Why I won't be wearing braids for 12-18 months

[HoneyRockette]

Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I was in the bank today and I was behind a woman with the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen in person. It was jet black and so silky. I had to bite my hand just to keep from touching it. I couldn't see the face of the woman but I could tell it was a black woman and I was just oozing with envy! So there I was standing behind this woman thinking to myself, how can I start a conversation with her about her hair? Then at some point she turned sideways and OH MY GOSH! The shock almost knocked me down. I literally gasped out loud! Are you all ready for this? Brace yourselves!! She had no edges! None what so ever! She had absolutely no hairline. Her hair started about two inches from her crown on all sides. I KID YOU NOT! It was completely bald and SHINING! When I gasped she turned all the way around to me and her hairline looks like someone just chewed it off! It was horrible! It wasn't even at all. It was jagged and oh my goodness! I couldn't even begin to describe it to you all! I played it off of course when she turned around and said "Oh my gosh! I love your hair! Did you grow it out with braids?" She nodded but I can tell she was just as embarassed as I was. So I have decided that instead of wearing braids (on and off) for 12-18 months I am going to wear them for maybe 6-8 months. Nine months if I see no major damage has been done. That was scary. I would never be able to go outside like that. I would pencil my hairline in every morning with an eyebrow pencil or something. I don't know. I just had to share that with you all, especially the rest of the Braidy Bunch.

 

[pebbles]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

HoneyRockette,

That is some scary stuff!! I love braids a lot, but they really do require some care. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif Darn-it! That's messed up!

 

[legs71]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

HoneyRockette,

LOL, I'm sorry I had to laugh! Just the way you told the story had me LMAO. I'm growing my natural hair out with braids, but I take special care of the edges. I think bald edges occur from not getting the edges redone when they grow out. The edges and temple area are very delicate so the hair breaks from the root due to the weight of the extension dangling from the new growth. I frequently rebraid my edges and the rest of my hair so much my boyfriend is always asking me can I keep my hands out of my hair. Also cornrows braided back can destroy a hairline. Over the summer I got them and they screwed up my temple area. Thankfully they're growing back and I will never get cornrows again in this lifetime. There's a girl I know wears her hair in a ponytail extension and she has no edges and apparently isn't worried about it because she continues to pull her hair back. This girl also has an identical twin who has the same problem. I think since they've been doing this for years they probably have serious traction alopecia whereas the hair will never grow back.

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

My hair has been acting funky lately and I decided to give the braids a rest, too.
It takes a couple of weeks for my hair to get back to 'normal' after being braided up all month...
It sticks up every which way--even after shampooing and conditioning. And it seems extra fragile.
I see the 'fivehead' on a lot of women. Once the root is destroyed, that's it--the hair isn't growing back! /images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Robin41]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I think edges suffer the most when we wear extensions because (1) the braids are in way too tight; and (2) the extension is way too heavy. I've had an extension pull right out of my hair at the edge with all the little plugs attached! I was horrified. I love to wear braids in the summertime to give my hair a rest but only large boxes, not too tight, and thin extensions. That's too bad for that lady, but don't let it stop you from wearing braids. It's an excellent alternative to constantly manipulating your hair.

 

[hairfanatic]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

Oh my goodness HoneyRockette,

The way you described her hair knocked me off my feet and I didn't even have to see her in person. That's sad /images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Valerie]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I think the constant braiding does weaken your hairline, I have had my hair braided once, but I am not so keen on them.

 

[Integrity]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

In reply to:

I would never be able to go outside like that. I would pencil my hairline in every morning with an eyebrow pencil or something.


Honeyrockette, what did you mean by that, please??


when i didnt know better stylists braided my hair really tight back to back for 2 years, no conditioning,no moisturizing nothing. my natural hair then was in bad condition and my edges really suffered to. i have managed to get most of it back and still working on it. i have baby hairs on the bits that i thought the cells were dead so theres some hope. now, if anyone offers to briad my hair i back away really fast /images/graemlins/mad.gif. i somehow hate braids and weaves cos of what they did to my hair. man. i will concoct a potion to grow the tiny patch left (maybe a mixture of castor oil, vitamin E oil, sulphur powder, menthol-peppermint-rosemary stimulant and ground biotin tablets). watch the 'hair recipe board' space! also, please feel free to let me know any ingredients that may go well with the ones above for growing back fading edges..

 

[fancypants007]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

It's so sad. I just decided to wear braid extensions for about a year. I do my own braids and I'm using Robin's technique (growafrohairlong). In her video she specifically states that around the hairline you put in smaller braids and you do not wear tight braids. This is something that I like so much about doing my own braids because I am in control. If I might add, I never had a problem with my hairline, but I do see more hair along my hairline, you know that baby, downy hair. I love it! Braids are nice, but we need to be selective as to who we let braid our hair. I think we all know that tight braids will erode the hairline. I will continue to put braids in my hair back to back. This is just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Ennyaa]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I agree with you 100%. I did my own braids for the first time this weekend and I LOVE them. They are so light because I didn't add a whole bunch of hair to be hanging off of mine and I didn't make the edges really tight. The edges will slip out before they will PULL out and that's just fine with me. Plus I like the feeling of being in control of how they look. I think I'll be doing my own from now on.

