Braid waves and straight, fine hair

[GlennaGirl]

Any straightie/finies around here find that when you take your braid out, your braid waves last...five minutes?

I cut my hair a bit because it was so thin and stringy as it got longer. For a month or so I've been thinking maybe I should just keep it at this shorter length.

If only I could get some body into it, then it would look better longer. But it gets SO thin by the ends that the end of my braid looks like a pencil...the tassel, I mean. And down...forget it.

I'd love to at least be able to have braid waves for volume but my waves just don't stay. Anyone else have this problem? Have you found any way to make your braid waves (mermaid waves) "stay"?

[Fluke]

Braid it damp..? My hair is straight and fine, and whatever my hair dries into stays like cement.. :)
You could also try using a little aloe vera gel on your hair before you braid it :)

[teela1978]

I'm a little bit wavy these days, but when I was younger I had poker straight super fine hair. The only way braid waves would stay was if my hair was braided wet and tight, and allowed to dry all the way. Then I'd have fun mermaid hair :) Even now I don't get braid waves unless it's braided wet. But you might already be doing that... maybe someone else will have an idea.

[longhair4jesus]

what about a gel or mousse put in wet hair and let it dry in the braid all the way

[Bloodflower]

My hair is 1a/F/M. As others have mentioned, braiding wet or at least damp makes the waves stay longer. Leave the braid for as long as possible before you unravel it. For my hair, I have also found out that I shouldn't use cones if I want my waves to stay. Braid waves usually stay in my hair until I wash again. It's definitely possible with straight and fine hair!

[Phalaenopsis]

When I braid it damp and then sleep two nights over it, it really *stays* Too bad I'll have to wait at least one night and a full day to get some results that stay. :?

[Gecko]

I agree with braiding wet, then leaving it in until it dries. Sometimes it will stay if I've had a braid in for only a little bit, but then other times it won't. I also like to put mousse or styling spray before or after to get it to stay or just make it easier to put in a braid.

[TheBlondeApple]

My hair is straight and fine, and whatever my hair dries into stays like cement.. :)
Same here.
Anja

[florenonite]

I used to have 1a/F hair, though it's become wavier in recent years. It would only hold braid waves if done on wet/damp hair and the hair allowed to dry. I used to have to wash it in the evening and braid it and then take the braids out in the morning. You could try using AVG for further hold, although I don't know how well that would work.

[Saoirse]

Braid while wet, use a bit of aloe vera. :)

[birthmarkie]

In addition to wet braiding, maybe you could try several smaller braids rather than just one classic braid. My braidwaves stay longer when they come from smaller braids because my hair is still rather short. I know how you feel about not having enough body, but your hair in your siggie is very pretty and you should not be ashamed of it.

[Lamb]

I haven'T read all replies, but I would suggest apply a leave-in on damp hair and braid it. The waves should stay put that way.

[jel]

I agree with Lamb regarding a leave-in - my braid waves are big and lasting when I braid damp hair with either a little oil or some conditioner. Sometimes I even braid dry, then dampen the surface of the braid with water, then some diluted conditioner. The next morning, my hair is soft, shiny and really wavy!

[heidihug]

When I braid it damp and then sleep two nights over it, it really *stays* Too bad I'll have to wait at least one night and a full day to get some results that stay.

That's the only thing that works for me.n My hair takes at least two days to dry when it is damp-braided, anyway, taking it out sooner than that, I would just end up with damp hair with just a slight wave.

Question - just wondering if anyone else with straight, fine hair has a problem with the end of the braid - the tassle part - looking horrid after taking the braid out? For me, the ends just hang there, stick straight, at the end of the pretty, wavy hair. I can't braid all the way down to the bottom, as I have fairytale ends at this time. I always have about two inches of waveless hair. I can't walk around all day at work with a bobby-pin holding a pin-curl in it, either :). A few times for special occasions I have taken a small curling iron to the last few inches before I unravel the braid, but I really hate to inflict that damage on that really old hair down at the ends!

[Saoirse]

Question - just wondering if anyone else with straight, fine hair has a problem with the end of the braid - the tassle part - looking horrid after taking the braid out? For me, the ends just hang there, stick straight, at the end of the pretty, wavy hair. I can't braid all the way down to the bottom, as I have fairytale ends at this time. I always have about two inches of waveless hair. I can't walk around all day at work with a bobby-pin holding a pin-curl in it, either :). A few times for special occasions I have taken a small curling iron to the last few inches before I unravel the braid, but I really hate to inflict that damage on that really old hair down at the ends!

Styg on the old forums had a great solution for this. She recommended doing it on wet hair, before you sleep. It's what I have also done and found very effective:

You braid down to the point at which it gets difficult to keep braiding, then stop, and without securing the braid roll up your ends into some kind of bun. I find that making a mini-beebutt bun is pretty effective, but obviously it depends on how thick your ends are. You could try rolling it around your finger--anything to get a rounded shape.

