Did she braid my hair wrong???

[krikit96]

Okay, I have BSL hair. The african lady that braided it for me tells me that my hair is at least 20" and the hair she is using is only 18. So now she decides to braid my hair MAYBE about 4 or so inches down and leave the rest out.

Now, these are supposed to be microbraids. She said if she braided it down to the end it would be at the end of my hair and it won't look nice. So now I'm wondering did I just get set up? What kinda protective styling is this, if I still have my regular hair "out" with the fake hair?

Now, if I brush thru it or comb it or whatever, I will still be manipulating my OWN hair... has anyone ever heard of this? I thought if you get braids you should ALWAYS make sure your hair is braided throughout completely...

Somebody please let me know what the deal is... She usually does good work, but she just kept talking about how long my hair is... she had clients coming and looking at my hair and everybody kept asking me if it was my real hair... I was so annoyed. THEN she had a lady that was her "hair product supplier" come in and sell her some boxes of products, she actually asked me to pay her right then and there so she could pay the lady for the supplies, and she hadn't even finished a good 1/4 of my hair yet!

Needless to say, I'm never going back to her again... it took her from 5:45pm til 12:07am to braid my hair... which is confusing because she didn't even have to braid all the way down...

 

[Adaoba2012]

I'm sorry but I do think she set you up....
I would have demanded that she braid my hair all the way down to the ends no matter how many inches she thinks my hair is. How much did she charge you? Do you have any pics?

 

[LivingDol1]

yeah... you should always make sure your hair is covered to the very ends.... i don't blame you for being annoyed...

she shouldn't have put 18" hair in your head if that's not what you intended to have.

next time, bring your own hair or make sure the shop has what you want before committing to an appointment.

 

[lovelyone80]

a lot of braiders say that micros are only suppose to be braided a few inches and the rest should be lose. and if you let them, they will do it that way. and they are technically right. some people are 100% okay with this and when I was relaxed, I didn't care either. it changed once I went natural

now i always ask my braider to braid to the ends of my hair, and that i'll pay extra for her time because I want it completed correctly. the braids do look less micro like and more like braids when you get them to braid down.

if you are unhappy you should call her and tell her you'd prefer her to braid it down. she might try to charge you extra tho. or you can do it yourself if she didn't tie or glue the ends.

sorry this happened to u.

 

[yeahisaidit]

Using the 18" hair, if she braided your hair all the way down, they would be box braids with human hair. It would be hard to make sure the hair doesn't unravel if it was braided all the way down. Most Africans don't care about how the finished product looks, they just want to get paid for the work.

When she pulled out the 18" hair instead of the 20", that should've been a clue that this wasn't going to turn out the way you wanted... The only thing I can tell you is to braid the hair all the way down to see if you like it. If you do, you can play up the ends by doing a rod set.

I hope this helps, and sorry your hair didn't turn out the way you wanted.

 

[krikit96]

I'm sorry but I do think she set you up....
I would have demanded that she braid my hair all the way down to the ends no matter how many inches she thinks my hair is. How much did she charge you? Do you have any pics?

It was supposed to be $180 for regular braids, but because I wanted micros w/human hair that she provided, it was $210 I'm gonna take pics and update in the next 15 minutes...

yeah... you should always make sure your hair is covered to the very ends.... i don't blame you for being annoyed...

she shouldn't have put 18" hair in your head if that's not what you intended to have.

next time, bring your own hair or make sure the shop has what you want before committing to an appointment.

I didn't know how long my hair was... in inches or whatever... I figured, SHE was the braider and if she didn't have it she shouldn't have said she could do it. I didn't know all this until she had already done the back right portion of my head...

a lot of braiders say that micros are only suppose to be braided a few inches and the rest should be lose. and if you let them, they will do it that way. and they are technically right. some people are 100% okay with this and when I was relaxed, I didn't care either. it changed once I went natural

now i always ask my braider to braid to the ends of my hair, and that i'll pay extra for her time because I want it completed correctly. the braids do look less micro like and more like braids when you get them to braid down.

if you are unhappy you should call her and tell her you'd prefer her to braid it down. she might try to charge you extra tho. or you can do it yourself if she didn't tie or glue the ends.

sorry this happened to u.

I wasn't trying to pay her more... she already got me like a big dummy... I couldn't believe she asked for the money before she finished, because she had to pay another person...