 

[nita4]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

That was too funny but also very sad because some of us have been there. A couple of years ago, my edges left me...because I was tying my hair up to tight at night. I was so embarrassed, I hadn't even notice they had left...my husband mentioned it to me... /images/graemlins/blush.gif I was feeling very crunchy until they started to grow back. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

They are back now... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Faith]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

OOoh boy! I can relate. Years ago when I was relaxed a guy-friend of mine out of the blue in front of everyone says" what happened to your hairline, you've got no hair there". I was so embarrased. I hadn't realized the relaxers were killing it.
Since I've been natural it has come back thicker and stronger. But let me tell you back in May or June of this year I decided to cornrow my hair myself. WHAT A BIG MISTAKE /images/graemlins/blush.gif
I conrowed so tight that I balded my right side....it bled. The hair came out and some came out with blood....it was bad. Thank God for prayer and Vit E. It's all back now and stronger than ever. But it was so bad my mom asked "my goodness what did you do to yourself..where's your hair?"
I stick to braids now, which I do myself. I don't trust anyone in my hair now, especially since it's getting longer.

 

[LondonDiva]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I feel for that woman Honeyrockette that you encountered at the bank. But they way you told the story was amusing, now people don't think I was laughing at the woman's hairline, but HR does tell em in such a way.

Braids are not my friend. And to tell you the truth I am scared to put them back in my hair again. Whether it be braiding or relaxing the hairline is the area that i watch moreso than the rest of my hair. It's just so fragile and one of the areas of the heads that you just can't hide if it's damaged.

 

[BlkMane]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

LondonDiva,

I thought you had braids? Are you not wearing them anymore? How are you wearing your hair these days?

 

[Ennyaa]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I think she was just braiding her own hair, not adding extensions. Is that right?

 

[LondonDiva]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

In the past 6 months I had them in braids with extensions and also without extensions. Both I don't think I'll be doing again.

I wear my hair in what I call my snoop dogg style. I basically have semi-jumbo 2 strand twists all over. I still can't wear my hair out for some reason. It's the only way at the moment I can wear it and style it without having to use heat. Plus it looks kinda cute

 

[Honi]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

ROFL!!! For a minute I thought that you were gonna say that this person with the lovely hair was a man. ahahahah

I'm not a braid wearer but I know exactly by what you mean about tight braids. I usta love those goddess braids but those damn african women braided too damn tight and you could see that my hairline was suffering. It was red and had little white bumps on them. I took them out the following day.

 

[notsomebody]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

This actually reminds me of something that happend to me a few months ago. I was at Sallys looking around- Nail stuff. I have sworn not to buy any new hair stuff until what I have is done. Anyway, there was this one in there with beautiful bra strap length hair and her hair line was completely gone.
She was actually looking for something for her hair line and was talking to the girl at the register about it. The girl at the register was less than knowledgeable. I told the woman about how I had done the same with protective styling a year or two ago, and told her how I use castor oil to bring my hair line back. I gave her the address of this site too. I just don't think she ever posts here. But she sent me an email last week thanking me because she noticed a difference in 2 weeks and she was actually amazed at how much hair she lost from the hairline whe she saw it starting to grow back

 

[nijilah]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

Maybe you can wear your hair in braids for 2 months, then take a break for a month. During that month, you can just deep condition every week and wear protective styles.

 

[sephora]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

alopecia is so sad that i wanted to make sure this thread got bumped. does it annoy you guys that i bump threads? (be honest). it's just htat i feel i'd end up asking the same question or bringing up the same topic and i don't want to clog the boards.

 

[queenofmean68]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I hate it when women destroy their hairlines like that. I think Brandy is bald around the edges, she's been wearing those braids for years!

 

[qtpi]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

Does this happen if you braid your own hair too? I'm trying to grow my hair out using the RW braid system, but do my own hair, and don't use extentions.

 

[ngaa]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

now thats crazy rite there!!especially coz i wear braids so often!!good thing tho is that i wear mine really lose and so far braids seem to be my frends whilst cornrows are not!go figure!

 

[hotshot]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

i wore braids on and off for 4 years and grew my hair and never had hairline problems. ( the when it was out of braids, i didnt take care of it, had crazy breakage, but the braids always grew them back.) however, i got cornrows too tight once this year and after removing them after one week, i had minor hairline damage. i was pis--d. ( can i cuss?) so who knows. i guess the key is to pay attention. my sisters hairline is all chewed up and has been for years since braiding and she just has an "oh well" attitude about it.

 

[Nessa]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

I am glad when I wear braids my edges don't fall off.

 

[qtpi]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

So, what can be done if your hairline gets destroyed? not that I need it, but other people I see...Mmmm poor things. Also, what can you do for hair that grows slowly on the hairline? My daughters hair grows slowly on the front edge. Maybe need to give the braids a rest, or more conditioning, oiling neccessary?

 

[qtpi]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

O.K., I just looked on the recipe board and maybe the Aphogee or other protein treatments could be the answer?

 

[Karonica]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

 

[Nonie]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

[ QUOTE ]
qtpi said:
So, what can be done if your hairline gets destroyed? not that I need it, but other people I see...Mmmm poor things. Also, what can you do for hair that grows slowly on the hairline? My daughters hair grows slowly on the front edge. Maybe need to give the braids a rest, or more conditioning, oiling neccessary?

[/ QUOTE ]

There are a few threads on this forum that mention massaging one of these, or a mixture of them, helped grow the hair back: Vitamin E oil, Castor oil, Emu oil, Healthy Hair in a Bottle, Aloe Vera + Rosemary Essential Oil. (DelightfulFlame (look up her album) is living proof that the last mixture works.

) The information on this webpage might also help.

 

[qtpi]

Re: Why I won\'t be wearing braids for 12-18 months

Thanks everyone for replying!