Wearing braids all the time?

[pinklemonade]

I finally found a way to keep my hair ''in place'' that I like and can manage: braids! I sleep in them and I also wear them during the day (they keep my hair from getting tangly, sweaty etc.) but I'm wondering is it ok to wear them all the time? I really find that it's the only protective way to wear my hair ( I can't do buns and I don't like pony tails) so I've become obsessed with them, day and night! I just hope keeping my hair forever in braids doesn't promote splits or something! Does anyone do braids all the time?

[chopandchange]

I do! Since joining here, I have learned loads of updos, but I don't really do them. Every time I do one, I end up taking it down because it's uncomfortable. I prefer braids, because for me personally, updos cause loads of tangling and split ends, whereas the braids don't.

I think it's because most of the updos involve twisting or generally arranging my hair in a shape other than just hanging straight down. This makes it tangle, which in turn makes it split, which means I have to trim more, which gets on my nerves because I'm trying to grow it long!

I don't have any of those problems with braids. They go fuzzy and frizzy almost straight away, that's the only problem. I wish someone would invent a hair net for braids! LOL. However, when I take them out, I am able to comb them fairly easily with virtually no tangles. Plus, they don't hurt my scalp, because my hair is just hanging down and is not being pinned up onto my head with anything. They are very comfortable.

I say, just do what works for YOU! :)

[Jessikinz]

I love wearing braids, it's my default hair style. As long as you don't tie it off too tight I don't think it is bad for your hair. Also it's best to not tie it off at the same place; i've read on here that can cause breakage if your tieing it at the same place all the time. Braids do rub on clothes, but that kind of stuff does not bother me.

[squiggyflop]

well you can cut down on night time splits by braiding your hair with tailsocks (http://www.raraequus.com/articles/make_tail_bag.htm).. they also eliminate frizzyness in the morning..

you can also buy them (http://www.raraequus.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=21713) if you dont feel like sewing..

i made my own.. they work like magic.. and they can be any color you want.. plus they make the braid look even longer than it is if you buy or make a long one and braid all the way to the bottom.. i made a long set for me to grow into but they are getting too small now so i guess ill need to make another set..

oh and you can keep damage at bay by wearing hair friendly clothing (no velvet or sequins or anything for the braid to catch on

[*Aoife*]

I used to love braids but then I noticed my ends were rubbing off my jumper or under my bag so I've been trying not to wear them as much.

I think there are only two possible problems with wearing braids all the time. One is if they pull too tight and they pull the same place all the time. This can lead to hair loss from that particular spot. The other is how to tie the braids. If you use elastics in the same spot, ie. the end of the braid, it can eventually cause breakage.

[pinklemonade]

Thank you for the feedback ladies! :)

Chopandchange, I'm glad I'm not the only one in love with braids! :cool:I also feel I get more damage from other updos....

Jessikinz and Aoife, uh oh, I use elastics (the ones covered with soft material) pretty tight on the same places....should I be worried? I'll try to put them lower/higher every now and then. I'd really hate any more breakage!

Squiggyflop, that's so cool thank you for the suggestion, have to try that out! :D

What if I tie my braids with ribbons? Would that cause less damage??

[HotRag]

well you can cut down on night time splits by braiding your hair with tailsocks (http://www.raraequus.com/articles/make_tail_bag.htm).. they also eliminate frizzyness in the morning..

you can also buy them (http://www.raraequus.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=21713) if you dont feel like sewing..

i made my own.. they work like magic.. and they can be any color you want.. plus they make the braid look even longer than it is if you buy or make a long one and braid all the way to the bottom.. i made a long set for me to grow into but they are getting too small now so i guess ill need to make another set..

oh and you can keep damage at bay by wearing hair friendly clothing (no velvet or sequins or anything for the braid to catch on
How do you get the hair into those?

And do you do anything to make them stay nicely at the beginning?

I have made sock like "bags" that I use to put my braid in. It is like one sock and I put the whole finished braid in it. To make it stay and look nice, I have used a pin, thin as a darning needle to secure the thing above the braids base.

[Tiina]

How do you get the hair into those?

And do you do anything to make them stay nicely at the beginning?

I have made sock like "bags" that I use to put my braid in. It is like one sock and I put the whole finished braid in it. To make it stay and look nice, I have used a pin, thin as a darning needle to secure the thing above the braids base.

I think you roll it up so it is like the sock of a sock bun, move it to the beginning of the braid-strand and then roll it down again.

I wonder if I can duplicate it with children's tights (cut off the foot and the crotch).

