which hair should I use for my first crochet braids?

krikit96 · Sep 17, 2014

which hair should I use for my first crochet braids? (PICS INCLUDED)

Hey curl friends! I'm excited to try the crochet braids this weekend for the 1st time, but I didn't KNOW which hair to buy! Does anybody have any experience with either of these types of hair??? They were both on sale for $1.99 a pack... should I be scared?

gorgeoushair · Sep 17, 2014

Can't really see what type of curl it is but they look like they should be fine.

krikit96 · Sep 18, 2014

Awww, I need to take better pictures... I'm really excited AND nervous...I hope I braids good enough. I cornrow under wigs all the time but I can do those sloppy since nobody sees them. I struggle to do a goddess braids or the braids headband a around a high puff... I just need to get this right!

MrsMe · Sep 18, 2014

The top one looks like Marley hair if I can see correctly. This hair is easy to separate during the process but be ready for a BAA.
The bottom one would look cute too but given how loose the curl pattern is, a few of your braids might get loose and come out. You'll need to do a double knot.

Sent from my phone...typos and autocorrect galore

DarkJoy · Sep 18, 2014

The Marley will have you in a baa at first I agree. However you can twist and dip in hot water for a more tamed twist out. It will cut the volume in half. And you'll maybe use only one pack and it wont take so long.

The waves you'll need two packs AND have to make the pieces smaller and closer together for better coverage esp around the crown and bangs.

RockRideTrue · Sep 18, 2014

Yeah, as DarkJoy said. With the wavey you'll need to crochet closer together and use more hair for a full look. The marley hair can give you too full a look as the style ages.

gorgeoushair · Sep 18, 2014

RockRideTrue said:
Yeah, as DarkJoy said. With the wavey you'll need to crochet closer together and use more hair for a full look. The marley hair can give you too full a look as the style ages.

To be honest, Marley hair is bigger when u first get it done and then after a week or two it's not as big like when u first get it in but it's still big. For the volume and how big the hair will be, depends on how close together u put the hairs.

OhTall1 · Sep 18, 2014

If you're doing crochet braids for the first time, I wouldn't recommend using the looser pattern. That hair tends to be silkier and like someone else mentioned, you'll need to double knot it. It could be frustrating for your first try. Plus, at least in my experience, the looser curl hair doesn't last as long as the tighter patterns. I can typically keep Water Wave in two weeks longer than Deep Twist or Natural Twist, which is fine for me since I prefer the looser styles.

krikit96 · Sep 18, 2014

LaChaBla said:
If you're doing crochet braids for the first time, I wouldn't recommend using the looser pattern. That hair tends to be silkier and like someone else mentioned, you'll need to double knot it. It could be frustrating for your first try. Plus, at least in my experience, the looser curl hair doesn't last as long as the tighter patterns. I can typically keep Water Wave in two weeks longer than Deep Twist or Natural Twist, which is fine for me since I prefer the looser styles.

LaChaBla - How long does the style usually last for you? I mean, what's a normal expectancy for keeping in the wavy hair? I'm even thinking about doing the marley hair into 2 strand twists...

gorgeoushair said:
To be honest, Marley hair is bigger when u first get it done and then after a week or two it's not as big like when u first get it in but it's still big. For the volume and how big the hair will be, depends on how close together u put the hairs.

gorgeoushair - would you recommend or say it was a bad idea, to put the marley hair in and where it out, and then go back in and twist them into two strand twists? I'm just so scared of having a humongous afro, that would not be okay in my work environment... they are ULTRA conservative there...

mzpurp · Sep 18, 2014

This thread may help you! http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=638271

OhTall1 · Sep 18, 2014

krikit96 said:
@LaChaBla - How long does the style usually last for you? I mean, what's a normal expectancy for keeping in the wavy hair? I'm even thinking about doing the marley hair into 2 strand twists...

For me, silky styles like Fretress Natural Twist or Deep Twist and Outre's Loose Deep Bulk only last about 4 week before they start looking like a HAM. With Water Wave or Bohemian, I can go 6-7 weeks.

krikit96 · Sep 18, 2014

LaChaBla said:
For me, silky styles like Fretress Natural Twist or Deep Twist and Outre's Loose Deep Bulk only last about 4 week before they start looking like a HAM. With Water Wave or Bohemian, I can go 6-7 weeks.

Wow, okay that's good to know. I'm reading the back and it says the hair is "washable" and to shampoo it and what not... I'm afraid it'd end up looking awful if it got wet!