Using the 18" hair, if she braided your hair all the way down, they would be box braids with human hair. It would be hard to make sure the hair doesn't unravel if it was braided all the way down. Most Africans don't care about how the finished product looks, they just want to get paid for the work.

When she pulled out the 18" hair instead of the 20", that should've been a clue that this wasn't going to turn out the way you wanted... The only thing I can tell you is to braid the hair all the way down to see if you like it. If you do, you can play up the ends by doing a rod set.

I hope this helps, and sorry your hair didn't turn out the way you wanted.

You are right, they don't care... I didn't see her pull out the hair marked 18"... I reached my hand up when she went in the bathroom, and that's when I realized it wasn't all the way down... and she just KEPT talking about how long my hair is... UGH!

 

[UGQueen]

im sorry this happend to you
i see alot of girls that just braid the first like 2 - 3 inches and leave the rest (part of it being their own hair) out. This is damaging to you hair and thats why i stopped doing micros because if you want the micro look it simply wont work if your hair is long IMO.
did she glue the ends ?

 

[diva24]

Micro braids usually do not extend beyond the first few inches of hair. Thats so that you can leave the ends loose and appear to have loose hair. Also you can style them in different ways because of the loose ends. You CAN have micros on long hair but your hair will be left out, so this style will not do the job as a protective style.

Her business practices were awful. Mainly asking you to pay her so she can pay someone else and conducting other business while performing services. I have also made it a practice of mines to steer clear of stylists that appear overwhelmed or in awe of my hair. If you're a good stylist then all your clients should have hair like mines or better.

 

[krikit96]

im sorry this happend to you
i see alot of girls that just braid the first like 2 - 3 inches and leave the rest (part of it being their own hair) out. This is damaging to you hair and thats why i stopped doing micros because if you want the micro look it simply wont work if your hair is long IMO.
did she glue the ends ?

No, she didn't glue them, she did this weird sort of tie in the middle of the braid thing to them... I spent so much money, but I won't be rocking these for long... I need to just get some synthetic hair and do regular braids all the way down past the ends of my hair and burn the tips...

Micro braids usually do not extend beyond the first few inches of hair. Thats so that you can leave the ends loose and appear to have loose hair. Also you can style them in different ways because of the loose ends. You CAN have micros on long hair but your hair will be left out, so this style will not do the job as a protective style.

See, usually I get the microbraids and the hair is longer than mines, so they braid down past my hair and they leave the rest out... and I usually get the wet and wavy and just let the ends curl up. This is the first time I've had micros in 3 years, my hair was above APL or maybe just at it back then, and she was just talking about my hair back then too... but then I got the huge chunky cornrows, I think they are called goddess braids... about 5 or 6 of them going back and she did those pretty good and fast. They just dont last long...

I'm so disappointed...I was thinking of just getting some flexirods and putting curls all around and then every weekend just do it over again or try some pinup type styles...??? I don't know, my camera is tripping so now I'm about to try and use my phone to take the pics...

 

[Nonie]

Micro braids usually do not extend beyond the first few inches of hair. Thats so that you can leave the ends loose and appear to have loose hair. Also you can style them in different ways because of the loose ends. You CAN have micros on long hair but your hair will be left out, so this style will not do the job as a protective style.

Her business practices were awful. Mainly asking you to pay her so she can pay someone else and conducting other business while performing services. I have also made it a practice of mines to steer clear of stylists that appear overwhelmed or in awe of my hair. If you're a good stylist then all your clients should have hair like mines or better.

I think you're confusing micros braid with invisible braids. It is invisible braids that are not braided to the ends but only the beginning then hair is left out.

I wear microbraids and I always braid to the ends of not just my hair but the extension hair.

I don't understand why she only had 18 inches of extension hair and why she couldn't see even after the first braid that this was not going to work?

I've never understood why people would braid just the base of their hair and leave the rest out. If your idea is to wear your hair loose, why bother adding weight to your scalp? To me it's worse than just wearing your hair out daily.

Sorry OP. Your stylist needs to get longer hair and redo your hair.

 

[lilsparkle825]

I think you're confusing micros braid with invisible braids. It is invisible braids that are not braided to the ends but only the beginning then hair is left out.

I wear microbraids and I always braid to the ends of not just my hair but the extension hair.

