I wore braids for nearly four years straight and was very happy with the result. I wasn't doing it to help my hair grow, I did it because I got sick of taking care of my hair on a day to day to day basis, and since I did them my self, they basically NEVER came out of braids- I would seee that it was time to do it, so I would unwind, and rebraid at the same time. I started with jaw length, and when I decided to take them out and leave them out for a few months, I had bra strap length, without a relaxer or press. Now I wish I took the time to press it out and see how long it really was, as it was I just either air dried or used a regular iron on it.