I'm still toying with the idea of installing the marley strands and twisting them into 2 strands or senegelese or whatever they are called... i don't know the difference between those and chunky twists/kinky twists... ... either way my mistakes may be easier to cover up if I do it like that rather than leave it out...

mzpurp said:
This thread may help you! http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=638271

Off to go watch!!! Thank you...

gorgeoushair · Sep 18, 2014

krikit96 said:
LaChaBla - How long does the style usually last for you? I mean, what's a normal expectancy for keeping in the wavy hair? I'm even thinking about doing the marley hair into 2 strand twists...

gorgeoushair - would you recommend or say it was a bad idea, to put the marley hair in and where it out, and then go back in and twist them into two strand twists? I'm just so scared of having a humongous afro, that would not be okay in my work environment... they are ULTRA conservative there...

I don't know what's too big for u. Initially the first day I got them, I was in shock because it was too big but she told me the volume would decrease if I wear a bonnet at night. You can do a search on youtube to see how far to space them to get them to your liking.

I loved my Marley crochet braids. I love big hair and folks kept asking me if that was my hair. I wish. Lol

krikit96 · Sep 22, 2014

Okay, so the YouTubers LIED... It does NOT take 3 or 4 hours to do this mess... It took me NINE (9) hours!!! I started at 4:30pm and finally finished at 1:28am - and I was not doing anything else BUT my hair... no phone, no kids NOTHING... I hope these last for awhile, because I'm DREADING the take down... Sheesh!

OhTall1 · Sep 22, 2014

krikit96 said:
I hope these last for awhile, because I'm DREADING the take down... Sheesh!

It looks great!

Most folks say that it's takes way longer the first time you do them, and it gets easier and faster after that.

DarkJoy · Sep 22, 2014

Nice job!!!

Took 10 hours my first time. Now its 4 to 5.

Take down is about an hour to hour and half. No worries there.

krikit96 · Sep 22, 2014

LaChaBla said:
It looks great!

Most folks say that it's takes way longer the first time you do them, and it gets easier and faster after that.

LaChaBla - Thanks! I was so scared! I don't think I did a good job at my braiding pattern, I have apl hair, and I tried to combine all the tails of the back braids into one... BIG CLUMPY MISTAKE! I used almost 3 packs of hair! I will try again, with a different pattern... hopefully it will get faster and easier like you say...

DarkJoy said:
Nice job!!!

Took 10 hours my first time. Now its 4 to 5.

Take down is about an hour to hour and half. No worries there.

DarkJoy - Thank you! Now, if you actually cut your time in half, then I have hope that I can too. How long do you wait between installs to put a new one in?

amii · Sep 22, 2014

LaChaBla said:
For me, silky styles like Fretress Natural Twist or Deep Twist and Outre's Loose Deep Bulk only last about 4 week before they start looking like a HAM. With Water Wave or Bohemian, I can go 6-7 weeks.

I just installed water wave! I let out a sigh of relief when I read this. In your experience with it have you washed it? Did you sweat or exercise while they were installed? And did you keep them long or wear them short?? So many questions lol. I could clearly use a lot of help.

krikit96 · Sep 23, 2014

amii said:
I just installed water wave! I let out a sigh of relief when I read this. In your experience with it have you washed it? Did you sweat or exercise while they were installed? And did you keep them long or wear them short?? So many questions lol. I could clearly use a lot of help.

Hey amii - I ended up going with water wave too!! (Duh, it's in my pictures, I know... lol) as you can see I cut mine short, what did you end up doing? How long did it take for you? have you noticed the hair started frizzing up yet? I did my hair on saturday and it's frizzy already - I've been clipping ends... Do you think you'd use this hair again?

DarkJoy · Sep 23, 2014

krikit96 said:
LaChaBla - Thanks! I was so scared! I don't think I did a good job at my braiding pattern, I have apl hair, and I tried to combine all the tails of the back braids into one... BIG CLUMPY MISTAKE! I used almost 3 packs of hair! I will try again, with a different pattern... hopefully it will get faster and easier like you say...

DarkJoy - Thank you! Now, if you actually cut your time in half, then I have hope that I can too. How long do you wait between installs to put a new one in?

3 weeks in, a weekend out, reinstall. I am rough on my extensions plus I have fine hair that doesnt like being cornrowed for long. I gotta be wary of my edges too.

DarkJoy · Sep 23, 2014

krikit96 said:
Hey amii - I ended up going with water wave too!! (Duh, it's in my pictures, I know... lol) as you can see I cut mine short, what did you end up doing? How long did it take for you? have you noticed the hair started frizzing up yet? I did my hair on saturday and it's frizzy already - I've been clipping ends... Do you think you'd use this hair again?

About this... yea. Another reason why 3 weeks is my limit. Always snipping at the frayed ends. It gets real rough after a few washes. Mostly it recedes around thd hairline after a few washes so be prepared to scarf or add hair.

I dint mind this though. It forces me to take care of my real hair with a good cleansing and moisturizing every few weeks.

krikit96 · Sep 23, 2014

DarkJoy said:
3 weeks in, a weekend out, reinstall. I am rough on my extensions plus I have fine hair that doesnt like being cornrowed for long. I gotta be wary of my edges too.

