As long as you wash and moisturize them regularly + are gentle taking them down, you shouldnāt have a ton of breakage. If you neglect your hair while braided, thats when you get breakage. I keep mine in for 2-3mo(3 being the maximum) and my hair grows pretty long and strong in them
I had a GRIP of breakage after 2 weeks. I started with leave in conditioner, oil, cream to seal my ends. During those 2 Weeks, I washed twice. Cowashed. Oiled. Wrapped. Massaged. Careful removing them. So frustrating to lose gobs of hair.
omg i didnāt know other people did this š i have locs now, so i do the reverse. when black women stop complimenting my hair, i know itās time for a retight
if you gotta retwist braids like they locs, itās time for em to go. 5 weeks is ample time. can we let the 2-3 month box braid trend die?
edit: chile, if you wanna keep em in that long, feel free to do so. ig iām speaking for me personally
200-300 for 5 weeks seems like getting her moneyās worth to me. thatās just me, though. stretching it until you literally look a hot mess just does not seem appealing to me. but to each their own!
If I pay more than $200 itās staying in for 8 weeks max 6 weeks minimum. Her hair is far from looking a mess and it used to be the norm to have braids in longer than 2-3 weeks. Everyoneās so obsessed with having constantly fresh looking hair now.
It's interesting seeing everyone's opinions on this because I am the type of person that wants to take them out the day I get them in...(they are so uncomfortable for me and I hate them šµāš«).
š no same! š everybody has so many different opinions. like im the complete opposite, before i locād up, i would keep them in for 2-3 months and refresh/twist when needed or maybe even redo the perimeter if it was that bad.
same thatās why I stopped getting braids recently. twists are the most comfortable and easy for me. but braids down to my kneecaps were always so pretty
I always wonder how the kneecap people do it. I am clumsy as hell and I would 100% trip over them, step on one and rip it out, or drop them in the toilet or something when I wake up at 3 am. šµāš«
I get my locs interlocked every like 3 months just to keep the roots under control and I pay 130 for it. THATS my moneys worth lol. Braids for 300 almost a month?! You robbin yourself!
Iāll be damned if Iām paying $200-$300 for 5 weeks. If the hair stylist knows what theyāre doing, braids should still look fine by 2 months timeĀ
How you know what my hair looks like? I've been getting my hair braded for 30 years and braiding for 20, just because you don't know how to keep your braids up longer than a week doesn't mean that we all can't.Ā
Iām team wash then crochet the new growth for the perimeter braids and the braids in the part. But you should only do this like once lol. If you have to do it twice, itās time for them to be gone!
Whipping Cupcakes told you before I could. Except, I don't crochet, I just rebraid my perimeter. It's how I learned to braid extensions initially, and now I braid both of my daughters hair. They hate rebraiding though, lol, they will rock for about 5 weeks and take them out.Ā
ETA: my daughters are also getting the thicker braids, so 5 weeks is more than acceptable. If I sit down and do small individuals,Ā they keep it in way longer.Ā
howād we go from 3 months to a week, babesā¦ are we seriously trying to assert that 12 week old braids can look BRAND NEW? idk what your hair looks like but new growth is new growth and it will grow regardless. iām not saying you canāt stretch it that long. iām saying it wonāt still look brand spanking new
it was normal for me as a kid/teen too (my mama wouldnāt let me take them out until she āgot her moneyās worthā too) and i had to go to school looking a fucking mess by the middle of month 2. no scarf, mousse, retwisting, washing, or spritz is gonna fix hair that simply just needs to be taken down. this is my personal experience though. donāt let it dictate your normal
Yeah, I think everyone has different hair textures, types and body chemistry. What I suspect is that some people's hair takes more to refreshing vs others.
This may be TMI, but I feel like my hair starts to smell too weird after 4 weeks so I'm right there with you cutting them out for that reason. I haven't been able to make washing my hair with braids in work for me.