I don't understand why she only had 18 inches of extension hair and why she couldn't see even after the first braid that this was not going to work?

I've never understood why people would braid just the base of their hair and leave the rest out. If your idea is to wear your hair loose, why bother adding weight to your scalp? To me it's worse than just wearing your hair out daily.

Sorry OP. Your stylist needs to get longer hair and redo your hair.

with invisible braids, the braided part is usually so small you can't see it. with micros, that is not the case, they go a bit further -- but neither is usually braided to the end. in your case, micro braids are just small box braids, i believe. google "micro braids" and you will see what i mean.

i don't usually recommend micros AT ALL since they pull most people's edges out (i am sure you take the proper precautions to avoid this, but most don't) and since you usually have to have short hair to get them...either that or have your real hair hanging out the ends. if she were to braid to the ends of your hair then leave the ends of the extension hair loose, i can't imagine them looking nice. she should have told you this when you asked for micros, being that you have BSL hair.

you got got, honey.

 

[Mane Event]

Your ends are going to takin a beating with the hair braided in this fashion. You basically need to treat those braids like you do your own hair - Moisturize & Protect those ENDS!!!!

You protective style, really isn't protecting so baby your ends and you should be okay!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I think micro's are only for shorter hair, the only way it looks nice is when they only braid a few inches and release the hair....once your hair is BSL you can't get that look the old fashioned way....the best way to get the micro look when your hair is longer is to do crochet braids.....briading it to the end kinda makes it lose its effect.

The braider should have been knowlegeable enough to inform you of that.

 

[KINISE]

I too had a similar problem a few years ago. My hair was longer and I purchased human wavy hair- the stylist told me that due to the length of my hair- if she braided past my hair there would only be a few inches of "wavy" hair and it wouldn't look nice. I went with a different style- most people call it tree branches- or limbs or interlock- I can't remember- Anywho- she also did my mothers hair at that time (both heads 61/2 hours) - and a few days later, without pooing , my mothers "purchased" hair was coming out by the handfulls-- I immediately called her and we went in- she asked my mother at least 10 times if she had "washed" her hair. I said, WHY WOULD SHE WASH WHEN WE JUST SPENT $100 ON HAIR AND $150 TO HAVE IT DONE-- WHAT BLACK PEOPLE SHAMPOO THEIR HAIR THREE DAYS AFTER A SERVICE?? Bottom line-- SHE RE-DID mom's hair!
You may not want to invest that amount of time again- but I would pay her another visit and just let her look at your hair and let HER make a "reasonable" suggestion about what can be done to resolve the problem

 

[UGQueen]

No, she didn't glue them, she did this weird sort of tie in the middle of the braid thing to them... I spent so much money, but I won't be rocking these for long... I need to just get some synthetic hair and do regular braids all the way down past the ends of my hair and burn the tips...

See, usually I get the microbraids and the hair is longer than mines, so they braid down past my hair and they leave the rest out... and I usually get the wet and wavy and just let the ends curl up. This is the first time I've had micros in 3 years, my hair was above APL or maybe just at it back then, and she was just talking about my hair back then too... but then I got the huge chunky cornrows, I think they are called goddess braids... about 5 or 6 of them going back and she did those pretty good and fast. They just dont last long...

I'm so disappointed...I was thinking of just getting some flexirods and putting curls all around and then every weekend just do it over again or try some pinup type styles...??? I don't know, my camera is tripping so now I'm about to try and use my phone to take the pics...

Its a good thing she didnt glue the ends.
The best protective style when it comes to braids is to braid he hair all the way to the bottom of your own hair maybe even further,

hope everything goes well, good luck with the rest of your journey.

 

[Nonie]

with invisible braids, the braided part is usually so small you can't see it. with micros, that is not the case, they go a bit further -- but neither is usually braided to the end. in your case, micro braids are just small box braids, i believe. google "micro braids" and you will see what i mean.

i don't usually recommend micros AT ALL since they pull most people's edges out (i am sure you take the proper precautions to avoid this, but most don't) and since you usually have to have short hair to get them...either that or have your real hair hanging out the ends. if she were to braid to the ends of your hair then leave the ends of the extension hair loose, i can't imagine them looking nice. she should have told you this when you asked for micros, being that you have BSL hair.

you got got, honey.