Girrrrrlaaaaa!!! If I showed you my edges you'd be sad... bad thing is, they've been this way since I was a child. I think it's not really my edges, cuz my hair is there, just very very short and curly and fine and a super soft texture... I have my mother's hairline... and she got it from her dad.

I think I need to find another braid pattern... this straight back is not for me, simply because my hairline is shaped the way it is...

amii · Sep 23, 2014

krikit96 said:
Hey amii - I ended up going with water wave too!! (Duh, it's in my pictures, I know... lol) as you can see I cut mine short, what did you end up doing? How long did it take for you? have you noticed the hair started frizzing up yet? I did my hair on saturday and it's frizzy already - I've been clipping ends... Do you think you'd use this hair again?

I put mine in on Sunday(6 hrs) / Monday (3 hrs). I actually ran out of hair or else I would have been done on Sunday I actually went out with a quarter of my head bald. Lol. I used seven packs... I lost some hair due to separation before install. I won't separate next time because that's where my frizz is developing I can see. I left it pretty long about 18 inches a little shorter in the front. I think ill use this one again, this was my first install so I'm hoping it gets easier with time. I've been clipping between the hairs where they web together, try that! And some mousse to smooth it back together. I'm currently working on the best way to wash these. It's absorbs all the smells I encounter :nono:

I will post some pics later if it can help someone out.

krikit96 · Sep 23, 2014

amii said:
I put mine in on Sunday(6 hrs) / Monday (3 hrs). I actually ran out of hair or else I would have been done on Sunday I actually went out with a quarter of my head bald. Lol. I used seven packs... I lost some hair due to separation before install. I won't separate next time because that's where my frizz is developing I can see. I left it pretty long about 18 inches a little shorter in the front. I think ill use this one again, this was my first install so I'm hoping it gets easier with time. I've been clipping between the hairs where they web together, try that! And some mousse to smooth it back together. I'm currently working on the best way to wash these. It's absorbs all the smells I encounter I will post some pics later if it can help someone out.

amii , when I did it, in order to keep the frizz away, when I separated them, I used kinky curly custard, just a Lil bit... To wet the hair and make it go back curly... Some people use Eco styler gel, but I actually USE ecostyler... My kinky curly just sits there... Anyways, if you seperate it while it's wet with the gel, it stays curly and actually keeps the curl defined...

DarkJoy · Sep 24, 2014

amii said:
I put mine in on Sunday(6 hrs) / Monday (3 hrs). I actually ran out of hair or else I would have been done on Sunday I actually went out with a quarter of my head bald. Lol. I used seven packs... I lost some hair due to separation before install. I won't separate next time because that's where my frizz is developing I can see. I left it pretty long about 18 inches a little shorter in the front. I think ill use this one again, this was my first install so I'm hoping it gets easier with time. I've been clipping between the hairs where they web together, try that! And some mousse to smooth it back together. I'm currently working on the best way to wash these. It's absorbs all the smells I encounter I will post some pics later if it can help someone out.

7 packs?!?! Daaaaang!!!

OhTall1 · Sep 24, 2014

amii said:
I just installed water wave! I let out a sigh of relief when I read this. In your experience with it have you washed it? Did you sweat or exercise while they were installed? And did you keep them long or wear them short?? So many questions lol. I could clearly use a lot of help.

amii, I just used diluted condition to wash my real hair and the extensions. And each time I wash the extensions, I also cut out all of the fuzzy parts. I usually get mine cut in half before they're installed, so typically they're about shoulder length.

naturalsista1 · Sep 24, 2014

Check out this article on Crochet braids hairstyles. I think they have what you're looking for: http://www.poeticjusticebraids.net/...s-human-hair-how-to-do-styles-care-video.html

amii · Sep 24, 2014

DarkJoy said:
7 packs?!?! Daaaaang!!!

That's what I said! especially when I had to find a way to style them so I could leave my house partially bald. Every video I've seen they only use about 4-5.

amii · Sep 24, 2014

LaChaBla said:
amii, I just used diluted condition to wash my real hair and the extensions. And each time I wash the extensions, I also cut out all of the fuzzy parts. I usually get mine cut in half before they're installed, so typically they're about shoulder length.

I think that's what will be my down fall with these. Too much hair and too much opportunity to tangle. I'll try the diluted condish, thanks!!!

DarkJoy · Sep 24, 2014

amii said:
That's what I said! especially when I had to find a way to style them so I could leave my house partially bald. Every video I've seen they only use about 4-5.

I use 2 (cut in half) so I guess that would be 4 if left long. Wow. Must have been heavy.

which hair should I use for my first crochet braids?

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