Arrrg! What do you do so this dosen't happen to you?

[FoxFire]

A picture is worth a thousand words:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj31/goattrainer/yuck.jpg

I did this rope braid not 2 hours before this pic was taken, and it looks horrid already! I feel like I braided it pretty snugly. I did not put anything in my hair before braiding.

How do you guys prevent this?

[jojo]

i wouldnt mind achieving that it looks great!

[Gwaihiril]

Alas, I have the same problem. Sometimes it helps a little if I braid it while my hair is slightly damp, but regardless, my rope braid is always a mess by halfway through the school day.

[AJoifulNoise]

Lots and lots of aloe vera gel. That's the only way I've been able to keep a rope braid. I soak my hair in water (ie, wash it) then coat it in AVG. Then comb and rope braid. It stays all day. But then I have to shampoo out the massive amount of AVG in the morning...

[Carina]

I think some coconut oil would do the trick.But aloe vera gel is also very good.

[lynnala]

Mine does that too, I rub shea butter into my hands and then smooth it over the braid.

[Sillage]

My hair does that automatically http://smilies.vidahost.com/cwm/cwm/freak5.gif

I can't get a smooth braid unless I use some product.

[CurlyOne]

Mine does that, maybe I will have to give the AVG a shot.

[Schnee]

Ah... yes, the frizz... Easiest way to delay (yes, delay, because nothing will prevent it from appearing sooner or later...) frizz is to use some product, oils or serums, whatever works for you. I sometime use MOP's glisten drops, or apricot kernel oil diluted in some water.

[spidermom]

It doesn't matter what kind of braid that I do, it goes fuzzy really fast. Almost instantaneously. My solution? Learn to love fluffy, messy braids.

[angelthadiva]

Having the hair slightly damp and oiled works for me, plus do an even tighter twist than you'd think would be necessary...Your hair automatically gets looser when you tie the end off.

[Ursula]

Braids just tend to fuzz out over time - it just isn't as noticable on the pics around here because the pics are generally taken from a distance (so the fuzz is not in focus) and also are usually done just after the braid is made.

I have noticed that the structure of a rope-braid is less stable than that of a regular braid. I think it has to do with the difficulty of managning the opposing twists, and also because they can't be done snuggly the way a three strand braid can.

[sweetkandi]

I havent worn a braid in like a year. I wish my hair was long again to do that.

[naomimcc]

AVG! I'm gonna do that tomorrow!

[tiny_teesha]

i chuck in loads of oil and/or some shea butter, It makes the hairs clump together and behave better and shine! Even some aloe on damp hair works a treat.

[coppercurls]

I think some coconut oil would do the trick.But aloe vera gel is also very good.

Those both work great for me to keep the frizzy braids under control.

[khyricat]

I braid a) when hair is day before washday dirty/greasy or b) put a bunch of oil in, treat it as a deep treatment and follow by an extra wash...

[squiggyflop]

what if you braid the 2 sections of the rope braid.. i think that would look cool. maybe braiding damp with some oil in your hair would help...

[hrimfaxi]

It doesn't matter what kind of braid that I do, it goes fuzzy really fast. Almost instantaneously. My solution? Learn to love fluffy, messy braids.

This is pretty much my solution. :) Though sometimes I smear some aloe over a fresh braid with my hands, and that delays it somewhat. Really, most products will kind of help, but in quantities that I don't usually want to put on my hair until the end of the wash cycle.

[florenonite]

At least your hair stays in the braid. I get chunks falling out of any braid after half an hour or so, and can't get rope braids to hold for very long at all.

[embee]

Fuzzy braids are what I get unless the braid is wrapped around my head as a crown braid.

The only thing I've found that might temporarily help is to start the braid higher on my head so it hangs more away from my clothing. But that's not really the style I want so I make do with fuzz. :(

[MadPirateBippy]

Its the workings of cheese eating hair weasels. Put out traps and your hair will look great all day.

PS- traps for cheese eating hair weasels will not work for under-the-bed-hair-gnawing-split-end gnomes. I can't help you there.

[heidihug]

:scared:Those darn cheese-eating hair weasels. I think they lurk in my cube at work.

I love the look of hair ropes, I do that style quite often, but it does tend to fuzz out for me, too, and I have very straight hair. I find the best remedy is to smooth it first with a bit of oil or styling gel, then braid. When it's all done and before I move, I spritz it on all sides with a firm-hold hairspray.

I actually think the fuzziness is pretty, too, especially if your hair is not super long or is curly.

[FoxFire]

Lots of you have suggested oiling before braiding. How do you oil your hair? I seem to end up with way too much oil in the front of my hair and not enough in the ends. Is there a how-to somewhere here on oiling?
Also, my regular 3 strand braids do it as well as my buns- pretty much any braid or updo looks "hairy" after an hour at most.

Thanks for the ideas guys.

[vindo]

Shea Butter or Styling Gel helps a little ^^'

[heidihug]

FoxFire, when I oil my hair I use just an itty bit at a time (one spritz from a spray bottle, or a few drops from a squirt bottle). I rub it between my hands to spread it around and warm it up. When I apply it to my hair, I start at the thirsty ends where it is not as noticable if I apply too much, and work my way up towards the ears. I have very fine, thin hair, and this is the best way to avoid the too-greasy look. If I am oiling my already braided hair, I just oil the bottom 2/3rds or so, then spritz with hair spray to keep it in place.

[Bloodflower]

If I want a braid do stay really smooth there is no other way than to put it into a bun. A braided bun still shows off the braid pretty well but because there is no movement it keeps that freshly braided look longer. Works with standard and rope braids.

[Ursula]

When I oil my hair, at least for things like braiding, I start by dividing my hair into two sections, as if doing two braids. Then I take a tiny bit of oil, and rub it between my hands (my favorite mix these days is shea butter and coconut oil. Both are solid this time of year for me, and I take a bit the size of a baby pea of each, and rub them together in my hands.) Hands should feel as if your halfway through rubbing lotion in - just mildly oily. Then I finger comb from my ears down, to oil the length of my hair. I finish by wiping my hands across my head, to remove the last oil and very lightly oil the top of my canopy.

I'll then oil my hands again, to about the same amount of oil, or a bit less, so that the outside of the sections get oiled down as I braid.

[Polyhex]

When I really want a clean braid, I braid my hair with gel on my fingers. Every few bumps I will put a little more gel on my fingers so it's evenly distributed throughout the braid. The result is a tight braid that won't fuzz even over extended 8-12 hour periods. I don't do this all the time, but for special occasions the gel is not going to hurt my hair.

[Neon Gloss]

I personally love how that looks. It looks more natural when it's frizzy, if it's nicely pieced together and flawless, then it has the tendency to look...artificial? I don't know how to describe it, really...

I wish my braids could go on for that long. <3