Micro Braid Wearers...What's Your Growth Experiance Been Like?

I've had my micros in going on 3 weeks now and I've already noticed that there is noticeble growth from when I had them put in. I was hoping to keep my braids for 3-4 months (yes, I plan on keeping them in as long as possible before a rest period and putting them back in) but it doesn't look like that'll be possible because my hair is growing so fast - Which is fine by me

I find that I have to moisturise my scalp 2-3 times a week becaue my scalp is so thirsty and it drinks the vitimen E and tea tree oil like water and dries out quickly. (I'm washing once a week).

But I was wondering about you other ladies that wear micos as a protective, streaching or transitioning style...What kind of growth do you experiance while wearing your micros?

I'd post pics but i'm at work LOL

I don't think for me it's any faster than half an inch a month. I use human hair which does have a tendency to slide so what sometimes feels like growth at the base is just the same hair I had after the extension has slid down a bit--especially after I wash my hair.

Braids just help me retain more of my length, not grow hair faster.

I wouldn't say my hair grows faster than usual. You'll retain a lot of growth from the lack of daily manipulation with styling, like Nonie said. Also, I noticed some people who have like 3c hair, when their hair grows it grows out wavy, so the new growth looks more noticeable. 4b hair, on the other hand, grows by coiling around itself, so it can be as long as an inch, but it's coiled down to only 1 mm, so it looks like it's growing in "slower". Ummm... the 3 to 4 month thing be very very careful. The last time I did that, my hair was so matted that I lost all of my hair, I mean all of it. My hair broke down to the roots and I had to start over. So just be careful with that. Some people's hair can handle it, some can't.

wow ...I always thought wearing styles such as micro braids were a big NO-NO......Its my understanding that they tend to break off hair, ...especially around the edges....jst at ahww that some people still wore micro's....Sorry OP...cant help you with that question....

when i first went natural to keep from BCing, I did braids for a yr and a half. I agree with the other ladies, it didn't cause faster growth, but it definitely helped me retain it and it was definitely noticeable. I went from above neck length to shoulder length. Check my fotki. I cant do them now because my hair's too long for braids now but I definitely would recommend it to those who will maintain it well by good washing and moisturizing and not pulling it back too much to hurt the edges

Good luck on your journey, I loved braids. I miss braids.

ETA: I used to wear my braids for 3-4 months. Once i did 5, I just got the fronts redone. Yes, I'm cheap.

Nonie - thanks for the edgucation Girl, I thought I was doing something LOL !!

Shunemite - What is your recommendation on a healthy length of time to keep the braids in?

(just ordered the organic root dry shampoo )

kkamara5 said:

wow ...I always thought wearing styles such as micro braids were a big NO-NO......Its my understanding that they tend to break off hair, ...especially around the edges....jst at ahww that some people still wore micro's....Sorry OP...cant help you with that question....

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It all depends on how the micros are done and cared for.

To me, micros are really skinny braids. But there's two ways to get skinny braids. You can use less extension hair on a not-so-small section of your hair so the resulting braid is skinny. Or you can take two hairs of your own and attach a good size of extension hair to make a skinny braid. So in the first instance (red being extension hair and black you're hair), each braid is made up of

|||| ||

And in the second scenario:

|| ||||

The resulting braid is of the same size, but the second scenario shows a lot of extension hair per section of your own, which means it exerts a lot more extra weight on your hair and scalp. THAT is the type of micro that is a disaster waiting to happen.

After you get micros, maintenance is important. Your head is carrying more hair than it's used to so that in itself is quite a feat. But then if you're pulling your hair back all the time, you further exert strain on your hairline. And when you have some growth or the extension hair moves away from your scalp due to sliding so that the braid is dangling instead of being firmly rooted at your scalp, that's an accident waiting to happen. Your first warning is the braids swing painfully. This is particularly true along your hairline, so that MUST be redone...as soon as the braids get loose.

I sometimes take the extensions out and just wear my own hair in twists as bangs to give my hairline a break. Or I may cornrow my own hair back a bit to give the same effect you'd get if you wore a headband and pushed your hair back.


