CW. And again CW involved applying condish to hair, never scalp.

 

[loolalooh]

Thanks for the thread, sunshinelady ... and Thanks for all the responses, ladies. This is really helpful!

 

[sunshinelady]

Guys, I am really suffering from itching. I washed my hair last night and it started itching again as soon as I got out of the shower. I rinsed really well too. I am using:

Apoghee Pro-Vitamin Leave-in
Africa's Best Braid Sheen Spray
Nasabb's Kelechi Hair Oil Spray in Lavendar
Rusk Calm to shampoo
Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner to condition.


Anyone have any ideas? Scratching like this makes me feel dirty.

 

[baddison]

Yup....had the same problem. I knew it was a good thing, though. For me, the itching signified growth. I was using BeeMine and OCT on-and-off. So the itchies were just part of my "growing pains".

Since I was spraying "stuff" onto my braids daily (and consequently my scalp, too) I made sure that every wash I used ORS Creamy Aloe clarifying shampoo, and used my finger's pads to massage the parted areas of the scalp to remove the "stuff".

Then if itchies were still present, I used straight tea tree oil in the parts on my scalp, and for me it was almost immediately that I got relief. But oooooohhhh the smell of plain, pure, unrefined tea tree oil....ugh!!

Maybe others will chime in with a less-smelly alternative.

 

[Nonie]

Many will disagree with me but oil makes me itch. Are you applying products to your scalp? Oh also synthetic hair makes me itch. That's all I can think of. That's why I don't apply anything to my hair when in braids or to my scalp. I even tried baggying with conditioner for a whole day when I wore a wrap and my head was on fire--I was in twists using my own hair when I tried that. My scalp likes to be clean and free of products.

 

[sunshinelady]

Many will disagree with me but oil makes me itch. Are you applying products to your scalp? Oh also synthetic hair makes me itch. That's all I can think of. That's why I don't apply anything to my hair when in braids or to my scalp. I even tried baggying with conditioner for a whole day when I wore a wrap and my head was on fire--I was in twists using my own hair when I tried that. My scalp likes to be clean and free of products.

I used synthetic hair and I do apply the oil to my scalp. Next time I wash, I will just not use anything afterwards and see what happens. It felt like my scalp was on fire.

^^Hopefully it does mean growth. I will look for tea tree oil.

 

[ToyToy]

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess already.

Do I really need to use the sponge to wash my braids?
Did you really wash every day?
How did you condition your hair?
What braid spray worked the best for you?
Did you use a creamy leave-in?
Did you oil your scalp?


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?

I never used a sponge to wash my braids. I tie them high up on my head, dilute some shampoo with water in a bottle and pour it over my already wet head, lightly massaging (not rubbing) my scalp.

I wash once every week (usually Saturdays or Sundays).

I never condition m hair, but I do tweak my braid spray with honey moisturiser and that keeps my hair moisturised.

I have always used African Pride Braid Sheen. I don't have much experience with other braid sprays, but I've read a lot of raves about African Royale.

I never use a creamy leave in, because of the build-up.

I always oil my scalp, although I'm still looking for a good scalp oil, as every single one has left my scalp dry so far. HTH

 

[ToyToy]

Many will disagree with me but oil makes me itch. Are you applying products to your scalp? Oh also synthetic hair makes me itch. That's all I can think of. That's why I don't apply anything to my hair when in braids or to my scalp. I even tried baggying with conditioner for a whole day when I wore a wrap and my head was on fire--I was in twists using my own hair when I tried that. My scalp likes to be clean and free of products.

Synthetic hair itches me as well. I found that using Kanekalon hair and soaking it in water and ACV has helped tremendously. Washing weekly helps too.

 

[flower]

SEE ANSWERS BELOW.

I got my braids a week ago and have been trying to follow the regimen and my braids look a mess already.

Do I really need to use the sponge to wash my braids?

I DID NOT DO THIS STEP.

Did you really wash every day?
I WASH EVERY WEEK.

How did you condition your hair?
NO!

What braid spray worked the best for you?

MIXTURE OF CASTOR ,GYLCERIN AND DISTILLED

Did you use a creamy leave-in?

NO!

Did you oil your scalp?

NO , I DID NOT OIL MY SCALP


Thanks!

Also, who was the member with the album of them doing C&G wrong and then doing it correctly?