What's wrong with wrapping?

[Cleve_gryl]

I wrap my hair every single night, with the exception of the days I've air dryed. I used to wrap to the right non stop for like 4 years until I noticed that my hair on the left side would always flip up on its own. A friend of mine suggested switching directions which was REAL HARD for me to do...like a right handed person forced to use their left hand But, since then I switch directions every night with no ill effects...no thinning or breakage. I wrap loosely and secure with a velcro net and a bonnet on top.

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Wet wrapping is bad imo, but regular dry wrapping is fine.
Those of you having problems with wrapping, have you tried the following? I'm curious if the thinning would persist. I wrap, but I don't use a brush. I use a wide tooth comb and I do a light wrap, it's never very tight. Also I alternate the direction every night.

As for the wig look. IMO, that comes from having hair that's not bouncy/clean. Relaxed hair tends to have a heaviness to it usually from grease, moisturizer, etc. and will hold whatever shape you put in. I noticed when I have a fresh relaxer or when I get my hair done at the DR salons and my hair has that "swing" it doesn't hold the bend from wrapping that causes that wiggy look.

 

[Poetrygirl]

I was told that you should not wrap your hair in the same direction every time. I get my hair done @ a salon every two weeks and each time she wraps it in a different direction to avoid the thining that some people get but I was told that the healthiest way to protect hair when it is not in a style (i.e., pony tail/braids) is to keep it wrapped, so I wrap my hair as soon as I get in the house and before I go to sleep each night.

 

[Lusa]

I quit wrapping because my hairline was thinning. Nowadays I just comb it back and slap on my net and bonnet.

 

[Angelicus]

for me... heck no, I will not wrap my hair! It makes me look bald in the back. Plus i look like Morticia with straight black hair.

 

[SvelteVelvet]

I've never experienced this thinning mentioned from wrapping and I've wrapped for years, perhaps not consistently but more often than not. And it's usually in the same direction. Are you guys wrapping tightly? Pulling with a comb or brush to make it a tight wrap? I also wet wrap/air dry, again no problemo's, no breakage, no thinning. When I dry wrap I don't use a comb, I don't even use a comb to take it down. I loosely run my fingers through and form it in the direction I want it to go, I don't even put pins or anything to hold it. Usually I've rubbed moisturizer on my fingers and have ran it through the ends and sealed with oil before I finger wrap so that helps. Then I tie it up, not too tight but good enough for it to stay, I also put a bonnet on top of my scarf. In the morn, I finger it down, usually my part is still there from the day before, that's how lightly I wrap, and I'm good to go. I've gotten more breakage rollersetting and pin curling and pin-ups more than I've gotten wrapping. Not talking lots of breakage from those other things, wrapping just provides me with the lowest manipulation. It totally works for me.

 

[nomoweavesfome]

I've never had problems with this either. In fact it works a whole lot better than roller setting. My hair keeps a level of moisture and silkiness that the rollerst only gives me for one day. Oh well. Since day one on here it seems like everything that works for everyone else doesn't work for me and vice versa.
ie: wrapping/human hair falls/silk elements/rollersets/aphogee/henna. the list goes on and on.

But this works for me wonderfully!

 

[homegirljiggy]

I currently have a love hate relationship with wrapping... wet wraps were okay but took forever to dry, and dry wrapping makes my left temple really sore... how ever my ends and over all health of my hair is better, more moisturized and tamed, than just bunning at night. sometimes I just put two rollers in and tie up... maybe I'll do both, but I think that I was just wrapping to tightly using the brush to smooth the sides and tieing down too tightly... I'll wrap more loosely, and alternate sides one week, then the next week I'll just do my regular two roller routine. Thanks ladies

 

[latosha]

i love wrapping... since i don't have rollers yet i can't rollerset so it's the only way i can get my hair to dry straight. i'm not thinner on one side but the right side of my hair is about an inch shorter than the left. but i'm not sure if thats wrapping or just genetics.. because if i cut the left side it'll still grow longer than the right. i always wrap the same way also, if i alternate sides my scalp gets sore

 

[Evazhair]

The only time wrapping worked for me was when I had shoulder length or shorter hair and a fresh perm. Other than that, the manipulation, tangling, and pulling makes it a no-no for me. My hair stays "wrappy" enough by tying it up with a silk scarf at night so that my ends are on top of my head.

