For the past three years I have worn extentions in the back of my hair for length and volume. I absolutely loved it for a while until it started damaging my hair, especially during the summer when it's often more than 40 degree Celsius here. I started looking for a protective style that would save my hair from sun damage. I also wanted to lay off the relaxers for a while. About a month ago I purchased a lace wig. It was a horrible experience to say the least . The glue was a hassle and the hair always got stuck it in. TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY!!!! I never wore it in public I finally came to the conclusion that lace wigs are a silly contraption. What the heck was I thinking anyway?
So now I've decided to braid my hair. I like the idea of pick and drop braids. They are nice and curly and versatile. The only problem I hear is that it gets tangled and messy very quickly. My aunt told me that it is not good for shoulder length hair, as it would stick out from the braids The other option is the regular micro braids. I think they are ok too, but to me look very plain and boring.
What are your experiences with braids and which style of braids do you prefer?

amma  make this short and simple


going natural is the best , i do all kinds of braids on my natural hair  ( box-braids, cornrows, kinky-twists, flat twists, corkscrews) name it

braiding ones hair into various styles and with various  types of extensions make one  stand out

plain and boring ke?  ka ma ri "  "

How were you wearing your extensions? With glue or sew in. Let me tell I have sew ins and my hair is so long and healthy since I started doing it. When I first started with the weaves I used glue but it damaged my hair and left me with bald spots. Eventually I went to a really good stylist in New York that advised me to stop using the glue and do the sew ins. The secret is in taking extra good quality care of your own hair underneath the extensions. You have to moisturize and massage good products on to your scalp otherwise your scalp will get dry and your hair will break. You also need to wash and condition your hair very well concentrating on the tracks underneath and then rinse out thoroughly. If you leave any residue in you risk damaging your own hair. You can go back to the extensions since you liked the style and the volume and length but you have to take that extra care to protect and care for your own hair. It will grow and you won't be disappointed. Use a stretch (Soft and Beautiful have a good thermal relaxer (uses heat not chemicals to straighten your growth) between relaxer. You should only be relaxing at most 3 time a year. I have even stretched my hair for six months and it blended nicely with my extensions. You can do this. Your hair can be healthy and it can grow. I gain at least half an inch in growth every time I get a weave and I only keep it in for 6-8 weeks maximum.

man i use to rock that afro. man i looked empowered.

Thanks for the advice and tips girls .
@ mohawkchic I never knew you could use human hair for braid extensions. I'll be sure to try that cuz I'm so in love with that style

thanks for putting it here, phew! what a mess

i have been going thru old post over and over looking for info to detangle or declump.

Helpppppppppppppp

what are you "de-clumping"?

I'm natural now so I had this problem in the beginning too. The best way to detangle your hair is to wet it and drench it in a lot of conditioner. Then when you're ready to rinse it out get your widetooth comb and comb the hair while water is running through it under the shower. This helps also so that you don't lose a lot of hair. Make sure the water is very warm. When you're done rinse the hair once with cold water to reduce frizz and seal the cuticle. Then put in a leave in conditioner. Let that dry for a few minutes and then use a water based moiturizer. Then seal the moisture in with a natural oil like shea butter, extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, castor oil or coconut oil. If you do this everytime you wash you won't get tangles and you'll see a difference in your hair. Hope this helps

Also another tip to help with tangles is since you are natural, don't shampoo your hair! Use conditioner only. It sounds weird but condititoner does clean the hair but without striping the natural oil from your hair. As you know natural hair is already dry, no need to dry it out further. If you MUST shampoo choose a shampoo that does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate or ammonim laryl sulfate or any sulfate at all. Creme of Nature makes a great shampoo that is sulfate free. Sulfates over dry the hair and cause tangling and breakage.

so you cut off your relaxed ends, Riskie?

doesn't going natural cause breakage?

ThiefOfHearts:

so you cut off your relaxed ends, Riskie?

