Heidi/Milkmaid Braid Troubleshooting

[baanoo]

I made another attempt in which I tried to actually anchor the hairpins, and the result looked very messy but felt much more secure. I didn't leave the braids pinned long enough to find out how long it takes my hair to escape, though, because it was getting close to bedtime and I didn't want to sleep with pins in my hair.

I think the issue I'm having with hiding the ends might be that my braids are too long. When I wrap the braids around my head, the tassel of each braid starts near or even past the base of the other braid. That might be why I have such trouble tucking it in. I saw a tutorial video once where the person crossed the braids at the back before wrapping them around; I guess I could give that a try. Or maybe I'm just placing my braids too far back on the top of my head?

I cross the braids at the back first and then wrap across the front. When my hair was shorter, the braid tails would end behind my ear - I then make an X with bobby pins for the tail and use U pins to secure the rest.

[Annapox]

I've done this style a lot, for years, with many different lengths of hair, and it's very secure (as in, I wear it for dance, which involves constantly jumping up and down, basically).

I have no doubt that it's a secure style in general. The question is whether I can do it well enough to keep my escape-artist hair from escaping.

For hairpins in general, I swear by the "Magic Grip" pins, though I admit I have a harder time recommending them in the past few years because they've changed to a very brittle plastic that breaks easily (you have to be careful when inserting and just accept that they might break after three or four uses, unfortunately). However, while I'd like to stop using them, I still prefer the way they hold my hair. https://www.goodhairdays.com/subcate...Grip--Hairpins

I've seen these recommended before. But if they break easily, they're probably not for me. Thank you for the information, though!

On the ends of my braids just for everyday lift, I use those small elastics. I often find them in places with accessories for Black hair, but they're the same thing as the bands you use for the Rainbow looms (which come in more fun colors...). That way the elastic itself is unobtrusive (I don't tend to have problems with them tangling too much, but YMMV). Then I stuff the ends under wherever they fit (on me, with hair about classic length or longer, they can reach back to the back of my head; with shorter hair, it's somewhere on the sides. Held down with more hairpins.

I've never tried to use those tiny elastics before. It's good to know it's theoretically possible to use them without tangling/damage. Are they single-use, though?

My braids aren't pinned down full-length. For me, I start with crossing one braid over my head, and pinning a couple inches down from the midline on either side (so, four pins at this point). Do the same with the other braid. Now the two are basically held, and I can start adding pins in other places as needed, including to hold wherever I put the ends.

That makes sense. Thank you!

In my albums I used to have diagrams, but I think I cleaned out my albums a while back. I might still have pictures in there of me in Heidi braids, though... but not sure if the pictures are at an angle where you can kind of see how they're structured.

The only two albums of yours that I can see are one of head coverings and one labeled "Misc" that only has one photo in it.

I cross the braids at the back first and then wrap across the front. When my hair was shorter, the braid tails would end behind my ear - I then make an X with bobby pins for the tail and use U pins to secure the rest.

I thought crisscrossing bobby pins was damaging to hair? Or is that another YMMV kind of thing?

[LydiaStauffer]

I second the small claw clips suggestion! and I think even if larger ones slip out the smaller ones might work well. I can use small barrettes but big ones slip out. another option could be using hair taping, where no pins or clips are involved at all but is apparently very secure! my hair has never been long enough enough to try it but Morgan Donner has a youtube video showing some different options I will attempt to link!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpT86z93Ec8

[Kat]

I've never tried to use those tiny elastics before. It's good to know it's theoretically possible to use them without tangling/damage. Are they single-use, though?

I can usually get at least 3 uses out of them, more if I'm careful/they're not too brittle.

[Annapox]

I second the small claw clips suggestion! and I think even if larger ones slip out the smaller ones might work well. I can use small barrettes but big ones slip out. another option could be using hair taping, where no pins or clips are involved at all but is apparently very secure! my hair has never been long enough enough to try it but Morgan Donner has a youtube video showing some different options I will attempt to link!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpT86z93Ec8

Would something like this do the trick? And would I actually be able to hide it under the other braid, or would it just be there temporarily until the braids were secured some other way?

The other day I attempted to use a combination of U-pins, one bobby pin, and hair taping on a (very asymmetrical) regular coronet braid, and I could feel the braid moving when I moved my head. It didn't actually come undone, though, so I might be able to make it work if I use more pins and/or more stitches.

[Annapox]

I can usually get at least 3 uses out of them, more if I'm careful/they're not too brittle.

Careful how? Is there a particular brand you recommend?

[baanoo]

I have no doubt that it's a secure style in general. The question is whether I can do it well enough to keep my escape-artist hair from escaping.


I've seen these recommended before. But if they break easily, they're probably not for me. Thank you for the information, though!


I've never tried to use those tiny elastics before. It's good to know it's theoretically possible to use them without tangling/damage. Are they single-use, though?


That makes sense. Thank you!



The only two albums of yours that I can see are one of head coverings and one labeled "Misc" that only has one photo in it.


I thought crisscrossing bobby pins was damaging to hair? Or is that another YMMV kind of thing?

I think it’s a YMMV thing - I used to use the tiny elastics and always had bananas breakage from them; I never have issues with the crossed bobby pins as long as the tips are firm and aren’t coming loose from the body of the pin.

[Kat]

Careful how? Is there a particular brand you recommend?

Careful as in, don't yank it when you stretch it/stretch it too much. I've also found the type that are made of rubber band material are more durable, as well as the rainbow-loom type (whatever they're made of). But this type that are very thin-- don't know what they're made of, not sure how to describe them except that they're quite thin, not as in narrow but markedly "flatter" than the other type, and also a more smooth/shiny type of elastic-- tend to break faster, in my experience, and they stretch out (which isn't a big deal; you'll just have to wrap them more times. This type also needs to be "broken in," as in, the first time you stretch it, it might feel like it's going to break, but really it's just loosening up).

I just like this small type because they're unobtrusive and not obvious (and you can get them in clear/black so they're pretty invisible, or in fun colors), and they stay in pretty well (for my hair, I find the "covered" elastics are too slippery and tend to come out; if I'm not wearing these small ones for security, it's usually a larger silicone type. Any kind that's even remotely slippery is going to slide right off the end of my braid{s}).

[Annapox]

Careful as in, don't yank it when you stretch it/stretch it too much. I've also found the type that are made of rubber band material are more durable, as well as the rainbow-loom type (whatever they're made of). But this type that are very thin-- don't know what they're made of, not sure how to describe them except that they're quite thin, not as in narrow but markedly "flatter" than the other type, and also a more smooth/shiny type of elastic-- tend to break faster, in my experience, and they stretch out (which isn't a big deal; you'll just have to wrap them more times. This type also needs to be "broken in," as in, the first time you stretch it, it might feel like it's going to break, but really it's just loosening up).

I just like this small type because they're unobtrusive and not obvious (and you can get them in clear/black so they're pretty invisible, or in fun colors), and they stay in pretty well (for my hair, I find the "covered" elastics are too slippery and tend to come out; if I'm not wearing these small ones for security, it's usually a larger silicone type. Any kind that's even remotely slippery is going to slide right off the end of my braid{s}).

Are these similar to the ones you prefer?

[LydiaStauffer]

those are the style of clips I've used with good results! unfortunately, I was never able to hide them so I used brown translucent ones that matched my hair pretty well. however, my hair was only a few inches below CBL so potentially with longer hair you could nestle them under/behind/between the braids in some way that they would be hidden.