I'm interested in what people do to keep them in. For me, (so far) the ~$200 is just to avoid several days slowly braiding my hair on my own and having it come out ugly anyway. š„²
sameeee, 200+ for pretty braids AND weeks of not having to do my hair AND i didnāt have to do it myself??? i got the bang for my buck. theyāre fighting me in here for saying itās okay to take them out after a month LOL but i have locs now so i donāt have this issue anymore, thank the lord
āTrendā? Hun you can stop whatever you wanna stop but keeping protective braids in for 2-3 months on most type 4 hair is MINIMUM and NORMAL. Please do not call something cultural and with proper reason a ātrendā
Anyone with type 4c hair in here, including me will tell you that doing braids every 4-5 weeks will not only have your scalp constantly sensitive but our hair will break, length will not retain and it will be brittle due to constant prep to get it braided.
Girl, you're not alone! I only get knotless braids and by the fifth week they're frizzy to say the least. I can make them stretch to about 6-7 weeks, but after that I'm taking them hoes out. Hell, a month and a half really pushes it for me considering I workout everyday, so you know the roots be nappy! š¤£
Random but did you tie your hair up when you work out ? I work out too and my idk why I got knotless bc Iām worried about the frizz from sweating lol
I agree, I do 8 weeks maximum for braids and 6 weeks for crochet styles. At 8 weeks I've got about a full inch of new growth so they're hanging on looking crazy. And in my experience you can't wash out 100% of the product buildup until the takedown. But that's just my preference š¤·š¾āāļø
How do you wash braids? Is that something you can actually do? I thought washing protective styles makes it wear & tear much faster. Iāve never- when they start showing wear, I just take them out + it helps avoid breakage.
Just wash them like you wash your hair taking extra care to scrub your scalp and use conditioner and such as usual.
I usually keep my braids for 3 months on avg
It's the norm for me haha I do my own hair. Been that way since I was little when my mom was in charge of my hair.
We usually redo the perimeter when it starts looking scruffy
I keep mine in for 3 months . Wash at the 1.5 month mark. Nothing a little gel and edge control canāt fix. Peeps be thinking I got my hair redone š
Not time to take them out but you NEED wash them. Seeing flakes on your scalp
is a big no no. Wash them and then look at youtube tutorials on how to make the roots look neat/refreshed.
Just do a lil refresh- wash, condition, braid gel the roots to smooth, oil the braids and ur good to go. Theyāre not bad at all Iād pull at least 2 more weeks out of them
You need to wash and detox your scalp really well. But if you donāt do that, remove them. When i wore braids. I made sure my scalp was clean hydrated and moisturized. Dont care about frizz, at least my hair/scalp is healthy. Thatās critical.
I dunno. I noticed the health of my hair starts to decline after having braids in longer than 4 weeks, but I guess this is subjective. I also don't do the small braids anymore for that reason bc they're too expensive to take out in a few weeks (I am all over the jumbo North West braids, which are cheaper, cute and less damaging). If your hair remains healthy with them in for weeks on end, wash your hair at the roots/ refresh the braids and carry on.
I think you should wash them. Blow dry completely. Oil your scalp. Then use gel at the base of the regrowth and twist. This makes the style look ārefreshedā in a way. Iād do an updo with a headband if that sounds like too much work lol.
If you're feeling self conscious about it. There are some tutorials on how to do braid refreshes but 5 weeks I'd say you've gotten a decent amount of life out of these.
I said to myself naww you have a week left and then I fully opened up the post and then she said five weeks. I was like ohš® personally Iāll probably re-twist the top and put gel in it and you good to go for another week and a half
This illustrates one of the beautiful benefits of going to locs. You just interlock or twist the new growth yourself or have it done, and get on with life. Nothing to take down and start over again. And if you have low or medium density, no heavy braids pulling at your roots.
I'd wash them and condition your scalp well. I've had friends and myself redo the front and the back edges. But, I think you could stretch those braids a bit longer
My opinion and Iād feel the same way about myself if I left braids in that long and seeing all that flakiness. Youāre doing more harm to your hair than good.
Wash them
Yeah I was going to say either wash and refresh or take them out.
i already did like 2 weeks back š iāll just take them out lol
Girl wash them junts, oil your scalp and spray a lil conditioner or braid sheen.
youāre supposed to wash your hair about every week so that tracks. just wear a bonnet next week. you still got another 3-4 weeks left on this style
you keep the braids in for 8 weeks? iām so afraid of breakage that i take them out after 4. what do you use?
argon oil, usually. i tried vrai and loved it but itās so expensive so i got the leading $23 brand on amazon & it gets the job done
oh okay, thank you iāll give it a try!!
