DONT EVEN KNOW WHY I DID THIS!!

[teysmith]

Ever since I'v discovered this sight I have been so excited about growing my hair long!!!
I've been doing everything I've learned from here and so far things have been going very well!!!

Well, a few days ago I went to the African Braid shop to get some braids.. I wanted long braids, not to small braided all the way down except for the very ends..

I tried explaing this to the braider but she was confused! So finally when I tried to give her the best idea of how I wanted them she she was like.. Ohhh!! wow! thats going to be $230 because of how far I wanted them braided down. I was like, uh what!!! So then I was like okay just give me micros and make them a little big. And I asked her to braid past my hair length... DIDNT HAPPEN! she braided every little piece of hair I had around my edges she may as well should have braided my eyebrows too!!!

She told me that my hair wouldnt come out unless I put it into a really tight pony!!

So now I'm sitting her looking really cute with my micros and I'm just like.. I HOPE I STILL HAVE HAIR AFTER THIS!!!

Please give me advice on how to care for them and keep my hair from falling out around the edges!!

People who wear or have worn them what was your experience??

Needs inspiration please!!!

 

[Tafa01]

I am sorry...unfortunately I don't have anything encouraging to tell you!
I am from Senegal...Have had micros gazillions of time and I had NEVER been able to keep my edges from falling out. I finally had it and decided to just not have them done anymore. Now it will be medium sized braids and I won't braid my edges. I will just gel them flat.
I would suggest you take the edges down now before it is too late.

 

[SimplyBlessed]

Make sure not to do many ponytails with the braids....that can cause more pulling on ur edges....

thats all I know...don't think I have ever had micro's...

 

[teysmith]

I am sorry...unfortunately I don't have anything encouraging to tell you!
I am from Senegal...Have had micros gazillions of time and I had NEVER been able to keep my edges from falling out. I finally had it and decided to just not have them done anymore. Now it will be medium sized braids and I won't braid my edges. I will just gel them flat.
I would suggest you take the edges down now before it is too late.

Thanks and yes, I was thinking about taking down the edges... but I really dont want to because it looks really good.. I just dont know..

 

[Tafa01]

I am sure it does look good now ...and then it will take months to regrow your edges

 

[msa]

Take the edges down. Before I stopped getting braids completely, I stopped having my edges done because they kept getting shorter and shorter.

Also, you may want to go through the braids yourself and braid them down past your hair. The ends of the hair are the most fragile and they're not being protected if they're out.

 

[prettybyrd]

I agree with Tafa01 - you gotta' take those tight hair-line/edge braids down! It once took me two years to re-grow my hair line in the front after too-tight micros, and I was LUCKY!! Save your hair line, sweetie!

If you absolutely can't part ways with them, apply some rich, thick conditioner to them and leave it on to loosen them.

Best of luck!

 

[Choirgirl]

When I was a little girl my aunt would braid my hair so tight, my eyebrows would lift up. I was so happy when I was old enough to growl at her when she came near my hair. In the interim, I learned that you can moisturize your hair and the slip will loosen the braids. Don't feel bad about this because having braids is no reason not to moisturize your hair anyway.

Good luck.

 

[fattyfatfat]

I agree with everyone else. please take the braids that are on your edges OUT! ive had micros before and they definately arent kind on the edges. take them out pronto.

 

[poookie]

if you've got fine hair i'd suggest you take them out around the edges, and just wear a cute headband to cover your loose edges. individual braids tore my sides out. i haven't had them in since early 2007, and my edges have only recently fully healed, even after 1.5 years of tips from LHCF. aside from that, keep your hair underneath moisturized, and don't be afraid to wash your hair w/ the braids in 1x per week. and please don't leave them in too long; any more than 2 months is asking for trouble. hope that helps, & good luck

 

[femmemuscle]

you know what? when a person acts "confused" about one thing, they will act "confused" about something else.

let's fast forward. After your microbraid take down, your edges might be thinner. When you confront them on this issue. guess what their response will be? - wait for it - that's right! "confused"..

I had micros and switched to singles after my BC. those africans even braided my baby hair. When i had the take down, a few installs later, i noticed that i had a problem with my crown and sides. They were balding/thinning even worse than before. these are my two most fragile/difficult areas of hair growth. and each time i would mention it. They, too, became - wait for it again... confused!

I later switched to another beautician who knows how to do kinky twists/braids/weaves. My sides and crown have grown in thicker. and now i can wear a weave with my edges out.

 

[teysmith]

Thanks for all the advice! I really dont want to take them down. I payed so much money and I cant even afford to waste it! I've been oiling them daily with wild hair growth oil and spraying them with fantasia braid spray constantly through the day. They have really loosened up a bit... I'll just have to think this over..

 

[Choclatcotton]

Never had micros but for edges I would suggest baby your edges with olive oil and peppermint oil and take them out if they cause all that damage.

