4As stretching relaxers between braids

[tricie]

Hi, Newbie here again with more questions!

A friend of mine told me that she got braids (micro), wore them for 2 months, took them out, washed and conditioned her hair, and then had the braids done again. While that sounds like a great idea and a way to stretch your relaxer, as a 4a I couldn't even imagine not getting a relaxer after 8 or more weeks since my hair typically looks like a Brillo pad after that amount of time, and is dry and sheds before a relaxer.

Any advice from other 4As that have been able to do this, and are not trying to go natural? By the way, my friend's hair is definitely not 4a, maybe one of the 3s, and her hair has grown quite a bit in a year's time.

Oh, and the last time I wore braids, I had them in for 8 weeks, and had no breakage drama like some of the posts I've read about micros; I am thinking of going a bit bigger due to the advice and Robin's site.

Thanks, ladies!

 

[tricie]

Bumping for responses...

 

[glamazon386]

Hi, Newbie here again with more questions!

A friend of mine told me that she got braids (micro), wore them for 2 months, took them out, washed and conditioned her hair, and then had the braids done again. While that sounds like a great idea and a way to stretch your relaxer, as a 4a I couldn't even imagine not getting a relaxer after 8 or more weeks since my hair typically looks like a Brillo pad after that amount of time, and is dry and sheds before a relaxer.

Any advice from other 4As that have been able to do this, and are not trying to go natural? By the way, my friend's hair is definitely not 4a, maybe one of the 3s, and her hair has grown quite a bit in a year's time.

Oh, and the last time I wore braids, I had them in for 8 weeks, and had no breakage drama like some of the posts I've read about micros; I am thinking of going a bit bigger due to the advice and Robin's site.

Thanks, ladies!

I'm a 4a. I used to stretch routinely 12-14 weeks a few years before I found this site. I was in college and broke. I didn't have any problems though. My last two stretches before going natural were 24-26 weeks (about 5-6 months). I just didn't manipulate my hair a lot. Washed once a week. Either I wore a straight wrap, a half wig/fall or wore a weave. I don't really do braids too tough. I had a bad experience with breakage my freshman year and didn't want braids ever again. I did get senegalese twists this past september and I was pleasantly surprised. My hair did fine with them. She didn't braid it too tight.

 

[Lusa]

My hair is somewhere between 4a/b and I definitely use braids to stretch my relaxers. Typically, I wait about four weeks after getting a relaxer to get my braids put it in. If they are micros, I keep them in anywhere from three to four months. If it's just cornrows I keep em for about four weeks, rest a week, and re-braid.

I am on a twice yearly relaxer schedule, and braiding is a lifesaver for me. I don't have the patience to style daily, and all that jazz. So, it's possible depending on how you tolerate braids.

 

[Demi27]

Unless I'm planning on wearing my hair out, I don't wait a week before I re-braid. I keep my braids in for about 8 weeks (rebraiding the front and sides if necessary), take them out and rebraid right back up. I never wait a week in between like some ladies do. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just a personal preference.
I'm not trying to go natural either (even though I should because I haven't had a relaxer in over 6 months).

 

[Wishin4BSL]

I'm 4a and I honestly saw the most growth when I got individual braids twice in a row with a two week wait in between (because of money, not because I wanted to). I went from shoulder length to almost APL with a trim. I got a lot of shedding with the first set and I got a lot of breakage with the second set because the girl did them too tight, but I still retained a lot of growth. I'm actually making this my new method for retaining length. I will get individual braids when I hit 8 weeks, just like this time. I have a feeling that I'm going to be VERY close to BSL once I take my braids out and relax again.

 

[sareca]

I'm 4a and I honestly saw the most growth when I got individual braids twice in a row with a two week wait in between (because of money, not because I wanted to). I went from shoulder length to almost APL with a trim. I got a lot of shedding with the first set and I got a lot of breakage with the second set because the girl did them too tight, but I still retained a lot of growth. I'm actually making this my new method for retaining length. I will get individual braids when I hit 8 weeks, just like this time. I have a feeling that I'm going to be VERY close to BSL once I take my braids out and relax again.

This is my plan too. I'm planning back-to-back twists for the next 6 months. I'm doing 2 months on (1-2 weeks off) then 2 months on. I'll relax sometime in June/July then wear my hair for 2 months and start over again until BSL (Dec 07?). Robin outlined this as a variation of her C&G method.

 

[tricie]

WOW! Thanks so much for all your comments and advice! Seems like the last time I had cornrows, my braid out texture was really soft, not as I expected; I wish I would have known about the forum back when I had micro braids or else I would have washed/conditioned and had them redone back to back; might have had waist length hair by now since that was in like 2002! I just got a relaxer on Thursday, so I will probably wait awhile for the braids (micro or otherwise) and condition well before I get them.

Thanks, again; you ladies rock!
(anyone else with comments/advice please feel free to share!