Why are Braids extensions equalling Breakage?

I have seen an alarming rate of women getting extreme breakage from braid extensions! It is perplexing. They are breaking all the way to the new growth in large patches.

So beware if you are thinking about getting braids to grow your hair out; then you may find that you are creating more damage.

Most of the women that have come to me for consultations have only mentioned that "braids" took their hair out. In the future, I will have to start asking which braids - kinky twists? Microbraids? Synthetic hair? Which brand of hair? to see if I can start to narrow down a more consistent pattern. Many women have been so disgusted that they barely want to speak. They just want their hair back.

I can only offer some insight or theories about what is happening:

1) The extension hair may be too heavy for your own hair if too long of length is used. Synthetic hair weighs more than Human hair, but synthetic hair is much cheaper than human hair.

2)Have the manufacturers changed the material that the synthetic hair is made from? Could the material be "cutting" into the hair strand?

3)Maybe the client's own hair has been flat ironed too much causing the actual hair strands to be weaker and unable to support the extension hair? I have warned in my articles for over a year that ionic flat irons burn the internal structure of the hair. It becomes thinner and weaker. I suggest grabbing a large barrel curling iron before grabbing a flat iron.

Whatever the case, women need to go back to the owners of the braid shops and let them know what happened! If enough people start doing this, then at least, the owner can look into what is the cause. Going to a licensed cosmetologist after the braids have broken the hair off may not do you much good. I have articles on this blog about growth serum and natural hair. Please consider reading those.

Women are feeling that they are all alone. Tell the right people - the owners of the braiding salon - in a tactful, professional way. Then consider invisible braids or shorter braid extensions on your new growth to maintain a style. Human hair is probably the safest option right now. The Gluefree Quick weave method may also be another styling option. Please see articles for that method on this blog as well.

Feel free to comment on this article if you want to share on your experience.

Braids: 1963 Cleopatra Flashback

I captured this picture from People magazine dated April 11, 2011 highlighting Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. The movie was a Fox studio production from 1963. This hairstyle is more than likely a wig, but the side plaits/braids caught my interest. Realistically, I would think that the gold hair jewelry would be too heavy on the hair, but the overall look is distinguished and a nice touch of texture to what would have been straight black hair.

Are cornrows and canerows the same?

The answer is YES! Some regions of the world are more familiar with sugar cane versus corn. So canerows are cornrows, and cornrows are canerows. They are also called "three strand twists" as well as "braids."

Protective Styling Options

Hair by Benita Blocker. Pictured is an invisi-part quick weave using "Gro-Protect Solutions" Serum. My client's hair is all underneath the quick weave. Please see separate article on "Glue-free quickweave." The scalp shown is her scalp! That's the beauty of the invisible part.

The Glue-free quickweave is one protective styling method that I DO approve for those who do NOT have scalp issues! The growth serum does allow the hair to grow and stay moisturized. However, you can NOT shampoo this style without full removal of the quickweave style.

How about wigs? Synthetic half wigs/full wigs are not good for long-term protective styling because synthetic hair is heavier than human hair and can cause trauma to the scalp. (i.e. thinning) Remember wherever the wig is anchored is where you will get traction and potential thinning. Just like wearing a baseball cap too often . . . it will thin where there is traction. Also head scarves, hair bonnets - when worn too often -- you can get traction and thinning in those areas.

Human hair half wigs/full wigs are good for long-term protective styling as long as they are not heavy. See my separate article on "wig weight" or "worry about weight."

Thin out all wigs that are heavy or thick. Some wigs are being made a lot thinner now; so there is less worry about thinning the wig out. Texturizing shears are great for thinning out wigs.

Lacefront wigs are good for protective styling only if you have the forehead for it. Please see separate article about "head shape for wigs." Lacefront wigs attached to the forehead in front of the hairline is perfect for less traction, but some women do NOT have the head shape to do this. That is why some lacefronts look natural on some women, and others - it screams "wig."

Sew-in weave is a good protective style for one up to 2 months at a time. After two months, the new growth will push the weave out and cause extra hair and scalp trauma from the dangling extension hair. Remember hair grows a half inch of new growth per month. Two months is an inch or more of new growth.

Box braids are a good protective style for up to 2 months. Same scenario as the sew-in weave. After two months, the braid extensions can get too heavy on the new growth. Also, if too much braid extension hair is put onto the hair then it will weigh the hair down and cause trauma as well. Sometimes braid extension hair is braided into the sew-in weave to support thinner hair, but long-term - the weight of all that extension hair is going to take its toil.

At this point, you wonder . . . is there such a thing as protective styling? Yes, but it is not cheap! The human hair half wig- thinned out seems to be the quickest protective styling that allows easy access to your scalp; however, married couples may not find this a romantic asset. So the human hair sew-in weave may be the next best option; so that you will not have to worry how you toss and turn . . .

Going from Relaxed to Natural?

Transitioning from Relaxed hair to natural is a customized journey.

Depending on your head shape, body shape, personality, and lifestyle requirements, the options can be limited.

Blow-dry styles will work for the first 2 to 4 months depending on your length of your hair and the weather in your area. If you never needed a relaxer, then you are home free. Just use either Design Essentials Organic Cleanse and Moisture Retention shampoos or Pureology Nanoworks and SuperStraight shampoos plus your choice of conditioners that works for your hair type. Pureology shampoos are sulfate-free and around a $100 purchase. Design Essentials are within a $25 purchase price.

Glue-free quick weave can work for the first 2 to 3 months or all the time for those that never needed a relaxer.

Tree-braids or Interlocking can work starting at the third month and on into a year.

At six months, you can start twists or locks or wear your own curl pattern. Some curl patterns do not lock easily. Others only take a month.

You can wear individual braid extensions as well.

I recommend cutting the relaxed hair off when you are ready. Trim a little every other month or at a six month period, cut all the relaxed hair off.

If wearing your own curl pattern, try different curl creams, curl gels, curl pommades until you find a good fit for your scalp and hair type.

I personally texturized my natural hair after the one year mark, and I started wearing my natural afro. I adorn it with jeweled or floral hair accessories. Definitely lower maintenance for now. I will probably continue to texturize my hair so that I can have the option of blowdrying straight without the humidity reverting it so quickly.

Transitioning from relaxed to natural is a tough journey. Be careful of the press n curl, this process can be just as damaging as the relaxer that you are growing out of .

Have fun!