PDA

View Full Version : Micro braids with fake hair - damaging?



CSallaround
April 1st, 2013, 04:49 AM
Hey all :)

I have recently been to Cameroon, where my bf comes from, and I couldn't resist to get my hair braided. I got fake hair braided into the braids to make them look thicker and it looks pretty good. (At least I think so?)

My concern is if it's damaging to have it braided this way?
I know all the pulling on the roots is not healthy but other than that, I'm wondering if the fake hair is going to damage my hair in any way. Preventing moisture from getting in or anything? - Because the fake hair is a bit rough to the touch.

Anyone know about this, have tried it or anything?

Also I don't know if it's at all possible to wash it while it's braided because of the fake hair. I'm not planning to do so until I take the braids out in a week or two.

Edit - Pics:

http://i5.tagstat.com/image09/d/4036/002201qLk0S.jpg

Details:
http://i6.tagstat.com/image09/d/4036/002301qLk0S.jpg

Length:
http://i7.tagstat.com/image09/d/4036/002401qLk0S.jpg
(sorry for the mess on my desk in the background :3)

I know they are a bit blurry and not very good quality. Maybe I'll replace them another time, if I can get my hands on a better camera soon.

What do you think?

faellen
April 1st, 2013, 05:01 AM
Not sure if it'd be damaging, I can't see why it would be.... But I'd like to see a pic! :D

Angelica
April 1st, 2013, 06:31 AM
I'd like to see a photograph as well please. I once considered doing this myself. I think you can wash your hair whilst it is in the braids and I don't see why the fake braids would damage your hair. You can wear it for so long like that in braids, I bet it looks amazing.

jacqueline101
April 1st, 2013, 07:08 AM
I don't think it would be damaging and I'd like to see a picture of it as well.

Denebi
April 1st, 2013, 08:08 AM
I had those braids myself a while ago, and you can wash them. But be gentle, only apply the shampoo to the scalp. Give WO a try, it might be sufficient. I had quite some hair loss afterward, but I think that was more due to low iron levels, and the pulling made it go out a bit sooner and in one big shed, rather than loosing it slowly over time. I had no problems with the ends however, no damage or dryness. You can also use a bit of oil to smoothen and nourish the length of the braids.

Oh, and of course: please show some pics! :)

melusine963
April 1st, 2013, 09:18 AM
I've never tried this, but I also don't really see how it could be damaging. Like Denebi said, you'll get a massive shed when you take them out, because all the loose hair will have been previously trapped in the microbraids.

SerinaDaith
April 1st, 2013, 09:36 AM
I call for pictures as well! I am going to be camping for the better part of 24 days this summer and I was contemplating doing some sort of cornrows or braids so that I could keep everything fairly safe for the duration then spoil the heck out of it when it was all said and done!

Anje
April 1st, 2013, 10:00 AM
I've had some nasty damage to my ends when I wore braids with only my own hair, but if your microbraids extend past your own ends, it should protect them nicely!

My guess is that damage will depend greatly on how much additional weight is on your roots. You might end up shedding more if there's a lot, or if the braids are simply too tight. But even when it's done perfectly, expect a good deal of shed hair when you take the braids out. All the hair that you would normally have shed will be trapped in the braids, so you get piles of it when you take your hair down. One more consideration: I've found that with my hair, microbraids don't last much more than a week, even with sleeping on satin. I suspect it's simply that my straightish texture has a tendency to pop out of braids readily, whereas 4-ish texture hair seems to stay decent in them for closer to two weeks.

teal
April 1st, 2013, 10:46 AM
I used to braid extensions into my hair this way in the summers. I would wash at the roots and condition the rest... my natural hair always came out of the braids so soft. It would take me about 20 hours of working alone... don't miss THAT part!! :P I would redo the odd braid if it got loose and the whole thing needed redoing after 3-5 weeks. It was a heavy hairstyle, even more heavy when wet, and I did have some scalp tenderness, though nothing that resulted in any hairloss. Probably because I would only wear it for a month or two at a time.

cathair
April 1st, 2013, 12:22 PM
If I have fake hair braided into my hair it seems to make it grow faster. I thought I read somewhere that happens because the hair is sort of pulled out of your scalp faster because of the extra weight, which makes the hair by the roots thinner. I guess if each stand is thinner that would make is slightly weaker. But I am not 100% certain of that.

CSallaround
April 2nd, 2013, 02:03 AM
Will try to upload pics asap :-)
Doesn't the hair fall out of the braids a bit after washing it? Am kinda afraid to mess up the whole thing by trying to wash. I have no elastic bands to secure them so am afraid they will unravel.
It does extend past my own ends. It's very thick and heavy because of all of the fake hairs. I imagine it will take forever to dry. I will probably wait for a few more days till I have more time, before I try washing it.

My main concern is the dryness since I can't condition my hair the same way as usual. Hairloss is a scary thought too though. Like some of you mentioned no matter what there will be shedding with all the shed hairs trapped in the braids. Am only worried that all the pulling causes more shedding.