To close, I'll use a picture that was on another topic but that shows you how much extension hair I use per braid section and you can see the resulting braid is truly skinny, but it's not being held to my scalp by two hairs:


Also notice in the above braids, you can see the base of the braid (the square that was parted) because the sections are much bigger than the resulting braid since less extension hair than the section is used.

Now below are the micros that can cause damage:


Notice you can't really see the real hair at the base of the braids because very little hair is used per extension hair so it's completely buried by the larger amount of extension hair. That would exert too much strain on the scalp and a tug could easily lead to traction alopecia.

/\ /\ /\ What Nonie so beautifully illustrated and said!

That last pic looks painful. I've never had those kinds of micros and I know now for sure that I don't want them. Ouch

I do my own micro-briads & twists. My experience has been positive because I am not a "Traction Alopecia Queen" besides that I'm (terribly) tenderheaded and would probably slap myself silly if I pulled my own hair. Regular maintenance also has helped me.
The it is very important to baby your edges; and not pull the hair into tight pony's constantly. Also, make it a point to take care of YOUR hair, don't worry about the disposable stuff; after all it is "disposable"!
I steer clear of any briad care products and use the same products I regularly use.

I was trying to stretch from August to December and ended up self installing micros to help me through the last 5 weeks. I don't notice a faster growth rate per se, but I do retain far more hair this way. I use wet and wild hair, and only install micros to the outer edges of my hair. The middle is sewn in. Every night in the shower, I apply conditioner and stand directly under the shower head to rinse, this helps to keep my hair moisturized.

All Micro braid wearers should read Nonie's Post! Her advice ist really what makes the difference in growth vs breakage in braids!!!

I am installing Micros with a sew-in in the middle. I use the same techniques and I never have breakage. Also I ver rarely wear my braids in a ponytail and If I do I keep it very loose.

i wore micros for years and ITA with pretty much everything that was said.. but even though i heart the style i probably wont be getting them again because:
A. the price!!! with my length the going rate (professionally) is like $220!!
B. the pressure and friction on my edges..
C. the moisture part.. especially with human hair.. human hair micros WILL suck all the moisture out that you put in.. so you have to like quadrouple the moisture.. human hair will just keep pulling in the moisture whereas synthetic can only absorb so much..and im not the biggest fan of synthetic micros.. synthetic hair is plastic and will saw into your soft human hair.. no win situation..

and micros can give the impression of "pseudo growth" because they can slide.. i've had some slide completely off... i love this style for its no manipulation qualities but it hurts like heck to get them...

ilah said:

But I was wondering about you other ladies that wear micos as a protective, streaching or transitioning style...What kind of growth do you experiance while wearing your micros?

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My hair grew to SL thanks to micros.

ilah said:

Nonie - thanks for the edgucation Girl, I thought I was doing something LOL !!

Shunemite - What is your recommendation on a healthy length of time to keep the braids in?

(just ordered the organic root dry shampoo )

Click to expand...

2 months. 3 months is pushing it, and 4 months you'll regret it. I had large knots that were so hard I had to use a safety pin to get in the middle and other places I had straight up dreads. My family members had to step in to help, and they got so frustrated that they ended up yanking out my hair at the roots to pull out the knots. I could actually hear my hair ripping.

ppg0069 said:

All Micro braid wearers should read Nonie's Post! Her advice ist really what makes the difference in growth vs breakage in braids!!!

I am installing Micros with a sew-in in the middle. I use the same techniques and I never have breakage. Also I ver rarely wear my braids in a ponytail and If I do I keep it very loose.

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I've seen this like three times so far. It looks fool proof. They had to tell me that the middle wasn't braided.

I occasionally wear micros. I used to wear them all the time before my second set of locs, but back then, I was childless and had more time and money lol

Now, I do them myself and since I'm lazy it isnt often. I never wear them more than 8 weeks, mainly because I hate having the same style over and over and because I do get good growth and retention. Braids gently tug on your hair encouraging growth, so there's some truth to that for some people.

Last time I had about 1.25 inches stretched.