What do you do between braid/weave installs?

[africanqueen456]

Do you do a protein treatments followed by a moisturizing treatment and if so which one?
Also how long do you wait between installs?

I usually do an aphogee two minute treatment but now I am learning it is not strong enough?

I usually wait a week to a month

 

[phillyrn]

bump bump bump

 

[Rocky91]

i usually do an egg treatment to strengthen my hair, and then follow that up with a moisturizing DC.
i wait quite a while, because i don't really get those styles too often anymore. the soonest i've gotten a new install or braids/weaves was within two weeks when i was in the weave challenge.

 

[Nonie]

In-between installs, eh? Well, considering I go for over a year with the same braids, my "in-between" usually happens when I am ready for a change. My regimen doesn't change when I'm in braids so I don't do anything special when I take them out. I just continue as I was doing with braids in. (Shampoo, condition, ACV rinse twice a week with one of those conditionings being a mild-protein DC.) I don't have a set schedule for how long that will last. I could put them back in within a week or wait for months before putting them in. It just depends on how much time I am willing to spend on my hair on a daily or weekly basis. When I'm in braids, I spend hardly any time on my hair. Love that freedom.

 

[Maracujá]

Well, considering I go for over

So instead of braiding back to back you just keep the same braids for a year? How long have you had this regimen?

 

[Nonie]

So instead of braiding back to back you just keep the same braids for a year? How long have you had this regimen?

Since I was a teen, which means about 20+ years. When I was relaxed in my early 20's braiding this way was just my way of getting rid of damaged relaxed hair. I'd put braids in and redo them one at a time. I didn't trim my hair. I just let the relaxed hair break off on its own and then when I had a good length of natural hair, I'd take them out and go get my hair relaxed.

I used this method to transition 2 years before I found the forum only by then I was trimming my hair (about 1/4 inch every 6-8 weeks) rather than letting the relaxed hair fall off on its own.

And then this has been my way of getting back on track after a setback or just when I get tired of doing my hair daily. My hair seems to do well with minimal manipulations, which braids afford me. Now if I could only start sealing and protective styling, I might have a nice story to tell. But I hate products and I'm too lazy to PS seriously.

 

[Maracujá]

Sorry to ask so many questions Nonie, but I'm really interested in this because braiding is what gives me the most growth, unfortunately it also dries out my hair and thins out my ends, that may be because I only wash and dc once a month when in braids, how frequently are you washing and dc'ing?

 

[ms.blue]

I never really took breaks b/w braids & weaves but I would deep condition w/ whatever conditioner I had which were protein based.

 

[MsLizziA]

I PS some more with my own hair but i before i do i protein treatment> clarify > henna> deep condition > then i PS. The longer my hair gets the more and more i realize I have to do styles that last. Im not gonna spend 5 hours on my hair everyday....

But i like to give my hair some TLC for about a week or 2...

 

[Nonie]

Sorry to ask so many questions Nonie, but I'm really interested in this because braiding is what gives me the most growth, unfortunately it also dries out my hair and thins out my ends, that may be because I only wash and dc once a month when in braids, how frequently are you washing and dc'ing?

No apology necessary; I don't mind.

I wash my hair twice a week. Both times, I use shampoo, conditioner, ACV. When I shampoo I apply it undiluted directly on my scalp using my fingers, which feel through my braids to find my scalp. I focus on massaging it well into my scalp, sort of ignoring the braids--that's after wetting my head first of course. The when I hold my head under a shower head to rinse, that's when my braids get their "wash". As water runs through them carrying away the now diluted shampoo, I squeeze them in stages to get dirt out. If the suds are not white but brown with dirt (which is never the case since I wash so often and use no leave-ins), then I would shampoo my scalp again and repeat the process. I do not disturb my braids by piling them on my head but rather leave them hanging down.

Next I apply a moisturizing conditioner the way you'd apply relaxer working from near base to ends. I avoid the inch or so near my scalp for two reasons: I don't think conditioner has any business on my scalp and I believe conditioner residue is usually the culprit (along with braid spray/leave-ins) when people get knots at the base of their braids. I apply to a few braids at a time and squeeze them to encourage it to penetrate the braids. Then I plait them to get them out of the way while I work on another set. I make sure to leave them hanging down just so that conditioner doesn't drip toward my scalp but rather drips toward the ends where it's most needed. I then put on a plastic cap or plastic bag and finish my shower (wash my body). Then I rinse them same way as I shampooed: holding head under the shower and squeezing them as water runs through. I do this for a long time--until no more froth is coming out of my braids.

