Do you band your hair? Benefits of banding?

[monica24]

I don't know if what I do can be called banding. I don't use bands but cut up my old silk stockings like I'm making a hair band, then cut one end to make a string so to speak. In freshly washed and detangled hair I wrap the string around the length of a section of hair (I usually do about 8 sections) as close together as possible stretching the hair as I go along. I then make a knot right at the end. My hair sticks out while drying (and after too) but I have found this the easiest way to stretch out my 4b hair. I also soak the stocking pieces in oil before I start. My only downer is that the little ends left out when I band dry kinky and there is a noticeable difference in texture.

 

[schipperchow1]

I tried banding for the first time last week after I saw Irresistible's banded ponytail & wore it out as a style. I love it! I didn't do it so much to stretch or straighten my hair. It lasted a good 3 days. It's a nice change from the bun & seems more casual & is quicker than a braid. Yes I know I have to take & post pix, but I don't know where my cord is to connect my camera to the computer

 

[diamoness]

I'd like to do some more experimenting with styling my natural 4b hair with banding. I have tried it while in small twists and small braids to stretch them, but now my hair is longer and I want to acheive "stretched" twist-out look or to figure out a way to get my hair straight enough to hang without direct heat.

Anyone acheive a straight look by doing this?

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I band too - it is very helpful in a quick straight style.

 

[Soliel185]

I wonder if you could band to a degree to get not so much a straightened style, as a stretched curly style? Maybe not twist the bands as tight, or space them further apart..?


Has anyone done this?

 

[SEMO]

I will have to try this. I think I did a long time ago, but I don't remember how it came out. I have so much shrinkage and I wonder if banding would help my hair fall like I want it (at my collar bone).

 

[sweetwhispers]

I band like mwedzi bands, it stretches the hair out more than braiding/twists. I do it after washing if i am going to the hairdressers so they don't blowdry my hair, it looks the same as blowdried hair.

Soliel185 around 3 years ago i cornrowed the front of my hair and had the back out in a curly style- i wet and i guess i kind of shingled ( although i did not know what it was at the time) it stretched my hair slightly but not significantly, but it was a long time ago

 

[Whimsy]

I've never been a bander. It just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Funny this thread popped up, I just tried this today. Last night I did my DC, rinsed and then while wet applied liberal amounts of hairveda whipped cream and then detangled each section before applying the bands.

I was bad and put the ones with the metal on it and believe me I paid for it later. I was so scared trying to take them out. Anyway. it turned out pretty good. The back, as usual, shrank up a lot more than the front. Here are pics:

Banded hair:

After taking down the bands:

With a head band:

The back:

Next time:
No bands with metal
Smaller sections
Maybe some perm rods on the end

 

[lilsparkle825]

I banded when I was transitioning and again a few months ago; pics are in the transitioning album of my fotki. it takes too long to dry for my taste, but it does give me sort of a twistout effect.

 

[Crown]

I wonder if you could band to a degree to get not so much a straightened style, as a stretched curly style? Maybe not twist the bands as tight, or space them further apart..?


Has anyone done this?

Yes! Photos on 12/2008 of my sig is the result of banded hair (usually, I put barrettes or small rollers on the ends : no frizzy ends).
If I ponytail roller-set / out / band / out, I have a straighter look and more length.

 

[mariofmagdal]

So, I should get less shrinkage and straighter hair, even if air dried? What should I avoid to keep hair from shrinking while in bands? I am natural, I use no heat, but would love to have a style that showed my length. I am gonna attempt this, admittedly I do not have the patience once it gets too involved, it will go right back into a bun, my signature I'm not into hair style......

 

[Crown]

So, I should get less shrinkage and straighter hair, even if air dried? What should I avoid to keep hair from shrinking while in bands? I am natural, I use no heat, but would love to have a style that showed my length. I am gonna attempt this, admittedly I do not have the patience once it gets too involved, it will go right back into a bun, my signature I'm not into hair style......

I am natural and air dry. If you want to show length with no heat : roller-set with ponytails is the best way (with practices). I like banding for style (curly/wavy). If I combine detangle / roller-set with ponytails /air dry / out / band / out, I have a cute straighter style with no desire at all to come back to relaxer. The hair is lighter and longer, but more fragile (I have fine hair).
After a few days, my hair is in : BUN.

 

[chosen07]

i think I may give this a try..my hair is still short..maybe 4inches (5 in the crown) and when I twist, they shrink to about 2 inches..maybe 1 inch some places...i wonder if banding would help on hair this short...and whether there will be a difference on my twist-outs...

 

[that_1_grrrl]

i think I may give this a try..my hair is still short..maybe 4inches (5 in the crown) and when I twist, they shrink to about 2 inches..maybe 1 inch some places...i wonder if banding would help on hair this short...and whether there will be a difference on my twist-outs...

Yes, it does. There is a youtube video of a girl using it on short hair. Lemme see if I can find it.

Here ya go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic52g3Czahg

 

[Nonie]

This is a little OT but still works like banding: Does anyone remember that hairdo where your hair was parted into section and the whole length of it wrapped in cotton thread/string so it looked like a twig and then the several twigs were joined in a design of sorts? We used to call it "plaiting with thread" even though there was no braiding going on. You wore the do for a spell but when you undid your hair, it was so straight as if it had been pressed. I keep considering wearing that style but I'm just not sure I have the patience to do it on myself. Anyway, I mention it because it is my knowledge of that other style that keeps me from banding because I don't think banding would work on my hair as well as that thread do used to because of the spaces between the bands which would just remain coily. So I'd do that thread thing first before doing banding because it ensures the whole length of my hair is stretched and maintained in that stretched position for long enough to temporarily "train" the hair.

To answer the OP's question, I've never banded but I understand it's used to stretch hair.

 

[Crown]

Maybe this can help. (Third pic : before bedtime)
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[Crown]

Result (not the same week, but the same process - or sig 12/2008) :

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Very nice^^^^^!!!

 

[curali]

Your baby's hair is amazing!

 

[brownbean96]

bump..bump. Crown, your hair came our really pretty.

 

[Platinum]

Interesting...subscribing...

 

[Jewell]

I usually lightly band or twist my baby's hair after shampooing and DC'ing, because she has major shrinkage and it would be uber hard to comb out if I let it airdry in a 'fro with no style to it. I don't have enough natural hair currently to try it, but when I was natural in 08, it did work. I typically did the bun banding just to stretch the majority of my hair and give it some "hang," though I air-dried and didn't use heat.