Leaving Braids In...

[coastalnicole]

Does anyone else do this with non-kinky hair? Is this a totally gross/weird/damaging thing to do?

I occasionally--usually on super long 12+ hour days--leave my hair in the same braids for two days or so. It's curly, so I can't comb it out without wetting it and adding some conditioner...I imagine it will only get more difficult as it gets longer to take care of it. It seems less damaging to just leave it where it is until it's time to wash or restyle.

[Babyjolie]

Sometimes, if I leave it in braids & sleep on them, or keep them for 1 or 2 days, they start to rub together like a rope & are super hard to detangle. Especially if it's more than three braids, or the braids are small. I guess if you wanted to try this on non-kinky hair, I'd just oil or condition the heck out of your hair, to keep it from drying out & looking frizzy. Just be careful not to oil too close to your scalp.

[caadam]

I would try and do as little mechanical damage as possible. If you find that it's more difficult to comb out tangles after leaving your hair in a braid for 2 days or so, then maybe you can get yourself into the habit of just leaving it in a braid for the day, then at the end of the day take it out and gently comb it while it's still manageable. Just IMO. :D

[coastalnicole]

Honestly, it's equally difficult regardless of time...the key is to make sure the curls are completely formed before braiding, and taking care to french braid them keep the curls intact, if that makes any sense.

[Johanna]

I've left braids in my hair for more than one day. I find that wrapping the length in ribbon while I'm sleeping prevents the fuzz braid from happening when I wake up. I don't see anything wrong with it. I give it a good brush when I take it out to spread the sebum then I either style it again or wash it :)

[longcurlygirl<3]

Yes I have and I know what you mean by not detangling dry. I find when I do this [due to laziness] my hair is way more unmanageable

[torrilin]

The braids I have in now were put in yesterday morning. Chances are (I haven't really looked at them yet today) that they'll be fine for another day. I'll probably hit them with a dab of leave in conditioner after my shower. I'll check them again tomorrow, but likely... same deal. After 3-4 days of that, chances are they'll look pretty shaggy, and be somewhat difficult to detangle... but somewhat difficult after 3-4 days of no manipulation past sleep and maybe squeezing the braids some to add conditioner? Not bad.

And by somewhat difficult, I mean "huh, there are some tangles". Usually after 1 day, a braid is not really tangly for me, and most of the tangled feel is due to trapped shed hairs. By day 4, there is some actual tangling. If I keep up with the leave in conditioner tho, it's pretty easy to manage.

Just like anything else tho, it's going to vary based on your hair whether this works for you or not.

[Madora]

Perhaps you could experiment with scarf braiding your hair to keep tangles to a minimum?

[Carrie Ingalls]

In the past (on a couple backpacking trips) I have had my hair in two braids for several days with out rebraiding. It is not something I would recommend, they were a mess by the end and combing them out was really difficult at points (tears of frustration).

I wore braids a lot when I was younger but have shifted away from them in recent years because I find buns quicker. But I have noticed that some hair types seem just fine with the same braid for a day or two. I would just recommend a satin sleep cap to help reduce the flyaways and friction while you sleep. I think another thing that sometimes factors into it is if the hair was braided while it was still damp.

I don't think leaving a braid in for more than one day is gross, but then again I sometimes wear the same updo for days on end.