I suck at braid outs! help please!!

[MsLauren]

I am transitioning and I love the look of braid outs on some of you ladies but every time I try....IT DOESN'T WORK!!! Ughhh, it just irritates me. What am I doing wrong??Heres my regimen:

1. shampoo with Wen and deep condition with Aussie 3 minute miracle.

2. spray hair with leave ins and use ORS olive oil moisturizer.

3. make 4 plaits, braid, and put rollers on end.

4. go to sleep and wake up with limp, undefined, messy hair.

5. put hair in bun because I give up lol


what am I doing wrong?!

 

[AnjelLuvs]

IMHO I think you need to do more plaits... I usually do at minimum 12, or do cornrows or flat twists...

If you are doing 4 and hair is not Fully dry you will not have definition... For more definition you need more plaits... Other than that, all else seems fine...

 

[Saga]

I agree with Anjel. I usually do 8 if I want over all definition. How many u do will determine how textured your hair will turn out.

 

[MsLauren]

I'm not the greatest at cornrolling but I agree that I may need more plaits to get more definition.

 

[NYAmicas]

Are you making sure your hair is at least 80% dry? That makes a heap of difference in my exp.

 

[MsLauren]

Just out of curiosity, what products do you ladies use for your braid outs??

 

[MsLauren]

Are you making sure your hair is at least 80% dry

Really?? A stylist I knew told me to treat braid outs like roller sets and do them wet to get a good hold and definition! But the next time I do my braid outs I'll let them air dry a little to see if that works.

 

[MzSwift]

IA with the other ladies:

Damp hair
10-15 braids

And I would add, some sort of pomade/gel to give more hold and definition. Some ladies swear by flaxseed gel but ecostyler, aloe vera gel and IC fantasia seem to work well for most.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

You need more braids. I have used at least 12 braids for a braid out. I use fewer braids on dry hair (day 3 - 5 if I rebraid).

 

[bride91501]

Unfortunately, I'm no expert at braidouts, but I'm tagging Rocky91 .... every braid n curl of hers I've seen is EVERYTHING.

Hopefully she can help!

 

[renren]

Hey I think you need to add some sort of setting/holding product like gel or mousse depending on the size of your strands.

Also make sure the plaits are dry before taking out. Dont disturb the form to much when taking down

 

[starchgirl]

I usually do 15 to 20 braids on damp hair and I use a leave in, a light spritz of a liquid leave in and a gel. If I have to be up and out early - I blot each braid to take off excess moisture and I will sometime sit under the dryer for 30 minutes or so to ensure I'll be dry in the morning.

 

[Whimsy]

I'd say the minimum braids to do would be 8. Also try using a leave in that offers some type of hold when you're braiding. And be sure to let it dry 100% even if it means going under the dryer for a bit.
This may be a silly question, but, you are putting on a scarf when you go to bed, right?

 

[Bun Mistress]

You can do fewer braids (it matters how much relaxed hair you have. But you can't braid out wet hair unless you use a dryer for an hour or more before going to bed. Please check out the zanandrob site (just google that word). Also I just did a blog about my braidout technique (so I wouldn't forget). You can look at that as well. I have to use gel or rebraid at night.

 

[Whimsy]

You can do fewer braids (it matters how much relaxed hair you have. But you can't braid out wet hair unless you use a dryer for an hour or more before going to bed. Please check out the zanandrob site (just google that word). Also I just did a blog about my braidout technique (so I wouldn't forget). You can look at that as well. I have to use gel or rebraid at night.

Yes you can

 

[MsLauren]

This may be a silly question, but, you are putting on a scarf when you go to bed, right?

Yes I do. Thanks for the advice too!

 

[Rocky91]

Unfortunately, I'm no expert at braidouts, but I'm tagging Rocky91 .... every braid n curl of hers I've seen is EVERYTHING.

Hopefully she can help!

lol aw thanks dear.
OP, I prefer soaking wet hair for my braidouts.
products:
creamy leave in with cones- i like Aussie Moist condish
a serum
wrap foam for hold.
i roll the ends on flexirods and end papers are a must.
i typically make 10-12 braids.
I sit under the dryer for at least 45 min, because my hair will NEVAH dry. NEVAH.
here are some example pics:

rollers taken out.

of course, it could look more "controlled" if i wanted it to, but i prefer big and fluffy so i fluff the mess out of them.
you can also use small perm rods for a little coil at the ends as opposed to a curl.
here's a 3rd day braid n curl on perm rods.

here is how it looks just out of the braids. i hate it this way, but you may prefer a more controlled look.

ok lemme stop now. sorry for all the pics.
anyhow, let me know if you have any questions!

 

[SummerSolstice]

ur hair isn't dry

 

[NappyNelle]

Rocky91 I want you to do my hair!

 

[HoneyA]

If you do more plaits and make sure that they are dried fully, your braid outs will come out better. Try 6 on each side. Is it possible you are putting on too much product? I found that my best braid-outs are done with water and a little vatika oil to seal. Those braid-outs are defined and hold for days. I'm transitioning as well. A few pics of my messy bun (braid-out) are in my profile.

 

[MsLauren]

thanks ladies!!!!

 

[darlingdiva]

You have been given great advice. As another poster mentioned, make sure that you don't disturb your hair too much during the take-down process. That way, you can reduce the amount of frizz that you have.

 

[Uniqzoe]

IA with the other ladies:

Damp hair
10-15 braids

And I would add, some sort of pomade/gel to give more hold and definition. Some ladies swear by flaxseed gel but ecostyler, aloe vera gel and IC fantasia seem to work well for most.

I agree with everything ^^^. Some people can do braid outs on wet hair and have it work out fine. Others like myself...not so much. I do them on slightly damp hair and use ORS twist and lock gel for more definition.

I probably did about 12 plaits for the braid out in my siggy.

ETA: when I was transitioning I used the white perm rods on the ends for a curl.

 

[MaraWithLove]

Just out of curiosity, what products do you ladies use for your braid outs??

I usually apply YTCu to my hair (dry) in sections (as well as a butter sometimes) and oil on the ends. I love the product enough already and it works well with braid-outs/twist-outs for me.

 

[Umm Ebraheem]

I think you should use the leave in OR the ORS and not both. It could be making your hair limp having so much product in it.

Umm Ebraheem

 

[MsLauren]

I'm definitely going to try another braid out this weekend.

Hope this time it works!!

 

[kupenda]

Damnit Rocky91 I just squealed and woke SO up. Your fluffy braid out is drool worthy!!

OP, that ORS olive oil makes my hair limp. Maybe you could try a few spritzes of distilled water and jojoba oil. You want your hair to be big and fluffy. I usually DC or cowash, do my braids on 70% dry hair, curl them under, and let them dry overnight. Usually about ten braids. I moisturized with Hydrasilica from Hairveda mixed with water

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF