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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tree Braids and Other Random Things....

It has been awhile since my last update. It hasn't been because I'm busy though. I was just bored with my hair. I had been straightening and bunning my hair since October and quite frankly I was tired of it. About a week and a half ago I got some tree braids put in. At this stage in my journey, tree braids and cornrows are pretty much the only options for my hair in terms of braids with extensions. My hair is pretty much too long for micros and kinky twists. Anyway, have a look:




Ok, here's the run down on tree braids. I pretty much call them glorified cornrows...which they are. My hair is in small cornrows and has the braider braids about 4 strokes or so then pulls out hair which gives the illusion that I have a weave. So the pattern looks like (- equals braiding > equals hair pull out):

--->-->--->........( and so on and so forth)

It's actually kinda cool when you think about it. Since my hair is in cornrows, I can keep my scalp clean with the ORS Herbal Cleanse Dry Shampoo and I can spray leave in onto my braids. It's pretty low maintenance and I tend to keep the hair that's out in a bun since the hair gets tangled easily. The style takes about 3 to 4 hours to create, lasts between 6 and 8 weeks, and can be done with human or synthetic hair.

My only issue with this style is that the added hair sheds A LOT! I think the shedding is really evident because my hair is in a straight style. I may had to compare what happens when I use wet and wavy hair ( or something with some sort of curl) to make an accurate assessment about that. Also, you have to really be aware how tight the braider is braiding your edges b/c these braids are all up on them.

So far, however, I love tree braids and they are giving me a welcome break from my hair. I'm trying to decide if I should stick with tree braids over the summer or just do cornrows (w/o extensions). Time will tell....

15 comments:

  1. I'm a fan of tree braids but my stylist is a little rough on my edges so I haven't had them done for nearly 18 months now. Yours look lovely!

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  2. Were they difficult to take out? Is is safe or did it damage your hair like micro braids.

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  3. They weren't difficult to take out. In fact, it's just like taking down cornrows...they just tore up my edges. If my hair was short enough to get micros, I would have gotten them b/c they didn't do that much damage to my edges.

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  4. Did your hair grow alot?

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  5. My hair grows regardless of if there are braids in it. However, the tree braids did help me to retain my length. It wasn't anything spectacular though and I feel that I had better retention with kinky twists.

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  6. Your hair looks good. I know you mention you used Dry Shampoo, but were you able to wash you hair? Also what type of hair did you use?

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  7. I was not able to. The hair I used (which was human hair, provided by the braiding shop and not very good quality) tangled waaaaaaaaaay too much to withstand a good washing. I found that the dry shampoo was the best method for ensuring that my scalp got clean and provided a way to clean the cornrows individually.

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  8. hi i just did my tree braids because i heard so much about it. now i am going back to my college dorm and i won't be home until 4 months. do you think i should keep my tree braids in for that long (and yes my tree braids sheds and get tangled easily also) also what do u recommend i use to clean it during this period

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  9. @Essie I hope I haven't reached you too late... 4 months is entirely too long!! Tree braids are good for a month max!! Trust me on this one, your edges will thank you for it!

    I recommend that you use ORS Herbal Cleanse to keep your scalp clean while the tree braids in.

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  10. Looks Good! What type of hair is this?

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  11. Hi, I would like to know who done your tree braids for you, as they look great and I would like mine done.

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    Replies
    1. I went to Aissa's Hair Braiding off of Greesprings Hwy.

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  12. When you say the hair sheds a lot and doesn't last long is it because of the human hair you have? because the hair I use doesn't shed a lot and it last up to 3 months but that's just with a sew in is it different because its cornrows tree braids

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  13. Thanks for your review. Tree braids are great for your natural hair to have a protective hairstyle. There are two types of hair braids. You can use it every day and for some special occasions. They are the cornrow tree braids and the personal tree braids.This is great for relaxed and natural hair.Rinsing the tree braids is very simple when you do it for human hair. You can use shampoo and condition your braids as you like to keep them clean and resist builds up. More info - http://www.myhaircarecoach.com/best-human-hair-for-tree-braids/

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