Going natural ? / Protective style

[Kiearha]

Hello Ladies,

I am trying to grow my hair out natural and wanted to know what is the preferred protective style. Braids or a full weave and why?

I decided to grow out my hair out since I am pregnant and will be nursing so relaxing is no longer an option for me. I still have relaxed hair on my ends I would like to retain. Any tips / advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[GreenD]

I selected other, as I've been wearing wigs for the last year. I just keep it braided underneath and so far so good. My longest parts when I chopped last year were 3 inches, and my longest parts now reach 8 inches. Since March will mark my one year anniversary I'll probably get another inch between now and then, so I've pretty much grown and retained 6 inches of hair in one year.

Keep us posted on your journey!!

 

[catgurl]

Hi Kiearha,

I would go for braids or twist extensions. I have an 8 month old DS and I wore twist extensions from the last month of my pregnancy up to 2 months ago. I around the same time I discover the Crown&Glory method and went from NL to near APL in 6 months!

I'd tried full sew-ins in the past but I hated not being able to get to my scalp. The Itch was too much for me.

HHJ!

 

[naturalmanenyc]

I transitioned to natural from 12/2007 - 12/2009 using full wigs, half wigs, cornrows and crochet braids. Crochet braids are my favorite since I can still get to my scalp (between the cornrows) as well as maintain a sleek style for 8 - 12 weeks at a time.

http://public.fotki.com/RegsWife/

Although I wore sew-in weaves often when I was relaxed, sew-ins weaves were not an option for me to transition due to the manipulation needed to get my hair to blend. I had 3 textures, bone straight relaxed ends, texlaxed middle section and 4a natural roots.

 

[Kiearha]

Thank you for your feedback this helps a lot! I know not being able to get to my scalp would make me crazy!

 

[Austro-Afrikana]

I really think braids are the way to go. I have been transitioning with crown and glory for over 20 months. If you haven't done so already, you should check out this site www.growafrohairlong.com
ETA The first and only time I wore a weave I experienced major breakage. My hair thinned out so much I had to cut it all off. Braids have helped me to retain a lot of length and moisture.

 

[GaiasDaughter24]

I would definetly reccomend braids. But I will say that I had relaxers while pregnant and while nursing. I still nurse (15 months so far) and my last relaxer was in October for my daughter's birthday. My dr. and research informed me that what you do to your head will not affect your pregnancy or breastmilk. Of course, in the end, it's a preference.

But I would definetly go with braids. They're low maintanence when having a young child and especially a toddler. HTH.

 

[Jewell]

I only voted for braids b/c if done properly, they tend to put less stress on the hair. I have an 18 month old DD, and I also transitioned and went natural while preggs w/her (13 month transition). I did braids, headwraps, and the occasional blow-out. I mostly did buns and headwraps, as I had morning sickness/N&V nearly the entire 9 mos. Had to take meds for it to keep enough food down. :-( So the headwraps did it for me, since I was mostly inside, in the hospital, or at the doctor's office! :-(

Relaxing during pregnancy is mainly a personal choice. And in the older days, they contained chemicals known to pass into breast milk or pass over the placental barrier. So, it was generally thought of back then that relaxing & perming shouldn't be done. However, as I found out from my doc, these days the relaxers are much more benign and don't contain those chemicals. I didn't relax during my pregnancy simply b/c I'd wanted to go natural for years, and this was my chance...I also would be taking advantage of that fast growth! Boy, was I happy I did take the leap and use that time to transition! I went from TWA (3-4+") after BC to grazing shoulders in 5 mos (June-Nov 08).

HHG, and hope you have a great, healthy pregnancy!

 

[sj10460]

I choose other because I like both. I wear sew-in weaves in the back and braids in the front. My hair grows best in cornrows and I like the versatility of braids. When people see me, I get tons of compliments because they can't tell which one it is.

Front (Braids)


The back (It's seen much better days) I usually leave the weave in for three months and just have the front (braids) done every six weeks

 

[danigurl18]

When I was transitioning, I switched off between braids and full weaves because I get bored easily. They really helped! HHG

 

[Michelle Obama fan]

I am 24 months into transitioning. I am using braids as a protective style and trying to avoid TBC. I'm considering a weave though after watching Reniece's video on yt.

 

[Chameleonchick]

Twists were my staple transitioning style. Maybe an occasional weave to switch it up.

 

[jasminestar]

've only had a full head weave once, and I went crazy trying to get to my scalp.
I think braids or twists make it easier to wash, moisturize, etc.