CSallaround
April 2nd, 2013, 02:39 AM
Pics are up now :disco:

faellen
April 2nd, 2013, 04:05 AM
That looks so cool! :D

I remember having my hair braided in a similar way with synthetic hair, I didn't get any damage but do remember the shed hairs when I took the braids out. Was bizarre! But didn't negatively affect my hair in the long term.

CSallaround
April 2nd, 2013, 04:26 AM
That looks so cool! :D

I remember having my hair braided in a similar way with synthetic hair, I didn't get any damage but do remember the shed hairs when I took the braids out. Was bizarre! But didn't negatively affect my hair in the long term.

Sounds good to hear! And thank you! :D

Denebi
April 2nd, 2013, 07:18 AM
Nice pics, you look really cool! :)

Mine did not unravel and I had them for 2 month, washing now and then, mostly with water and only the scalp. But they get messier with time, that's just normal. I was oiling them to preserve a smoother look, but hairs were sticking out all the time. It still looked good though, even after such a long time. People all went "aaaaww, why didn't you leave it in longer, they were so nice!" after I went back to my normal hair style.

CSallaround
April 4th, 2013, 10:57 AM
Nice pics, you look really cool! :)

Mine did not unravel and I had them for 2 month, washing now and then, mostly with water and only the scalp. But they get messier with time, that's just normal. I was oiling them to preserve a smoother look, but hairs were sticking out all the time. It still looked good though, even after such a long time. People all went "aaaaww, why didn't you leave it in longer, they were so nice!" after I went back to my normal hair style.

Thank you :)
I'm trying to see it like stretching washes. Will wash it if it starts to smell bad though. Did yours start to smell?
Mine are a bit messy, mostly on the top of my head as baby hairs are sticking out of the braids but I still think it looks nice so far.

ebba
April 4th, 2013, 02:53 PM
The pictures don't sem to be working for me

lapushka
April 4th, 2013, 06:46 PM
The pictures don't sem to be working for me

Nor for me.

Denebi
April 6th, 2013, 05:21 AM
Will wash it if it starts to smell bad though. Did yours start to smell?
No, I had no problem there. But it was summer time then, I had lots of fresh air around my head ;)
Seriously, I don't think that they will start smelling. I used oil on them, maybe that helped also. Using oil with a scent might be an idea, too. Some coconut with jasmine or something...

CSallaround
April 9th, 2013, 02:40 PM
No, I had no problem there. But it was summer time then, I had lots of fresh air around my head ;)
Seriously, I don't think that they will start smelling. I used oil on them, maybe that helped also. Using oil with a scent might be an idea, too. Some coconut with jasmine or something...

Nice. I think I'll try the scented oil.
Am starting to have what looks like dandruff but maybe it's just build up from aloe vera that I used on some rashes.
Starting to look quite messy with lots of hair sticking out. I'm getting the braids taken out on Friday. But am definitely getting braids again another time.

kaned_ferret
April 11th, 2013, 03:11 PM
I used to wear waist length (and once, knee length!) braided extentions like this, and wore them 2-3 months at a time, without washing. At 1-2 weeks the "itchies" can drive you bonkers, but once you get beyond that your scalp clears and all is well. It's actually a great way to protect the hair if installed correctly as you truly leave it be, and it's not exposed to much in the way of environmental crap / caught up on things etc. You do seem to lose a TON of hair when they come out, especially if worn for 3 months, as all the hair that naturally sheds every day has nowhere to go!

CSallaround
April 13th, 2013, 04:08 AM
I got the braids taken out yesterday. Let me know if any of you want to see the fluffy 80's hair I was left with afterwards :p

It's back to normal though as I washed it today. I shed like 2 handfuls of hair since the braids were taken out. I kept reminding myself that it's just a long time of shed hairs stuck in the braids but it was kind of scary still.
My hair feels super thin now but I can't figure out if it's just because I got used to the crazy thick feeling of the braids or if it really is thinner. I need to measure to be sure but I can't remember exactly what my thickness was before. I put it here on LHC but I can't find it.
Has the information been saved somewhere on the profile since the design was changed??

Am craving a new hairstyle right now but hopefully that feeling will go away as I get used to my "old" hair...

ETA: For those of you who weren't able to see the pictures here in the thread, I now created a photo album for them if you still want to see them :)

CSallaround
April 13th, 2013, 04:12 AM
I used to wear waist length (and once, knee length!) braided extentions like this, and wore them 2-3 months at a time, without washing. At 1-2 weeks the "itchies" can drive you bonkers, but once you get beyond that your scalp clears and all is well. It's actually a great way to protect the hair if installed correctly as you truly leave it be, and it's not exposed to much in the way of environmental crap / caught up on things etc. You do seem to lose a TON of hair when they come out, especially if worn for 3 months, as all the hair that naturally sheds every day has nowhere to go!

Wow that sounds super awesome! Wasn't it really heavy? I would really like to see pictures of that if I may? :D I hope next time I do braids to get them waist length (or longer depending on my growth) :D