Yes I did. At first I was really sad but it's growing back so quickly.

~Sissy~:

doesn't going natural cause breakage?

Not at all. Before I cut off my relaxed ends I would touch my hair and it would snap off. When I combed it I'd have balls of hair on the floor. Relaxer just wasn't for me lol. I have barely experienced any significant breakage since being natual.

Riskie and all, thank you so much.

The hair is scaring me I can't even touch the rocks in there yet.

Riskie, any specific brand of conditioner, leave in conditioner? i have panthene but let me know if anything specific there are too many in the store.

Thank you so much. Yes my hair is natural, i stopped perming for now some months ago.

Some conditioners I like are Herbal Essences Hello Hyradtion, VO5 Moisture Milks and Suave. Any conditioner is fine really. For leave in now I'm using Garnier Fructis Anti-Course Leave in. I'm still trying out others to get something better. Don't forget to deep condition once a week. I use Lustra Silk's Shea Butter and mango and I mix it with honey and olive oil, no heat just a shower cap for an hour or two.
Good Luck!

Thank you lady , let me go look for them

Hauwa you're not serious. How long have you stopped relaxing that you think you're natural. Go sit down jare

me sef natural with my post 15 weeks relaxer head

~Sissy~:

doesn't going natural cause breakage?

nah. they just have to wash their hair often/moisturize and they'll be fine. I think Hauwa's hair is still battling with the parts that are still relaxed, hence the problem.

TOH,

you are funny and i just laughed 
how do i say it? it's natural hair. i faried my head a while ago. it's kinky if that's the right word to use.

yeah i no longer perm my hair. it's over a year now. so it's natural  .

i hail una ooo, the naturalist . me sef my hair is super stubborn that i no feel put comb in it without relaxering it sef, not to talk of leaving for a yr with only shampoo n conditioner, i will be a mad woman.

so Riskie and Hawua, did you ladies had to cut your hair short before going natural? i heard you need to start from the beginning esp. if your hair is long as to allow it to regrow and out grow the relaxer?

@ Karma, MC and others

have you guys heard of the Japanese relaxer that strengthens hair, a.k.a the thermal conditioning? any insights?

i just stopped relaxing and then faried it  .

Riskie, i have got all those things you listed. now it is time to experiment  the only thing is am just too scared to touch the moulded hair   

@ Sissy I grew out my hair for 4/5 months and then I cut off the relaxed ends. I had 2 inches of growth lol. I used to think my natural hair was too hard to manage as well but I realized that the handling and care matter more than the actual texture. My hair is a 4b with some 4a areas so it's as nappy as it gets lol.

Thermal straightening is more harsh than a regular relaxer. Our hair is already the most delicate of all even though it looks tough and hard because it is dry. The strands are actually very fine and fragile which is the reason our hair breaks easily and we think it won't grow. I wouldn't suggest this method of straightening for us. A lye relaxer is best because it doesn't leave mineral deposits on your hair like a no-lye.

@ Hauwa LOL! tangled naps can be scary but the water should soften up that bad boy.

Never heard of the Japanese thermal thing. I did hear about Keratin treatments. They're really nice on naturals. It's pretty much fusing keratin into your hair to make it straight, no harsh chemical or whatever it goes back to the natural state after some months, no worrying about having to add anything every month. Heard of this, Riskie?

As for me o, the only thing that would make me go natural is if I was guaranteed this kain hair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRnHWpZnkaw

//

hmmmm

riskie wanted to ask u if the water didnt 'cut' ur hair
i came here n after like a month or so,
i could barely 'pack' my hair
it fell out horribly
its been 2 years since n ive not gotten my 'pre-here' hair
i went for months just washing n cutting it
no help

i did dye it tho. . .
now ive got loose braids in n havent relaxed my hair in a while
what do i do to make the damn thing grow?!

Braids are good. Make your hair grow quickly.

And don't leave braids on for long. Damages your hair

im confused. Blue are you natural?