Braids
 

Ok...it's summer and braids are the style now...

so what are the best & worst style's you've seen


If you get braids, what kinds of braids do you get and the best kinds of hair to braid with?

Best style...the kinky twists

Worst style...cornrowed hair w/ long weave ponytail that doesn't match the color or texture of the persons hair :eek:

Love my braids!!
 

I recently got braids and I love it!!!!!!!

Instead of using the really course synthetic hair they used the real smooth, shiny kind that has a slight curl to it. They are individual braids and they braid it passed my natural hair (but not to the end). So the ends look like regular hair and they put a drop of crazy glue,... yes crazy glue to keep the top part of the braid from unraveling. You should have seen the look on my face when she broke out the tube of crazy glue :eek:. The only down side of these braid is you can't really get them wet. Since it is not human hair, the ends tend to get a little tangled and dry.

Re: Love my braids!!
 

I'm lost.. where is the crazy glue going... on your hair or the synthetic hair?

On the synthetic hair, since about four inches of the ends are out and curled (that way the braids I got it pretty long so it looks really nice. I just have to keep the ends brushed and moisterized.

I got the same braids, and I really really like them. Yeah summer, lol.

Right now I'm wearing micro braids with human hair. I've had them for about 3 months and this is also my first time with braids and I absolutely love them. In 2 weeks, i'll be getting either regular box braids or cornrow's but i'm not sure what kind of hair i'm gonna use.

I prefer the human hair because you can wet them and all you have to do is but a little but if mousse on them, tie them up in a scarf while drying them and they don't frizz.

I loooove wearing.....
 

I have braids now, one week ago today and I did them myself. I have the 100% kanekelon, but it's called wave switch kanekelon M4/30 is the color. This is my first time with braids and I love them. I've gotten so many compliments. I never thought I would like them as much as I do. I braided past my hair and left the ends loose, dipped in hot water and roller set. I didn't use any glue and it has stayed braided just fine. I've heard of some braiders to use super glue, nail glue, or just plain tying the hair in a knot if the braids are micro. Has anyone ever used toyakalon hair (looks like baby doll hair) and if so how did you like it?

I just got micro braids yesterday w/ human hair. they are really nice. I'm loving the fact that I can style them however i want. They frame my face nicely. Human hair is nice because it's not as heavy as synthetic but i hear that toyakalon is pretty light weight as well and cheaper

I used to use the....
 

I have had microbraids (human hair) for about a month. I LOVE THEM!! I wash them about every two weeks (with spray on Braid Shampoo) and LOVE them!!! I got a shade close to my own hair color, but I will be getting a few highlights next time I get them done. :) I am loving the braids..They are a great way to give your natural hair a rest from the heat and chemicals. :) :)

A spin off question
 

I have heard some astronomical prices that I refuse to pay. I live in Florida and micro's run about $150-$250 dollars. I paid $85 for mine...and that's ONLY because a soror did mine for me. I'll be getting box braids in about another week. One place wanted $120 and that did not include the hair. I did find a place that would do it for $90 w/kanekelon hair.

So my question is, for those of us that have had our hair braided, how much did you pay? And, how much is too much?

I've paid....
 

I've recently started having my 4-yr old daughter's hair braided. She loves it, I love it....etc.

Her braids only last for 2 weeks - max. I don't like my baby going around looking fuzzy. If I knew how to braid hair myself, I would braid her hair every weekend. I pay the girl who does it $35 - every 2 weeks.

Do any of you know how to braid hair? Any suggestions on how to learn? I was thinking about getting a package of hair and start braiding up one of my daugther's dolls for practice. I don't know how to cornrow and that's the style that she gets done the most. I figure individual braids are a lot easier to learn to do, so maybe I'll start with that first.

That is how I learned
 

I started the same way. I watched them when they did my hair and practice on a doll. I have done my hair a few times. It took me forever. I do both the cornrows and box. I am sure with time I will get faster.

As for price, I feel $85- $100 for box braids WITH hair is good. It all depends on the size. Cornrows, I think 50-$75 is good.

I paid $110 for my microbraids...i called a shop and they said $350 but they were like it would be 2-3 strands of hair per braid :eek:

prayerfull, just experiement with her hair...little by little you'll get the hang of braiding

Wow!!!
 

Were they trying to make you bald?