Who told you microbraids aren't braided to the ends? I have been wearing microbraids for years and all they are are braids that are micro small. A lot of people may not braid to the ends because they want the waves of the extension hair to show, but that doesn't mean that's what makes the braids microbraids. It's the size of the braids that makes them microbraids.

I didn't need to Google this coz I know it as if it's my middle name but I did it anyway, and these were the first images that popped up:

That people don't braid to the end is just their choice not because that's what micros are supposed to be.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I too had a similar problem a few years ago. My hair was longer and I purchased human wavy hair- the stylist told me that due to the length of my hair- if she braided past my hair there would only be a few inches of "wavy" hair and it wouldn't look nice. I went with a different style- most people call it tree branches- or limbs or interlock- I can't remember- Anywho- she also did my mothers hair at that time (both heads 61/2 hours) - and a few days later, without pooing , my mothers "purchased" hair was coming out by the handfulls-- I immediately called her and we went in- she asked my mother at least 10 times if she had "washed" her hair. I said, WHY WOULD SHE WASH WHEN WE JUST SPENT $100 ON HAIR AND $150 TO HAVE IT DONE-- WHAT BLACK PEOPLE SHAMPOO THEIR HAIR THREE DAYS AFTER A SERVICE?? Bottom line-- SHE RE-DID mom's hair!
You may not want to invest that amount of time again- but I would pay her another visit and just let her look at your hair and let HER make a "reasonable" suggestion about what can be done to resolve the problem

Ahh yes...this is another option I overlooked treebraids!! Love em!

Who told you microbraids aren't braided to the ends? I have been wearing microbraids for years and all they are are braids that are micro small. A lot of people may not braid to the ends because they want the waves of the extension hair to show, but that doesn't mean that's what makes the braids microbraids. It's the size of the braids that makes them microbraids.

I didn't need to Google this coz I know it as if it's my middle name but I did it anyway, and these were the first images that popped up:

That people don't braid to the end is just their choice not because that's what micros are supposed to be.

Very true, microbraids do just refer to the size of the braids however when most people reference contemporary micro's the kind where only the top is braided is what they invision. For some reason, extension braids that are done to the end are kinda dullsville to me....kinda makes you look like a 90s throwback too imo. If I'm gonna braid to the end then I'd much rather just do it with my own hair.....if I'm adding extension hair may as well play with a different/new texture for a minute.....jmho

I've seen a couple of your DIY micros and I've always thought they looked moisturized and pretty, the ones I've seen you post of yourself seem to be the type where the top is braided and the bottom is left loose.

Braids look amazing but I'd only ever do them crocheted in at this point.....the takedown for real micros is no bueno.....I'm all about twists now....its great for longer hair too since it looks cute twisted to the end takedown is a sinch too.

 

[amwcah]

If your hair is past NL, you shouldn't get microbraids. I feel micros are for shorter hair.

She should have braided your hair all the way to the end with longer length hair. If she didn't have the right length, she should have not braided your hair. In my experience, if you have long hair, braiders never want to braid to the end of your hair.

Overall, I believe cornrows are the best protective braided style to have. Individual braids weight your hair down and may cause tension on the scalp causing hair fallout from the root.

If I were you, I would probably take the braids out versus damaging my ends. Good luck and sorry you had a bad experience.

 

[Adaoba2012]

Most Africans don't care about how the finished product looks, they just want to get paid for the work.

I mean we know the lady didn't do as good of a job as she could...but I think this statement is completely unfair. Not only that but you are generalizing an entire continent of people. We have to do better..........

 

[leona2025]

My husband's cousin used to do my braids and I had the same problem. She was an awesome braider, but I felt my hair was just to long to get the style and protection I was going for. When my hair was braided all the way to the ends, it did look more like small box braids and my hair was longer than the 18-20on hair I had.

Also she knoted the braid just like your braider did. She braided my hair a inch down and the rest hung loose with the fake hair. She did suggest just regular braids with my own hair as a ps. I only did this maybe once a year in the summer for a break.

 

[Nonie]

I've seen a couple of your DIY micros and I've always thought they looked moisturized and pretty, the ones I've seen you post of yourself seem to be the type where the top is braided and the bottom is left loose.

I've never not braided to the end. I always do. The ends that don't contain my hair may unravel a bit but I redo them often and in time they stay braided to the ends.

My current braids seen here:

are braided to the ends...as seen in this close up:

They are unraveling a bit coz the hair is brand new and slippery. The reason the ends look wavy is because they do not contain my hair which would force the braid to be straight.

