Join in on a Braid Regimen Anyone???

[AJamericanDiva]

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bellydancer said:
thanks for telling me that! lol
i had no idea! let me fix that... lol I wish someone had told me that earlier!!

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No problemo! I think that we get so accustomed to seeing "x"s as pics that we don't even think about it. You do see the pic in my avatar, don't you? I wouldn't have said anything, but after reading your sig. you said that that was your pic in the avatar... I was like, "I wanna see..."

 

[bellydancer]

yea i can see your picture. I'll fix my avatar in a few days. i can't wait until christmas. i will have an album like everyone else!!! i can better track my progress. esp. since i'm on accutane. gotta make sure i'm not losing too much hair.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

OK... this just in. Ladies, a word of wisdom. FOLLOW YOUR GUT INTUITION!!! My braids have crossed over into that dangling phase. As much as I said I wouldn't want to take it out because it's not even 6 weeks, I decided to undo about 5 braids along the hairline. I used my BraidEase spray as I loosed each one. I was developing what I'd term "Rasta roots". A clump of tangled hair that was being formed by the shedded hair. Not only that, but I lost half the thickness of each braid due to this postpartum shedding. Well, I plan on taking out all of the braids. It is possible that some of the excess shedding could have been aleviated if I had braided my hair using Robin's method, but I didn't braid my hair myself. Someone else did it. When it's time for a touch up next year, I'll suggest to my hairdresser to use a mild relaxer as opposed to regular. I hope my hair doesn't end up being too thin. Anyhow, I'll do a protein treatment followed by a moisturizing treatment once all the braids are removed. I'll do about 6-8 cornrows going back. When I re-braid my hair, I'll be doing it myself. That way I can ensure it's being braided the way I want it, in a safe way that will ensure minimal hairloss, especially at this critical time when shedding is an issue for me.

 

[simplycee]

AJD what is Robin's suggested method of braiding hair? Do I have to buy the video or can you explain it to me?

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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simplycee said:
AJD what is Robin's suggested method of braiding hair? Do I have to buy the video or can you explain it to me?

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YES!!! You have to buy the darn video...

Just kidding!!! I can explain it to you, but it's best done in pics... let me go and search my archives... hang on.... be right back!!!

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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AJamericanDiva said:
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simplycee said:
AJD what is Robin's suggested method of braiding hair? Do I have to buy the video or can you explain it to me?

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YES!!! You have to buy the darn video...

Just kidding!!! I can explain it to you, but it's best done in pics... let me go and search my archives... hang on.... be right back!!!

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Hey! I'm back... I hope this link takes you to the exact page. This is similar to what Robin teaches on the video... How to braid with extensions Let me know if it's clear to understand...

 

[AJamericanDiva]

It doesn't look like the link takes you to the exact page, so let me see if I can paste it here...
Where to start:
Whether you start your braiding at the front or the back of your head is up to you.
Whenever I've had extensions put in professionally, they've always started at the nape of my neck and worked forwards, but if you're doing this on your own, at home, you might wish to get the front part done which you can see better, while you get a feel for what you're doing.
The other advantage of getting the front done first is that if you only get half a head of braids done after a whole day of braiding, at least it'll look semi-OK until you finish it off.
I think salons start at the back because it's easier for them to work that way - they can clip undone hair up, whilst finished extensions hang down and out of the way.
If you're trying to braid your own hair round the back, I advise using two mirrors so you can see the back of your head. Try to section your hair using the mirrors, but you don't have to watch what you're doing for the actual braiding, if you can get it right 'by feel'. I just get confused watching myself braid in reverse, and it was a lot easier for me if I didn't watch!

Sectioning:
One of the most important things to do when putting in braids is section your hair off neatly. If you just grab random chunks of hair, not only will your braids vary in size and distribution, but it's very likely that you'll get lots of wispy little bits of hair caught in the braids, which will pull and which will hurt. Use a rat-tail comb if you have one to make clean horizontal sections in your hair, and try to use chunks of hair of roughly the same size as you go along each row. Use a load of clips and barettes to hold other bits of hair out of the way if you have to. Reducing the amount of stray hair also reduces the 'halo of fuzz' that braids tend to develop with time.
The thickness of your hair may make a difference to the way you section it off, too. If you've got fine hair, it's better to stagger the sections of hair in more of a 'brickwork' than a 'chessboard' pattern, so that less of your scalp shows through.