The most I have paid for braids were $200. They were the "Hidden Braids". This is where your hair is in rows of individual cornrows with the hair covering it. It is very similar to normal freestyle braids. It is better on hair and temples (depending on who braids your hair) than the regular individual braids. I think some people call them tree braids. If done right and small enough, you can barely tell they are braids. (Almost like a freestyle weave) They are just like the braids that Beyonce wear (ex:The Movie Carmen, Vibe Cover) , except my front row of conrows were braided straight back. I think she normally wears her front with a part , so hers are braided sideways. As for the hair. I purchased the hair my stylist ordered from New York. I got the wet and Wavy human hair that you can wear curly and flat iron straight. It does not tangle and you can reuse it. For 1/2 pound of hair (two bags) with highlights the hair is $140. :eek: It is high quality reuseable hair so I was not tripping.

So wait, are these latch hook braids with real hair?

Interesting.....

Hello, sorors! This is my first post in Greekk Chat. I saw that some of your braiders use crazy glue to secure the ends of your braids.

Well, make sure that they go waaaayyyy down past your hair. That was done to me with microbraids last summer and I lost about 2 inches of hair! :(

Crazy glue
 

Since my braids are much longer (in the middle of my back) than my natural hair (past my shoulders), so where they glued the synthetic hair is not even close to my hair. Believe me, I was checking ;)

Do any of you get ingnorant a$$ comments about your braids from non-negro co-workers or people you know??
This non-AA lady just had the nerve to ask me "Is all of that hair yours?". Ok, first of all you already asked me when I first go it done and I schooled you. Second, do you really think that my hair grew 8 inches over the weekend??:confused: Let's not be stupid. :rolleyes:

Doesn't that hurt your shirts? I used to get that done in high school, and I can not count how many shirts were ruined by those damn burned ends!

I really appreciate my micros, lol.

That didn't happen to me just when getting it braidee, any shirt I wore while I had those braids would get all picky-picky, It sucked.

If you mean like crochet (sp?) braids(Where head is cornrowed and the hair is looped through with a knitting needle), the answer is No. She starts the braid just like individuals but does a conrow and pulls up and leaves out some hair in between the criss crosses. The difference in hidden braids and freestyle braids are You have about 7 rows of several conrows. With freestyle you have several (depending on how the parts are made) rows of outward extending braids. I have seen both styles where the hair is pulled out covering the braids.

That's really interesting. I wish I could see a picture to get a better idea of it.

I had microbraids a couple of months ago and I paid $160 for them and that included the human hair. I only kept them in for a month and a half because I would always have them pulled up but once the back braids started falling out, I had to get rid of them.
Nikki1920 what's the name of the spray on Braid Shampoo that you used??
That was another reason I took mine out...my head was itching too much. I tried to wash them and did the whole SeaBreeze thing but they all kept falling out. Anyone have any suggestion on keeping them in longer?

Re: Crazy glue
 

Why were you offended by that? Sounds like a silly lady with little memory, but not malice. I mean granted, that mess gets annoying, but I wouldn't be mad unless they said something derogatory like "I heard you can't wash those" or something like that.

Anything else is just par for the course, ya know?

I will be getting microbraids for the 1st time June 24th and I am a little undecided on which hair to use straight or the wavy/curly? I am going to Cancun and it may get wet while I am swimming with Flipper and nem so I would like to know what my microbraid pro GC members suggest. I like the straight because it seems as if you can do more styles and the curly I have seen looks a little nappy after sweating, getting wet or other "extracircular" activities if you know what I mean.

As far as price I will being paying $175.00 and $50.00 for the human hair but the African Braiders that will be braiding my hair will have 2 braiders working at one time, they will touch them up (the edges) one time during the time you have the braids and they take them out for FREE (which means they already included it in the price) but the take them out is what SOLD me on them!!!

Also, what are some of the styles you were with braids?

Why were you offended by that? Sounds like a silly lady with little memory, but not malice. I mean granted, that mess gets annoying, but I wouldn't be mad unless they said something derogatory like "I heard you can't wash those" or something like that.


I wasn't mad I was annoyed. Today she asked me again, "Are those hair extensions?" as she walks up to me and touches my hair. I just gave her the "We ain't cool like that" look, and she backed off. Then she says "So how long did it take to put those 'things' in your hair?". When I told her she made a really smug face and began to comment on how she didn't think that any hairstyle is worth that kind of time, and asked if my hair would start to dred since I can't comb it, and yada, yada, yada. So I asked if was she was interested in getting her hair braided since she was asking so many questions about them (knowing damn well she wasn't). Then she just said Oh I was just asking and walked off.
Maybe I did take too much offense to it, or maybe she does not know how to be inquisitive without coming out sounding ignorant.:rolleyes:

@2discrete: I think it's African Pride Braid Shampoo. You wet your hair, spray it on, and *gently* work it into a lather between your braids. Once I've worked up a nice lather, I let it sit for about ten minutes. You dont have to, but I like to get my hair CLEAN. After that you rinse it out, dry your hair with a towel and go. You should be able to find it at any beauty supply store, but I have seen it at CVS, Ekerd, Rite Aid, etc.