OP, ribbons are not good for protecting hair. A lot of ribbons have scraggly edges that can cause damage and even if they don't have such edges, they still rub against your hair and don't cover it from anything. They're okay for decoration tho.

[pinklemonade]

OP, ribbons are not good for protecting hair. A lot of ribbons have scraggly edges that can cause damage and even if they don't have such edges, they still rub against your hair and don't cover it from anything. They're okay for decoration tho.

Thanks for letting me know Tiina! I just tried tying a ribbon in my braids real tight but they keep slipping out! What could be alternative to elastics? I'm worried about breakage.

[HotRag]

I think you roll it up so it is like the sock of a sock bun, move it to the beginning of the braid-strand and then roll it down again.
They should be in some stretchy material then, to be able to roll up I mean?

I wonder if I can duplicate it with children's tights (cut off the foot and the crotch).
Childrens tights sound like it would work :)

Hope someone will show how it looks with a tailsock in a braid :)

[squiggyflop]

they are tubes not bags.. and they are stretchy so i just bring my hand up through and grab a third of the hair and gently pull it through.. i use a little pinch clip over it at the beginning while i pull the other ones through.. (the pinch clip clips the sock thats full of hair not the hair itself.. so it squeezes the tube too tight to move down..) then i start braiding.. (i take the clips off first while holding the sections) the braid itself is what holds the tubes on.. you braid as far down as you can.. well past where the hair ends.. like 3-4 inches past the hair at least).. then i tie the ends of the tubes off with a hairtie (no hair in the ends of the tube so dont worry about the tie damaging your ends)

ill go look for my sock braid pic

oh there is a thread on them (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=20880&highlight=socks)

this is an old pic and ive gotten better at putting them in my hair since it was taken (once i figured out how to clip the tops to prevent sliding)
here is the closeup of the fabric
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg69/squiggyflop/hairsock1closeup.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg69/squiggyflop/hairsock1.jpg
its black with white criss crosses.. i had the fabric lying around so i thought i would try it.. in the pic its way too long the orange line is where my hair ends and the blue arrow is where my over the shoulder dent is (like where i pulled it over my shoulder to continue braiding.. i get this dent whenever i braid)
wow my hair was much shorter then.. and the taper was much worse

[Igor]

Braids are an excellent protective “updo”
They can be minimum handling: Just make them in the morning, wear them all day, sleep on them and do them again next morning. Benign negligence rules!
They have a certain “give” and can move in itself, as opposed to for instance ponytails that are fixated in the neck

The only thing that can be bad with braids is the rubbing on shoulders during the day, but if you avoid tops with decorations or other things they can catch on, you should be perfectly fine

My tip is to switch to a softer elastic for night. I usually wear a matching elastic to my outfit, but for night I switch it for one of those “woven” and less strong ones

[MissManda]

Braids are my preferred means of containing my hair. I have issues with most kinds of buns and I don't like the way a lot of the look, so I have learned a variety of braiding techniques to keep things interesting.

[anthonyswife]

I'm actually able to wear braids without securing the end at all. I don't know why my hair is able to do that, but it stays perfectly braided even sleeping on it. I just make sure to braid all the way down to the very tips of the ends, I feel as though that's protecting the ends more. You might give it a shot and see if it works for you, it certainly eliminates damage from elastics.

[squiggyflop]

I'm actually able to wear braids without securing the end at all. I don't know why my hair is able to do that, but it stays perfectly braided even sleeping on it. I just make sure to braid all the way down to the very tips of the ends, I feel as though that's protecting the ends more. You might give it a shot and see if it works for you, it certainly eliminates damage from elastics.
its because your hair is curly.. i know many curly girls who can do this

[Lizard554]

well you can cut down on night time splits by braiding your hair with tailsocks (http://www.raraequus.com/articles/make_tail_bag.htm).. they also eliminate frizzyness in the morning..

*Hi-jack* Ha I use this on my horse to make his tail nice. Now we can match. *end hi-jack*

[anthonyswife]

its because your hair is curly.. i know many curly girls who can do this

Oh! That's interesting. :)

[HotRag]

Thanks for the pic, link and description, Squiggy :)

[HotRag]

I wore a single braid day and night before, did redo it once a day. But I got damage on the hair "on the head", on the sides where I slept on. English braid at nape is bad for me to sleep on.

I then wore a silk night cap, but got sweaty and it was not good for my scalp issues.

Now I make a high braid and let it be rather loose, so that the hair on scalp that is not part of the braid, can move and doesn't rub so much.