For the ACV rinse, I mix 1/4 cup ACV with 2 gallons of water in a basin and add 20 drops of rosemary EO and 20 of lavender EO and then kneel on the bathtub and dunk my head in the solution. I let my braids soak in the goodness while I massage my scalp to make sure no residue is left. If in a hurry, I just mix 1/8 cup of ACV in a gallon container and add about the same amount of EOs, maybe less (I just ballpark it coz I'm in a hurry, remember? ) and then pour this over my head using one hand to pour and the other to squeeze it through my braids and massage my scalp. Then switch hands to work the other side of my head.

Since I DC once a week, one of those washes involves apply AO GPB to dry hair and putting on a bag or not and leaving it in my hair for 15 minutes while I'm doing stuff around the house, and then I follow the above procedure. If I am using Emergencee for my DC, then I shampoo first and then use Emergencee after the shampoo, baggy for ten minutes, then shampoo with Therappe (yes, second shampoo) and condition with whatever moisturizing conditioner I have and then ACV rinse as before. (I am a stickler for following directions on labels hence the reason I do things differently with Emergencee. The 10 mins instead of 2 shown in the current bottles is from the original directions. They worked so well for me and according the Nexxus it's the same formula so I have no plans of fixing what isn't broken.)

I do baggy nightly and I think that is the main reason my hair never feels dry. I do not use any products and my hair seems to do OK. I actually think it might be one reason I don't experience knots/tangles...plus my face got so much clearer the year I first started to do this and seems to have stayed that way. Products make my scalp itch, so in addition to the clean feeling I have, I no longer have to endure that. It also feels nice to lean back on furniture and not worry that I'll leave marks behind.

 

[Yoshi3329]

I PS with my own hair; before I put my hair back in braids I do the following:
Clarify/Chelate>Condition> Deep Condition>Porosity Control> Rinse>Air dry>Cornrow again

 

[bride91501]

This is a great question! I'm a newbie, and I'm wearing a 6 week old weave that I'll probably take out in 2 weeks. Currently, my regimen consists of co-washing/DC once/week, clarifying 1/month, and castor oil applied to edges and scalp. I'm in the weave PS challenge, so I plan to let my hair breathe for 1-2 weeks between installs. I actually anticipate that I'll be co-washing more during my break, maybe as often as 3-5x per week, as it will be my chance to see how my uncovered hair reacts under a slightly different regimen.

ETA: I'll also do a protein treatment betwen installs.

 

[ZkittyKurls]

i am transitioning now and in between installs?? there are no in betweens. lol i pretty much take the weave down and dtangle with a moisturizing condistioner then dc with a protein conditioner. i just put the protein on top of the moisturizing conditioner then i wash it all out in the morning. then i get the weave or braids put back in the next day. my hair will get a break once im done tranistioning.

 

[africanqueen456]

bumpity bump

 

[cmw45]

I've been in braids/weaves/twist since August 8, 2009. Usually I got 2-4 weeks inbetween protective styles. It would be less but I live in upstate NY and since I have to make it to NYC to get my hair done I have to plan and coordinate. When it is only two weeks between installs usually I have cowashed every other day while in cornrows under. When it was a month between styles last fall I braided my hair up under a cute hat with big earrings, cowashing every other day. My hair thrives under low manipulation and in braids so I will now be giving up weaves and constantly kinky twisting/braiding until I reach BSL. My hair HATES protein so even during the time I give my hair a break I focus on moisture and not protein.

 

[SingBrina]

I do a Aphogee protein treatment after.... and then I just do my reg shampoo and deep cond. Once a week and I leave it out for a month or two.

 

[femmemuscle]

I DC moisturize, and massage before my next cornrow style. But i usually stay around the house after i finish my takedown. When my appointment is near, i wrap it up in a scarf, and drive to the beauty shop.

Because of a major setback, my hair is 6" with the bald spots finally filling in.

The last thing i need is to have the neighbors calling in a 911 because they thought they cited a Black Ted Nugent.

 

[shasha8685]

I clarify and follow up with a moisturizing shampoo. I DC with a light protein conditioner (AO GPB or ORS Replenishing). I air dry and wear a phony pony until I get my hair braided again (I wait at least 2 weeks).

That's it, nothing spectacular.

 

[africanqueen456]

bumping***

 

[Misseyl]

I rebraid, I don't take a break because individual braids are so hard to get in that I just rebraid every 6 weeks and apply Profectiv to each braid.

 

[My-Foolish-Heart]

I usually clarify my hair, do an Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment, and follow with a moisturizing DC. I usually go about 2-3 months between installs (cause I get a relaxer 2 weeks after my takedown usually) and I also do the 2 Step the week before putting my braids as well. Sometimes if I'm doing braids back to back, I'll wait 2-3 weeks and install without doing a second hardcore protein.