3-way plait method
The basic DIY method of braiding is quite simple. A braid has 3 strands, and if you're adding synthetic hair into your own, two of these strands are synthetic, while the remaining strand is real hair. Try not to use too much synthetic hair - each 'stalk' of the braid should be about the same thickness, which then avoids putting too much weight on each section of hair.
Synthetic hair for braiding is cheap (about $1-2/£1-2) per packet and comes in many colours. You can buy all the bits and pieces you need for braids from Afro/ethnic hair shops - if you're not sure where there are any in your area, look in the yellow pages under 'beauty supplies'. When you remove synthetic hair from the bag, it'll be looped over at the top and secured with a rubber band - this top loop forms the top of your braid where it meets the hair.
I tried to draw the method, but everytime I did, it came out wrong! So I borrowed the following image from "How to upbraid your friends" which details different methods of braiding normal long hair:

(If you imagine the grey strand to be your real hair, and the blue strands to be top loop of synthetic hair...)

Use small sections of hair for thin braids, and larger section for chunky ones. It helps to stagger the braids around your head so that you don't have large patches of exposed scalp.

When you start to run out of real hair, divide the two strands of synth hair into 3, then split the last inch or two of the real hair strand between the 3 synthetic strands, then keep going. Dividing the ends of your real hair between the continuing synthetic strands like this stop the ends of your real hair poking out of the braids.

Sealing the braids:
You can fix the end with a rubber band or snag-free elastic, or by dipping into boiling water and rolling smooth, or even by melting with a lighter and rolling smooth (but beware of big black blobs of molten plastic. You do not want to roll those between your hands).
You could also use latex-based hair glue, or superglue at the end.

If you do a lot of braids, you can also invest in a braid end sealer - a little electric hot iron which seals braids of various sizes at the end and then snips off the excess. They cost about $30, and make very neat ends. Dr Locks sells them. Europeans should remember that US appliances will not work on the European power supply - a travel plug adapter will enable you to plug the tool in, but the much higher power rating will promptly blow up the tool and probably your power circuit too. Well, maybe... play it safe and buy the appropriate step-down transformer - they cost about £20 at a power rating of 100W (the braid sealer tools are 75W). Having said all that, I've seen one report from someone in Australia (with the same higher-voltage power supply as Europe) who said that their braid sealer claimed to have dual voltage and worked fine just with a travel plug adapter - maybe the dual voltage kicks in automatically, I just don't know. I didn't want to risk it myself so I bought a transformer!

4-way braids (Box braids)
I gave them their own little section - find out how to do them here


Pokies
Sometimes you'll get little bits of hair poking out along the length of your braids - these are called 'pokies'. If you sleep with your braids wrapped up, you should get fewer pokies, and if you do wash your hair, wash them gently rather than scrubbing them together. Once you get them, there are a couple of things you can do to make them look a bit better: spray them down with hairsrpray or flatten them with gel, snip them off (if there aren't too many - you'll end up with many unintentional layers in your hair afterwards if you get too snip-happy!), wrap small pieces of thread round the offending 'poky' to cover it up, or use small dabs of spirit gum to 'glue' the poky bits down.

What about Cornrows?
Cornrows work quite well on shorter hair, especially hair that's too short to go into normal braids. There's an excellent how-to with diagrams on how to put in cornrows here. You can loop (or 'latch-hook) premade braids underneath cornrows if you want a longer head of braids, a popular technique on afro hair.

Finding a braider.
Look in your yellow pages for local salons who do braids - you're more likely to find braiders at more ethnic salons, and they'll be cheaper there too. Ring them up and explain what type of hair you have, and ask if they would be willing to do braids for you. Some places will, and some won't - but these places are the experts in doing braids, so it's well worth doing some legwork to get good braids at a low price. Salons tend to charge per hour, so the more hair you have, and the longer you want the braids to be, the more it will cost you. If you want weird and wonderful colours, you can always buy the hair and take it along with you, which will be cheaper - ask the braider how many packets you'll need (and expect to need at least 6 packets).
Shops that sell products for afro hair often carry advertisments for people who will braid from home - they often do a good job and are much cheaper than salons. And of course, there's a lot to be said for asking someone whose braids you like, where they got theirs done.

Taking care of your braids.
Braids will be quite tight for a week or so, until they've loosened up slightly and your own hair has grown a bit. You will not need to wash braids as often as normal hair - once a week at the most would be fine. The only part that really needs to be washed is at the scalp, so it's best to run a dilute shampoo solution through the scalp, then let the lather rinse through the braids themselves.