As time goes by, the braids stay braided to the ends better. Not sure you can really see it, but I can't stand to have frayed ends and that's why this Curlformer set doesn't look all frizzy at the ends or frayed: the braids are all the way to the ends:

Even though I do say myself, I think my braids look great braided to the end. Here's another set of braided to the ends braid:

IMO, very few braids look cute to me if not braided to the ends. I have a thing about uniformity. I don't even like braid-outs if the waves aren't uniform along the entire length. But that's just my taste.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

/\ ahhh okay they have the look of being released on the ends (which actually looks great...you dont haveta fight it nonie!) All your braid sets look really professional and pretty

ETA: How often do you cowash with them in? and how long do you leave them in?

 

[Nonie]

/\ ahhh okay they have the look of being released on the ends (which actually looks great...you dont haveta fight it nonie!) All your braid sets look really professional and pretty

ETA: How often do you cowash with them in? and how long do you leave them in?

@ not fighting it. Thanks for the compliment. I was like "how can you not like braids plaited to the ends when I think they're the sh**?"

How often do I CW? I don't usually CW as much as wash (shampoo then CW or DC). I wash them twice a week so I don't really find a need to CW, so I'd say I CW once in a blue moon. I've had them in since April 2009 and not planning on taking them out any time soon.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

She could have stretched the braid hair to make it longer than your hair, or she could had added hair towards the end to make the braid longer. She either played you or she's inexperienced/uneducated on braiding techniques.

ETA: Either go back and make her finish the job right, or take those bad boys down. leaving it like that could be bad news. I lost two inches last year from the exact same thing.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

Who told you microbraids aren't braided to the ends? I have been wearing microbraids for years and all they are are braids that are micro small. A lot of people may not braid to the ends because they want the waves of the extension hair to show, but that doesn't mean that's what makes the braids microbraids. It's the size of the braids that makes them microbraids.

I didn't need to Google this coz I know it as if it's my middle name but I did it anyway, and these were the first images that popped up:


That people don't braid to the end is just their choice not because that's what micros are supposed to be.

Most def.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

@ not fighting it. Thanks for the compliment. I was like "how can you not like braids plaited to the ends when I think they're the sh**?"

How often do I CW? I don't usually CW as much as wash (shampoo then CW or DC). I wash them twice a week so I don't really find a need to CW, so I'd say I CW once in a blue moon. I've had them in since April 2009 and not planning on taking them out any time soon.

ahh okay cool and how often do you redo them?

 

[Nonie]

ahh okay cool and how often do you redo them?

I redo one at a time as needed, so it's hard to say. I have major HIH disease so if I sit down to watch TV, I immediately start looking for any braids that are loose and redo them one at a time. I am anal about redoing the perimeter of my hair as soon as the braids there get loose. So I never take them all out. Only one braid section is ever loose at a time.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

I redo one at a time as needed, so it's hard to say. I have major HIH disease so if I sit down to watch TV, I immediately start looking for any braids that are loose and redo them one at a time. I am anal about redoing the perimeter of my hair as soon as the braids there get loose. So I never take them all out. Only one braid section is ever loose at a time.

Nonie, I sure wish I was at Hogwarts so you could braid my hair, lol. I wonder what house the hat would have put me in, .

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I redo one at a time as needed, so it's hard to say. I have major HIH disease so if I sit down to watch TV, I immediately start looking for any braids that are loose and redo them one at a time. I am anal about redoing the perimeter of my hair as soon as the braids there get loose. So I never take them all out. Only one braid section is ever loose at a time.

ahh okay cool good to know....have you seen alot of retention with this? Do they get fuzzy on you? Are you doing crown and glory?

Hmmm I really think my moms hair could really benefit from this.....when I leave her hair loose she starts abusing it again so I gotta put her hair away in PS to protect her hair from herself

 

[Nonie]

Nonie, I sure wish I was at Hogwarts so you could braid my hair, lol. I wonder what house the hat would have put e in, .

You know it's not too late be sorted. I can't find the interactive hat that sorted me but there are few sites that do this. Here's one.

Now if you do end up in Slytherin, can you please keep in mind that Snape is spoken for! And if you can find a way to get me detention during Potions Class, I might just make time to do your hair. :eyebrows2