[Dragon]

I have herd braids can cause brakeage if done or the time. But I find depending on the weather, braids can cause less damage. When my hair is longer, I will defently start getting into the braids alot more to prevent thoses horrible nots.

[Gwendolene]

well you can cut down on night time splits by braiding your hair with tailsocks (http://www.raraequus.com/articles/make_tail_bag.htm).. they also eliminate frizzyness in the morning..

you can also buy them (http://www.raraequus.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=21713) if you dont feel like sewing..

i made my own.. they work like magic.. and they can be any color you want.. plus they make the braid look even longer than it is if you buy or make a long one and braid all the way to the bottom.. i made a long set for me to grow into but they are getting too small now so i guess ill need to make another set..

oh and you can keep damage at bay by wearing hair friendly clothing (no velvet or sequins or anything for the braid to catch on


I hadn't thought of doing that! Brilliant. Thanks so much for the tip, squiggyflop!

I get a lot of breaks around the fringe of my plaits. I think this is due to the fact that with my layers, I can only really put the elastic in one place. It would probably do much better if I changed the length of the fringe, occasionally.

[littleflowerr]

me :) I've been french braiding my hair lately and i've hardly seen any splits yay

[Tonks]

I'd think it's not a big deal if you get damage near your ends from always securing the elastic in the same place, because every few months or so, you can just trim away the damage. It's the damage mid-braid, or closer to your head that's the more annoying damage because it takes forever to grow out, does it not?

I prefer to wear braids over updos for the comfort as well, but I wouldn't sweat it about the damage at the ends, they're easy to cut away! Damage is inevitable, try not to stress too much about it, and enjoy your hair :)

[HintOfMint]

Braids are a godsend. Just try not to tie them too tight, or pull them too tight. Also if you do pigtails, change your parting often.

[Alvrodul]

I used to keep my hair up in a 'do that incorporated braids. I used to make a pair of pigtails that I looped over the top of my hair, then used hair taping to keep them in place. Bombproof, durable and practical - and I used to get tons of comments on my 'dos since they looked rather unusual and probably would seem rather difficult to do (they aren't, though they _do_ take some time)
I used satin ribbon for the taping. I tried grosgrain ribbon a few times, but I decided it was too harsh on my hair.
It was something of a "lazy woman's 'do" since I found out rather quickly that I could sleep with my hair like that for a night or two before taking it down ;-)

[Jessikinz]

Thank you for the feedback ladies! :)

Chopandchange, I'm glad I'm not the only one in love with braids! :cool:I also feel I get more damage from other updos....

Jessikinz and Aoife, uh oh, I use elastics (the ones covered with soft material) pretty tight on the same places....should I be worried? I'll try to put them lower/higher every now and then. I'd really hate any more breakage!

Squiggyflop, that's so cool thank you for the suggestion, have to try that out! :D

What if I tie my braids with ribbons? Would that cause less damage??

No worries! As long as the elastic has soft material and no metal things on it, I wouldn't be too concerned. Maybe just secure it a little looser instead of too tightly. If you're that worried about damage but still want to braid your hair, you can try to fold it up and pin it with U pins. It looks nice and it gets the braid off your neck. Or instead of U pins you could also clip it up with those jaw clips. I love them! You can always baby your hair too if you're still concerned about damage. Such as oiling, deep treatments and what not.

[rusika1]

I almost always wear my hair braided. Sometimes I'll wear a non-braided updo to work, but as soon as I get home, it's back in the braid. (Or sometimes two braids)

I've never found braids to be damaging. I make the first set (each strand crossed over once) a little bit loose so it doesn't pull, then braid the rest really tightly. This cuts way back on the frizzing and the rubbing, and it holds quite well.

I also use covered elastics on the end--my hair laughs at ribbon, and then shakes it off like Houdini would a straitjacket. I get a little bit of damage on the ends, although I think wrapping the ends to hide them in a bun is more damaging. Just be careful when you remove the elastic.

[shilpa733]

I usually have my hair in buns. Sometimes braids, but not all the time.

[countryhopper]

I don't see this mention yet on the thread, but you can also tuck the ends of the braid under to avoid them rubbing on zippers, collars, etc.

I especially like to do this with french or dutch braids, both vertical and diagonal. Folded English braids look nice too, and it takes and extra two seconds to put a couple of bobby pins in your normal braid to make a whole new look!

[squiggyflop]

I don't see this mention yet on the thread, but you can also tuck the ends of the braid under to avoid them rubbing on zippers, collars, etc.