Julia gives this advice on looking after your braids:

Shampooing:
"If you can't get Dr. Bronners peppermint shampoo [Ed's note - which is what Bridget thinks is the best thing for washing extensions with], try any minty shampoo or one with tea tree oil (The Body Shop tea tree shampoo works great, just get one of the bitty travel bottles). So, what I do is first gently rub my scalp with the pads of my fingers to ease the urge to itch, and to losen any, um, scruff. Then, squirt a little shampoo in my hand then dilute it with some water. Apply to part of your hair concentrating it all on your scalp. Apply to your head in sections until you seem to have it all covered. Then, rinse like crazy. A shower or one of those shower head attachments are really helpful at this moment. Rinse for several minutes. Really. Sometimes itchiness is left over shampoo on your poor scalp.

Drying:
Squeeze out as much water as you can while in the shower. Then, grab a towel and gently squeeze out more water. Grab another towel, since the first is probably soaked, and gently squeeze some more. Your hair will be really heavy right now, so try to support it with your hands as much as possible. Definitely, don't pile your hair on top of your head using a towel as turban. I tend to sit on the sofa with my hair piled on a towel on top of the sofa back. My hair is supported by the back of the sofa, and the towel beneath it is keeping the sofa dry while also helping to dry out my hair. You can use a hair dryer on low temperature to help your hair dry faster.

Funkiness:
Developing a bit of a funk in your braids/dreads is a definite possiblity. I think thoroughly rinsing, and getting as much water out of them as quickly as possible will probably help with that.

Fighting the itch:
I usually apply a little light oil to my scalp. Operative words are "little" and "light." Weleeda makes a great rosemary scalp oil that helps with itchies. Sweet almond oil (w/ rosemary or tea tree essential oil added if you have them) works great. So, I pour a little into my palm and dip my fingers in the oil, then I gently rub my scalp with the slightly oily fingers. This helps if the itching is from dry scalp. A braid spray that is basically glycerine rather than oil will also help itching. Too much will leave icky build up. You can also try a spray on leave in conditioner.

How often to wash:
As far as frequency of washing, this is really individual. I tend to wait at least a week between scrubbing up. Sometimes 2 or so. I give myself a gentle scalp massage with some oil and spray leave in conditioner if I think my head is being sad. "

Preventing fuzz:
In between washes, you can apply scalp sprays and dry shampoos which will keep the itchiness down. Sheen/braid sprays will keep your braids looking nice, and prevent fuzziness. If you wrap your braids in a scarf while sleeping, and change over to satin pillowcases, you'll find that your braids won't get too fuzzy.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

A-ha!!!!! It's working for now... you may want to just go to her site. It's very informative. Although I think it's written by a Caucasian English woman, it's proven very helpful!!!!

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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AJamericanDiva said:
A-ha!!!!! It's working for now... you may want to just go to her site. It's very informative. Although I think it's written by a Caucasian English woman, it's proven very helpful!!!!

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I know you probably want to know exactly where on the site I got the info. When you go to her homepage, click "Braids-Plaits".

 

[MrsQueeny]

I just got my braids done yesterday. I am hoping to keep them in for 6 weeks. I will co wash everyday or every other day, spray with surge 2x a day. I will wash 1 day a week with a clarifying, followed by moisturizing shampoo to combat buildup. I will also use Wild growth on my shampoo day and follow up the surge with an oil after spraying. It is in cornrows. Hopefully, I can finish off this roll and post the pics this weekend. Take care Q

 

[bellydancer]

when will my braid video get here!!!! it's been a week!!! i'm so impatient. i need to calm down.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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bellydancer said:
when will my braid video get here!!!! it's been a week!!! i'm so impatient. i need to calm down.

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Calm down, Gal!

Did you change your personal settings? I tried to answer your PM, but you are not receiving PMs.

 

[bellydancer]

why can't i receive them? maybe i'm supposed to erase some. my mailbox may be full. let me erase some.

 

[bellydancer]

oh... i fixed it.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

How's this going for everyone? I haven't put my braids back in since removal in August. I have, however, been wearing about 5 big plaits under my silky headscarf. I'm happy that I don't work in a corporate environment but instead freelance for myself. /images/graemlins/clap.gif

 

[nfynit_812]

I'm still in! I have medium sized boxbraids (personally I think they're too big; but easier to take 'em out)...I took a short hiatus from Surge, but I started up again.

 

[naptrl]

I'm still on the braids challenge..have them in right now! I'm loving it! My hair has grown by leaps and bounds since I started doing this! I'm in until I get to bra strap...