 

[teysmith]

I'm thinking that I will just probably take them down earlier than the rest.. And yes I will definitely be babying them..

I have a friend from work who got micros and she left them up for 5 months or so and all she got was a whole lot of growth!
Hope I can get as lucky as her!!

 

[femmemuscle]

good luck, teysmith. Some folks sides are very strong and can withstand tight braiding. Unfortunately, the sides are my weakest area. But, of course, that certainly doesn't apply to everyone.

Just keep us updated on your progress, okay?

 

[diamonddollfla]

When I get my micros done I don't even attempt a ponytail for the first month. They are too stiff. When I pull them back for a bun after about a month, I usually take the edges out of the equation so I can bring them back gently and separately from the rest of the bun.

 

[Fhrizzball]

I would cowash them to try to loosen them a bit. That and perhaps redo the edges yourself.

 

[shunemite]

They NEVER braid up to where your hair ends. I hate that! And you find out when you get home.

When you take your edges down (soon!), either you or a friend can just re-braid them into LARGE braids. What I mean is, you use the same size braid as the micro, but your own hair that you section off is a very large piece. It doesn't matter if they're sloppy because you're not going to pull your hair up into a tight pony tail. The hair in the middle will cover the hair in the sides, no one will notice. Please wear your hair down, or if it's up, just leave the sides down or loosely pulled. I've done this and I never lose my edges. Before I did this, I lost my edges it was so embarrassing. Also, if you wanna check out the "crown and glory method" website, she gives great advice there. She never does micros, but she advises to always put a leave-in conditioner on the ends of your real hair to strengthen it.

Enjoy your braids, there's also a tutorial on you-tube on how to take them down with conditioner. I loved it.

Ok I may be repeating what I said in another post, but I asked the lady that's been doing my braids for the past 3 years (I stuck to her coz she listens to me and I don't lose my edges) why they braid so tight. She said that if she doesn't, people complain that their braids didn't last and that the first question people ask about braids is "how long have you had those?" But I basically tell her to make the edges bigger and the back as well. She also doesn't part my hair the same place every time she braids.

 

[teysmith]

They NEVER braid up to where your hair ends. I hate that! And you find out when you get home.

When you take your edges down (soon!), either you or a friend can just re-braid them into LARGE braids. What I mean is, you use the same size braid as the micro, but your own hair that you section off is a very large piece. It doesn't matter if they're sloppy because you're not going to pull your hair up into a tight pony tail. The hair in the middle will cover the hair in the sides, no one will notice. Please wear your hair down, or if it's up, just leave the sides down or loosely pulled. I've done this and I never lose my edges. Before I did this, I lost my edges it was so embarrassing. Also, if you wanna check out the "crown and glory method" website, she gives great advice there. She never does micros, but she advises to always put a leave-in conditioner on the ends of your real hair to strengthen it.

Enjoy your braids, there's also a tutorial on you-tube on how to take them down with conditioner. I loved it.

Ok I may be repeating what I said in another post, but I asked the lady that's been doing my braids for the past 3 years (I stuck to her coz she listens to me and I don't lose my edges) why they braid so tight. She said that if she doesn't, people complain that their braids didn't last and that the first question people ask about braids is "how long have you had those?" But I basically tell her to make the edges bigger and the back as well. She also doesn't part my hair the same place every time she braids.

Lots of great info thanks very much!

 

[MummysGirl]

I agree with what the ladies have said so far, take the edges down now and take good care of your hair while in the extensions. Search for the Crown and Glory technique.

 

[jnicole]

Girrrrl!! I'm in the same situation. I just got mines done today and she braided every strand of hair I have. I'm so afraid of losing my edges. I've just recovered from losing a lot of my edges when I was getting my hair braided a couple years ago.

 

[SelahOco]

remove the tiny edges, and braid your hair down past the ends. Wear a cap nightly and when you wash, DC your hair and rinse, rinse, rinse.

Taking out the braids is the challange. Don't go back to the shop to have them removed. Have a friend who loves your hair as much as you do help you.

I transitioned in Micros and it look a toll on my ends. But you can overcome this.

The last time I got braids, I got individuals and paid about 230 for them. Much easier to remove and worth every drop of peace of mind.

You'll be fine, just remove those braids from your baby hair.

 

[a_shoe_6307]

I can't agree with the edges falling out 100%. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I'm not saying it will. It really depends on your hair. I have had braids a lot and I have never lost hair or thinned around the hair line. This is my experience. However, I wear my braids loose as much as possible with just a headband to keep them off my face. I may wear them up or in a ponytail for a few hours one day out of the week but then I take them back down as soon as I get home. I try not to manipulate the braids a lot and I think that is why I do not lose hair around my edges. I also keep my edges moisturized with a light braid spray so I don't get build up and so that the hair braids loosen up in that area and do not pull as tight.