I especially like to do this with french or dutch braids, both vertical and diagonal. Folded English braids look nice too, and it takes and extra two seconds to put a couple of bobby pins in your normal braid to make a whole new look!
um you cant do that once you reach a certain length though can you? at 21` inches its easy... at 39 its hard

[ibleedlipstick]

Make sure you change up the braid/braids and your parting. You don't want the same hairs consistently rubbing against each other day after day, and the part can grow wider and wider if you leave it in the same place all the time, from stress damage.

[Tapioca]

I'm headache-prone, and when I have a migraine, the last thing I want is an updo. So a braid it is.

[curlylocks85]

I finally found a way to keep my hair ''in place'' that I like and can manage: braids! I sleep in them and I also wear them during the day (they keep my hair from getting tangly, sweaty etc.) but I'm wondering is it ok to wear them all the time? I really find that it's the only protective way to wear my hair ( I can't do buns and I don't like pony tails) so I've become obsessed with them, day and night! I just hope keeping my hair forever in braids doesn't promote splits or something! Does anyone do braids all the time?

I do. It is okay to wear braids, but just let you hair breathe every once-in-a-while. I know that wearing braids too tightly or wearing them constantly can eventually cause damage or even hair loss. As long as you change the braids (French braid, English braid, Lace braid etc...), then you should not have a problem.

[Cleopatra18]

does the elastics i use to tie up the end of the braid damage my hair?

[Squeak toy]

I love braids. I wear them all the time for most reasons already mentioned like not pulling on the scalp, not causing headaches like a off center or too tight updo can, the protectivness, variety, and ease. I think braids are very protective and look great in all situations from work to weekend. There are so many variations. I protect my ends by simply putting the elastic in slightly different places, one inch higher or lower at times. I also love how they constrain long hair but still show off the length. I think I look best in braids.

[akka naeda]

I finally found a way to keep my hair ''in place'' that I like and can manage: braids! I sleep in them and I also wear them during the day (they keep my hair from getting tangly, sweaty etc.) but I'm wondering is it ok to wear them all the time? I really find that it's the only protective way to wear my hair ( I can't do buns and I don't like pony tails) so I've become obsessed with them, day and night! I just hope keeping my hair forever in braids doesn't promote splits or something! Does anyone do braids all the time?

Yes, but I have damage to the ends, even though I use terry elastics. My daughter also has damage to the ends of her hair after wearing her hair in a plait every day for school for 2 months, again her hair's held with a terry elastic. My hair, a couple of days ago, you see it's thin/see through from about classic down - that's the elastic damage.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/akkanaeda/length09072010.jpg

[countryhopper]

um you cant do that once you reach a certain length though can you? at 21` inches its easy... at 39 its hard

True! :D

Although it IS possible to wrap a long braided tail into a bun... that would also protect the ends while making a new 'do!

[HotRag]

Stupid question, but what is a terry elastic?

I can't see any damage from my elastic (I use soft fabric elastics). When I find splits, they are below the elastic, in the tassel. But I sometimes find them at every length.

[SpeakingEZ]

Stupid question, but what is a terry elastic?


I assumed that it was an elastic (or just a fabric ring) made of terry cloth. . . . I couldn't find anything doing a google search.

I use soft scrunchies to hold my braids, though. I don't see damage from them nearly as much as traditional elastics (without the metal piece, I've never used those in my life). I have an awful halo being grown out from securing ponytails with elastics every day for work.

I cringe at normal elastics now. I can just imagine them sawing through my hair as I twist them on.

[Capybara]

I wear braids quite frequently. I like the variety that is possible to have with braids, as well as their versatility, and how I can still show off the length of my hair while it is being protected. I've never noticed elastic damage, but I never put the elastics very tight, either. :shrug:

[HotRag]

I assumed that it was an elastic (or just a fabric ring) made of terry cloth. . . . I couldn't find anything doing a google search.

I use soft scrunchies to hold my braids, though. I don't see damage from them nearly as much as traditional elastics (without the metal piece, I've never used those in my life). I have an awful halo being grown out from securing ponytails with elastics every day for work.

I cringe at normal elastics now. I can just imagine them sawing through my hair as I twist them on.
I don't know what "terry" is though :D Will try googling for "terry fabric" or something.

Scrunchies, I should make some for my braids! Have sort of forgotten about them (to use as they are meant). I have some that I use as slides together with "fork-large" home made U-shaped pins.

[HotRag]

I found it now. Terry is called frotté in Swedish. Must be the same elastics as I use then. They look a bit like a piece of knitted terry socks.

I also use the very upper part of my childrens socks when they are worn out or gets too small. Some of them are really really soft. And they have a much longer life than elastics made for hair.