Then you put the last couple inches of your braid, with the rounded-up ends, into a sock and put a ponytail holder over it to keep it in place.

Then you go to sleep and in the morning wake up, remove sock, unbraid your dry hair and feel fabulous. :)

[spidermom]

That's the only thing that works for me.n My hair takes at least two days to dry when it is damp-braided, anyway, taking it out sooner than that, I would just end up with damp hair with just a slight wave.

Question - just wondering if anyone else with straight, fine hair has a problem with the end of the braid - the tassle part - looking horrid after taking the braid out? For me, the ends just hang there, stick straight, at the end of the pretty, wavy hair. I can't braid all the way down to the bottom, as I have fairytale ends at this time. I always have about two inches of waveless hair. I can't walk around all day at work with a bobby-pin holding a pin-curl in it, either :). A few times for special occasions I have taken a small curling iron to the last few inches before I unravel the braid, but I really hate to inflict that damage on that really old hair down at the ends!

Try braiding all the way to the end, then winding a short piece of ribbon around and around the ends and securing with a Goody elastic. You could even use a little rubber band, as the ribbon will protect your hair.

[Loviatar]

Glennagirl, I use a mister on my hair which contains 8 parts filtered water, 2 parts Goth Rosary conditioner, a teaspoon of olive oil and a blob of aloe vera gel. I braid my hair for bed and unravel in the morning and I cannot get rid of the waves for days. (Until the next time I wash my hair, pretty much.)

However I can't french braid to save my life so I only ever have waves from the nape down :D

[spidermom]

Setting gel on damp hair and 4 small braids should do it. Warning! Do not comb out; merely unravel. Better yet, take the ties off the ends and let the braids unravel themselves. The less you mess with them, the more long-lasting the waves. (PS-speaking from experience; had custody of niece with 1A hair who longed for waves and curls)

[GlennaGirl]

You all won't believe this, but I really didn't think of braiding it damp. I guess I just figured it would take forever to dry that way.

I'll try that and I do have aloe gel, so I'll try that too.

Thanks!

[BittSweetCherry]

I can get braid waves with damp braiding, but it doesn't look very well defined and turns to a matted, frizzy mess within half an hour if I carefully and minimally finger-comb it. Same with damp bunning, only worse - which is bad, because I'm usually struggling to disentangle my brush from the mess at 7am before work!

As bad as it is for my hair, before brushing I usually mist the length as soon as I take my hair out so that it "resets" and I can tie it up again for the new day.

No hair down for me. :( Sorry for being a killjoy.

[heidihug]

GlennaGirl, please report back to let us know how this technique works for you! I've never used aloe gel, I'd like to see how it works.


Try braiding all the way to the end, then winding a short piece of ribbon around and around the ends and securing with a Goody elastic.

A variation of this might work - perhaps winding the end hairs around the braid so it isn't just a "U" shape, but more of a "twirl", and then ribbon-ing it? Great idea. Thanks!

When I braid my wet or damp hair, it does not dry for days. (When my DH and I went to Jamaica a few years ago, my hair was never dry after the first time I went into the water until we got back to Wisconsin a week later!) Don't know why, but my hair really retains moisture and takes forever to dry. For instance, I have it in a bun today, I put it in when it was still damp this morning after last night's wash. I'll bun it again overnight tonight, and it will still be just as damp tomorrow morning when I get up for work. It's the darndest thing.

So, does anyone else have the problem of damp braids not drying? Perhaps it's because my hair is so straight, there is no room between the braided hairs for air to get in? My braid is not very large except right at the nape, so that can't be it.

[Fluke]

So, does anyone else have the problem of damp braids not drying? Perhaps it's because my hair is so straight, there is no room between the braided hairs for air to get in? My braid is not very large except right at the nape, so that can't be it.

It really depends on how wet my hair is when I put it up.
Sopping wet: forget about it, won't dry for ages
Moderately damp: can still feel damp/cool when I take it out after 8+ hours
Nearly dry: Is dry or only slightly "cool" when I take it out later

This might of course vary with temperature and such, and since I didn't have hair that could even go in a pony last summer I can't remember how this works in summer temperatures :)

But I think the trick for getting shapes to stay is to "set" the shape in hair that has feels mostly dry, after having been wetted down completely (or dry hair misted veeeery lightly with fav. mister). Then the hair still has enough of the needed moisture to be able to take a shape, while it is so well on the way to being dry that it won't take days and days to dry completely :)

[GlennaGirl]

heidibug, that's what I'm worried about too--my hair not drying. I don't have a lot of hair, but for some reason it seems to dry very slowly.

I will be COing in a couple of days and I'll try the damp braid then. I think what I might do is let it get at least somewhat close to dry and then braid it, then see what happens.

I'll report back!