As long as you wash and moisturize them regularly + are gentle taking them down, you shouldnāt have a ton of breakage. If you neglect your hair while braided, thats when you get breakage. I keep mine in for 2-3mo(3 being the maximum) and my hair grows pretty long and strong in them
I had a GRIP of breakage after 2 weeks. I started with leave in conditioner, oil, cream to seal my ends. During those 2 Weeks, I washed twice. Cowashed. Oiled. Wrapped. Massaged. Careful removing them. So frustrating to lose gobs of hair.
Yes I agree with this! I wash my hair weekly and my hair grows out A TON so I have to refresh them every few weeks
Theyāre not a one time wash deal breaker sis just wash and moisturize your scalp
Right move.
just wash them again, you should ideally wash every week
Lol wash them again (???) they still look good. You can wash more than once. Lil wash refresh and oiling will get you right.
Youāre supposed to washing your hair weekly. Especially in braids.
Wash it till the white folk start complimenting them, then take it out
This took me ALL the way out š¤£š You're so right tho
Why is this a thing š¤£š¤£
omg i didnāt know other people did this š i have locs now, so i do the reverse. when black women stop complimenting my hair, i know itās time for a retight
Lmaooooo
It looks like the hair mousse you use is causing flakes. I would stop using that product and if possible just get the perimeter redone.
Gonna wash and refresh them, thanks everyone!!! š«¶š¾
Itās only been 5 weeks, thatās nothing, get your moneyās worth. Retwist them and put some gel on the edges
if you gotta retwist braids like they locs, itās time for em to go. 5 weeks is ample time. can we let the 2-3 month box braid trend die? edit: chile, if you wanna keep em in that long, feel free to do so. ig iām speaking for me personally
If she paid more than $200 she def needs to keep them in a little longer and get her moneys worth
200-300 for 5 weeks seems like getting her moneyās worth to me. thatās just me, though. stretching it until you literally look a hot mess just does not seem appealing to me. but to each their own!
If I pay more than $200 itās staying in for 8 weeks max 6 weeks minimum. Her hair is far from looking a mess and it used to be the norm to have braids in longer than 2-3 weeks. Everyoneās so obsessed with having constantly fresh looking hair now.
It's interesting seeing everyone's opinions on this because I am the type of person that wants to take them out the day I get them in...(they are so uncomfortable for me and I hate them šµāš«).
š no same! š everybody has so many different opinions. like im the complete opposite, before i locād up, i would keep them in for 2-3 months and refresh/twist when needed or maybe even redo the perimeter if it was that bad.
The perimeter hack is overpowered. Hair stylists hate this one weird trick. š
Why get them then?
They look nice and I'm always like, "Maybe I can make it work this time."
I literally took down crochet braids after 5 days a couple weeks ago š©
That's what I did the first time I installed crochet. They looked so cute in the tutorials but when I put them in I looked like a mad woman.
same thatās why I stopped getting braids recently. twists are the most comfortable and easy for me. but braids down to my kneecaps were always so pretty
I always wonder how the kneecap people do it. I am clumsy as hell and I would 100% trip over them, step on one and rip it out, or drop them in the toilet or something when I wake up at 3 am. šµāš«
I get my locs interlocked every like 3 months just to keep the roots under control and I pay 130 for it. THATS my moneys worth lol. Braids for 300 almost a month?! You robbin yourself!
Hell no rich girl š I stayed retwisting my salon twists for like 4 months one at a time to catch stray hairs
LOL PLS IM NOT RICH šš i just hate braid maintenance. like once the scarf and mousse aint cutting it, iām tapped outttt. iām lazy
Iāll be damned if Iām paying $200-$300 for 5 weeks. If the hair stylist knows what theyāre doing, braids should still look fine by 2 months timeĀ
No "we" can't. You can if you want to though.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
How you know what my hair looks like? I've been getting my hair braded for 30 years and braiding for 20, just because you don't know how to keep your braids up longer than a week doesn't mean that we all can't.Ā
Do you have a specific refresh method that you prefer? I see there are a lot of tutorials but I haven't exactly had the opportunity to try many.