 

[Healthb4Length]

I'm doing a braid challenge for the next year and I will see where it goes from there. Because of my budget and time issues I maynot be able to do it exactly the same time as everyone else but I will keep updating my album and let everyone know what i'm doing.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

Hey there! This wasn't meant as something to be so extraneous!!! Do what you can... the object here is to limit the constant manipulation that comes as a result of daily styling. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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naptrl said:
I'm still on the braids challenge..have them in right now! I'm loving it! My hair has grown by leaps and bounds since I started doing this! I'm in until I get to bra strap...

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Glad this is working for you, Naptrl. Oh, wait a minute!!! We got our "Quote" feature back with the quoter's name!?! YES! Ok... also, good luck with your medical training... I was pre-med waaaaaaaaaay back when. The only thing between me and my Master's in Molecular and Cellular Biology is my thesis. I HATE being locked in a lab. /images/graemlins/nono.gif

 

[AJamericanDiva]

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nfynit_812 said:
I'm still in! I have medium sized boxbraids (personally I think they're too big; but easier to take 'em out)...I took a short hiatus from Surge, but I started up again.

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Medium sized boxed braids are great as they should yield the same outcome. Have you been relaxing in between or just braiding back to back?

 

[miss_brown]

I'm getting cornrows this weekend and will get it done again in December. I don't want to see my hair again until 2005, and I'm hoping it surprises me /images/graemlins/trampoline.gif

 

[nfynit_812]

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AJamericanDiva said:
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nfynit_812 said:
I'm still in! I have medium sized boxbraids (personally I think they're too big; but easier to take 'em out)...I took a short hiatus from Surge, but I started up again.

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Medium sized boxed braids are great as they should yield the same outcome. Have you been relaxing in between or just braiding back to back?

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I basically braid back to back. When I take out my braids, I wait up to a week before I rebraid. During that time, I deep condition and then right before I get it rebraided, I use a protein conditioner, wash with a moisturizing shampoo and moisturizing conditioner and blow dry w/a leave in. Whew! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Natalie76]

I'm joining this regime and wearing braids for two months at a time. I just got braids this past Sunday and will wear these until January. I'm hoping to be VERY close to bra strap by August. I'll keep everyone updated!

 

[PittiPat]

Is anyone using human hair for their braids? /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif

 

[Poohbear]

i might start wearing braids in the middle of next year /images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[marygrove013]

I'm in I got braids last week...my husband loves them...

 

[MissYocairis]

Hi Lee.... I "just" put braids in my hair and i would love to be in a braid regimen with someone (there's strength in numbers

) I do my own braids, and I have found (through a series of experiences) that box braids work best for me in terms of accumulating length and overall hair health. Back in 1994 I wore braids back to back (literally) for a year and a half. When i finally stopped, my hair had grown from neck length to 1 inch past bra strap... but unfortunately I did not know how to take care of it and it eventually broke off again to about shoulder length.

Neck Length to 1 past BRASTRAP!?!?!?! OMG! That's me. I'm neck length trying to get to brastrap and beyond. So, the box braids does it huh? I don't know what "box braids" actually means. Are you doing something similar to Robin Woods' method?

 

[CynamonKis]

New to Braids

Hi--I just got braids put in yesterday, 1st time in my life wearing braids!

I've been reading to educate myself on how to care for braids, and have read some of the braid regiments on this board (Ajamerican thanks for you thoughtful post on the subject). I have some questions/comments:

1. My braids didn't feel tight at all yesterday the 1st day I got them, but they kinda hurt this a.m. (I took a moultrin for the pain), and used Seabreeze on the scalp. The hairline doesn't hurt at all, and now I only slight tightness in one area of the scalp.

2. My stylist used human hair to braid

3. Is it true that oiling the scalp causes build-up, because I was going to oil my scalp with an essential oil mixture 3x a week and spray the braids with Infusium. Has anyone used essential oils? What results?

4. On the GrowAfroHairLong.com site, they spoke of spraying the hair with Infusium 23 and African Pride or African Royal braid spray. Has anyone tried this? What were the results in terms of shedding and build up when taking out the braids?

5. I used the Caruso steam curlers to put some curl at the end of my braids and the curls in the braids turned out really nice.

6. My stylist said I shouldn't go for more than one month in the braids, but I have read here and elsewhere of people going 6-8 weeks with them on and I was frankly looking for a 6 week hiatus from dealing with my hair. How long do you usually keep them in?

Thank you all for indulging me on this!

Cynthia

 

[LookieLoo]

I just started a braid regimen! I'm aiming for bra-strap length. I've had them for a week, and I already have visible growth.

Once, I wore two-strand twist extensions back-to-back for about 9 months. When I started, my hair was shoulder-length, and when I took them out, my hair was almost to my waist. I loved it!

But a few months after that, I got dreadlocks, so I didn't enjoy it for long.