1LeadingLady: I got the straight hair, and am able to style it however I want. And I've only lost ONE braid due to "extracurricular" activities. :D

I usually wear my hair in a pony tail or in a large clip. I play with it at night (curl it, braid, whatever) I just dont have the time or desire to "do " it just yet. I am enjoying the convenience of throwing a scruchy on it and going.
:cool:

Sounds interesting
 

I have to try that hot water trick b/c those braids sure do mess up your shirt! I ususally try to re-burn pointy ends to round them out and clip stray ends to minimize the mess on my shirt. There are some types of materials that are not affected. though.

I wear...
 

Kinky twist and I've had them for about 2 months and love them.

I wear my hair in braids at least 65% of the year and love them. I have a wonderful braider who has been braiding my hair for the past 3 years, and everyone I know also go to her. She is wonderful, works from her home and is not as expensive as some folks I've heard about. so if anyone needs a braider let me know.
She is in the DC Metro Area and her place is not far from Metro.
And she will help you take down your briads.
She does almost any style you want, from human to micro, to kinky twist, to weave braids, to cornrows, dreds..she even does the kinky twist with this special kind of yarn...yes yall..yard, it looks like you have dreads, but it's twist...they are

FIERCE!!!!! :D

Re: I wear...
 

Can you PM me to put me on to her. She sound pretty good.

Me Too ( I'd like her info please!)... I like my braids, and would like to keep them in for at least a year to let my perm grow out...which is healthier, perming or pressing?

It all depends who is doing it. Pressing I think is better b/c if you want go your hair a rest you can w/o worrying about breakage. However, if the person pressing your hair does not know what they are doing your hair will done. (like FRIED chicken!):eek:

First time...
 

I have never gotten my hair braided before, but I am considering getting some stylish conrows for an upcoming beach vacation so I wont have to worry about getting my hair wet or styling it in 90-100 degree weather.

My concern is that I recently got highlights about 3-4 months ago, and I havent had any breakage thus far, BUT Im worried that the braids my cause some hair breakage. Does anyone have any advice about how I could prevent any potential breakage? :(

Re: A spin off question
 

I want to know where in florida do you live...girl I just took my micro braids out about a week ago...I only paid 45 for mine...and my WHOLE head was braided. Of course, I got one of the little high school girls to do it for me(and she did a wonderful job), but still.....

Most people I know who get it done in the salon pay about....80-90 dollars.

A cheaper alternative is to get everything except the middle braided.....and get some tracks sewn in the middle. It takes less time, but the downside is that you are limited in the styles that you can put in your hair.

I just got cornrows today. I was/am REALLY nervous about my hair breaking because I have tried so hard to get it in this good condition. However, I feel that my hair should be strong enough to withstand. I will be exercising ALL summer and part of the Fall (I have an October 13th goal set), so I needed something to do with my hair. I don't have the patience to sit and get micros (or the money) right now, so cornrows will have to do. I have to get them re-done every 3 weeks to a month. That's cool. Anything to control the mane while I sweat this summer. Let's hope the hair angels are keeping an eye on me!

I have been wearing micros for about five years now. I get the best results when I go to the African Braiding Shop here. They do my whole head, braid to the end of my hair (which is a little bit past my shoulders) and style it for me when I'm done. They charge $180 for the straight hair micros including the hair. I don't think the curly hair looks good on me. But, the best part is, I'm done and out the door in four hours. That's not small feat because I have a big head and a lot of hair. I could get them done cheaper, but I'd rather pay a couple of extra bucks so that I can have my whole day ahead of me.

I have only had my hair braided in micros outside of the African shop twice and I was not happy with either. The braids were either too large to style or not put in tight enough so that they were grown out and ragged within a few days.

I used to wear different cornrow styles but I have stopped that. My sister does them really well and she'll do mine for free, but she grips my edges so tight that they break off. It's really not worth the trouble because the point of wearing the braids is to help my hair grow.

Next, I think that I am going to try pony hair micros. The hair is straight like human hair but it is synthetic. It comes already curled at the ends so you don't really have to do anything to it. Everyone who I have seen who's had pony hair micros has looked really good with it.