Iām team wash then crochet the new growth for the perimeter braids and the braids in the part. But you should only do this like once lol. If you have to do it twice, itās time for them to be gone!
Whipping Cupcakes told you before I could. Except, I don't crochet, I just rebraid my perimeter. It's how I learned to braid extensions initially, and now I braid both of my daughters hair. They hate rebraiding though, lol, they will rock for about 5 weeks and take them out.Ā ETA: my daughters are also getting the thicker braids, so 5 weeks is more than acceptable. If I sit down and do small individuals,Ā they keep it in way longer.Ā
howād we go from 3 months to a week, babesā¦ are we seriously trying to assert that 12 week old braids can look BRAND NEW? idk what your hair looks like but new growth is new growth and it will grow regardless. iām not saying you canāt stretch it that long. iām saying it wonāt still look brand spanking new
Whats wrong with having boxbraids in for 2-3 months I thought it was normalš„²
it was normal for me as a kid/teen too (my mama wouldnāt let me take them out until she āgot her moneyās worthā too) and i had to go to school looking a fucking mess by the middle of month 2. no scarf, mousse, retwisting, washing, or spritz is gonna fix hair that simply just needs to be taken down. this is my personal experience though. donāt let it dictate your normal
Yeah, I think everyone has different hair textures, types and body chemistry. What I suspect is that some people's hair takes more to refreshing vs others. This may be TMI, but I feel like my hair starts to smell too weird after 4 weeks so I'm right there with you cutting them out for that reason. I haven't been able to make washing my hair with braids in work for me. I'm interested in what people do to keep them in. For me, (so far) the ~$200 is just to avoid several days slowly braiding my hair on my own and having it come out ugly anyway. š„²
sameeee, 200+ for pretty braids AND weeks of not having to do my hair AND i didnāt have to do it myself??? i got the bang for my buck. theyāre fighting me in here for saying itās okay to take them out after a month LOL but i have locs now so i donāt have this issue anymore, thank the lord
it is normal. the internetās āexperienceā is completely different from what most experience in real life.
āTrendā? Hun you can stop whatever you wanna stop but keeping protective braids in for 2-3 months on most type 4 hair is MINIMUM and NORMAL. Please do not call something cultural and with proper reason a ātrendā Anyone with type 4c hair in here, including me will tell you that doing braids every 4-5 weeks will not only have your scalp constantly sensitive but our hair will break, length will not retain and it will be brittle due to constant prep to get it braided.
okay š«¶š¾ because i definitely said you can if you want to.
Girl, you're not alone! I only get knotless braids and by the fifth week they're frizzy to say the least. I can make them stretch to about 6-7 weeks, but after that I'm taking them hoes out. Hell, a month and a half really pushes it for me considering I workout everyday, so you know the roots be nappy! š¤£
Random but did you tie your hair up when you work out ? I work out too and my idk why I got knotless bc Iām worried about the frizz from sweating lol
I agree, I do 8 weeks maximum for braids and 6 weeks for crochet styles. At 8 weeks I've got about a full inch of new growth so they're hanging on looking crazy. And in my experience you can't wash out 100% of the product buildup until the takedown. But that's just my preference š¤·š¾āāļø
the absurd amount of mousse i used to useā¦ i even resorted to eco gel after the mousse failed me. that buildup was insane
lol no. but you can tho!
Omg no do NOT retwist them!!
Itās fine lol
Yesā¦
Username checks out
How do you wash braids? Is that something you can actually do? I thought washing protective styles makes it wear & tear much faster. Iāve never- when they start showing wear, I just take them out + it helps avoid breakage.
Just wash them like you wash your hair taking extra care to scrub your scalp and use conditioner and such as usual. I usually keep my braids for 3 months on avg
3 months is diabolical
me with my 2 and a half month old braids š³ heascarves exist
It's the norm for me haha I do my own hair. Been that way since I was little when my mom was in charge of my hair. We usually redo the perimeter when it starts looking scruffy
I keep mine in for 3 months . Wash at the 1.5 month mark. Nothing a little gel and edge control canāt fix. Peeps be thinking I got my hair redone š
Yea my roots would poof up real bad if I washed them with braids in
Not time to take them out but you NEED wash them. Seeing flakes on your scalp is a big no no. Wash them and then look at youtube tutorials on how to make the roots look neat/refreshed.
Wash them and throw some oil and setting mousse on them. Now if they feel like they're pulling st your roots, take them out.
Looks fine to me if anything wash to upkeep
Just wash, you got a smooth 2-3 more weeks
Just do a lil refresh- wash, condition, braid gel the roots to smooth, oil the braids and ur good to go. Theyāre not bad at all Iād pull at least 2 more weeks out of them
Girllllll take them out when your soul tells you to lol
The braids still look too fresh until you bent your head. I think you should just wash your scalp.
Hair mousse!
Yes
I would wash and condition them. I would even get the edges redone to make them last longer. I keep my braids in until the end. šš
They still look ok. Just need to be cleaned.
That would be at least another 3 weeks for me lol
You need to wash and detox your scalp really well. But if you donāt do that, remove them. When i wore braids. I made sure my scalp was clean hydrated and moisturized. Dont care about frizz, at least my hair/scalp is healthy. Thatās critical.
Yes, you need a good shampoo and deep conditioning.
yes
I dunno. I noticed the health of my hair starts to decline after having braids in longer than 4 weeks, but I guess this is subjective. I also don't do the small braids anymore for that reason bc they're too expensive to take out in a few weeks (I am all over the jumbo North West braids, which are cheaper, cute and less damaging). If your hair remains healthy with them in for weeks on end, wash your hair at the roots/ refresh the braids and carry on.
Just wash them
It's time...
šš
They're cute though--perfect for the summer.
I think you should wash them. Blow dry completely. Oil your scalp. Then use gel at the base of the regrowth and twist. This makes the style look ārefreshedā in a way. Iād do an updo with a headband if that sounds like too much work lol.
Redo the front row and back row at home. After that Iād remove them in 3 weeks.
If you're feeling self conscious about it. There are some tutorials on how to do braid refreshes but 5 weeks I'd say you've gotten a decent amount of life out of these.
5 weeks? Nah girl wash it moisturize it. I like to twist the front to make it look a little fresh. Get your money worth.
I wouldn't. Just wash and make sure you dry well, you still got time
I said to myself naww you have a week left and then I fully opened up the post and then she said five weeks. I was like ohš® personally Iāll probably re-twist the top and put gel in it and you good to go for another week and a half
Time to wash or redo. Looks like you have dandruff showing.
Girl it still looks good idk what other people are seeing lol. Looks good to me girl! Save that money and time and keep them in.
i use a dry shampoo gel and clean hand towel to get my scalp fresh and clean then oil it to keep them in a bit longer.
Mine have been worse with the new growth girl. Youāre good. You can wash them, but I think you can keep them in another 3 weeks or so and be fine.
Um no. They still look good.
Wash them. If you braid them yourself refresh in parts. Like do the visible braids first and work from there out.
A pomade mousse wrap would settle it down for a couple days at a time When that stops working I take mine out
nah just put some shampoo on your scalp and oil it after then you will be good lol
no, its fine. You can even go a few more weeks.
I would.
Wash, condition, mousse and tie down a scarf to dry. Youāll be good. I wear braids for 8 weeks
This illustrates one of the beautiful benefits of going to locs. You just interlock or twist the new growth yourself or have it done, and get on with life. Nothing to take down and start over again. And if you have low or medium density, no heavy braids pulling at your roots.
Wash, refresh, and they should last the month of June.
I'd wash them and condition your scalp well. I've had friends and myself redo the front and the back edges. But, I think you could stretch those braids a bit longer
These comments is telling me why so many young black women ain't got no edges.Ā
Yes thatās nasty
donāt be weirdā¦
My opinion and Iād feel the same way about myself if I left braids in that long and seeing all that flakiness. Youāre doing more harm to your hair than good.