 

[Artemis]

Wet wrapping is bad imo, but regular dry wrapping is fine.
Those of you having problems with wrapping, have you tried the following? I'm curious if the thinning would persist. I wrap, but I don't use a brush. I use a wide tooth comb and I do a light wrap, it's never very tight. Also I alternate the direction every night.

As for the wig look. IMO, that comes from having hair that's not bouncy/clean. Typical black relaxed hair tends to have a heaviness to it usually from grease, moisturizer, etc. and will hold whatever shape you put in. I noticed when I have a fresh relaxer or when I get my hair done at the DR salons and my hair has that "swing" it doesn't hold the bend from wrapping that causes that wiggy look.

Bump!

I'm not so sure a/b the bolded. For me, it doesn't matter how clean my hair is...My hair just sticks straight up when I comb the wrap down in the morning, and then I end up having to brush it down, and the back of the head on the right side sticks out at an angle ...*sigh* Maybe I just don't have enough hair yet or something...My friend has fine/thin hair like mine and she wraps RELIGIOUSLY and doesn't lose a single strand (I'd say she's between APL and BSL). So, I really don't know.

Oh, one more thing: Although I do have to say that I tried the steps from Macherie's wrapping tutorial, and it was totally different from how I'd learned to wrap (which looking back I don't think I ever was taught how to wrap properly) but my hair looked the same way in the a.m...all cockamamey (sp?) and what not erplexed

 

[LovelyZ]

i don't think wrapping is good... its too much manipulation for me.

 

[Proudpiscean]

i don't think wrapping is good... its too much manipulation for me.

Ditto!

 

[tsturnbu]

wrapping entails lost of combing when doing such. i rarely comb my ahir because when u do, i always have breakage. if i were to wrapt it every night, i woul dhave to comb it every night....not good....for my hair anyways

 

[Seeking8Rights]

ive been wrapping my hair basically every night. i havent experienced any thinning or pulled edges. I think the key is to not wrap the hair so tight. the really should be no pulling involved, just finger comb your hair in to the wrap very loosely. this will leave basically no damage to your hair or sclap. hth.

ITA with this post.

I used to wrap my hair religously, BUT I wrapped it WAY TOO tight and I wrapped in the same direction every time. This did cause some thinning and soreness in the temple area.

I then stopped and begin just pulling my hair atop of my head, securing with a clip, wrap with my silk scarf. But I stopped this because I didn't like how my ends were exposed and became kind of messy.

So, now I'm back to wrapping and loving it. I alternate wrap locations every other day or two, my hair says moisturized and my ends are sleek and have that maintained look.

I'm going to continue to wrap as long as I have hair at this point. When I'm bald then I guess I will.....not wrap

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

I always had a problem with wrapping too. But this week, after my fresh relaxer, I started alternating directions every night and it has been a dream!

Also, my hair is too thick, even after a fresh relaxer, so I've never been able to wrap a wrap tight. But this alternating directions stuff is really on to somethin...

 

[jtsupanova]

I used to think wrapping was the be all end all I now realize how unhealthy it was. Iused to wet and dry wrap. That said I have not wrapped in year but that is because I have been natural a texturized. Now that I'm texturized I see more straight styles in my future but I will try not to wrap. How do you doo a cross wrap?

 

[Energee]

If you go over the HealthyTextures.com (or healthyhairtextures.com)---macherieamours site you will see a great tutorial on how to wrap hair. It helped me greatly. I used to not know how to wrap my hair properly. I was really 'rough' although I didn't think I was before seeing her tutorial. It works so much better when you break it up in sections like she does it (when you see her tutorial you will see what I mean). It's much more gentle on the hair IMO. I was wrapping too much hair at once before. Now that I just break it into sections and wrap it's so much easier and I have very few breaks in my hair. Also, don't wrap too tight and I tie it loosely with a silk scarf and sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Wrapping is good for my hair. I also reverse every other night. I will wrap to the left one night and wrap to the right the next. I think this method works as well.

 

[taj]

I prefer cross wrapping. Kinikakes taught me how to do it. Its very simple and it takes less time. Since I had been wrapping my hair for 10 years in the same direction (bumb-dumb), it caused the left side of my hair to thin. I wanted the left side to look as healthy as the right, so I stopped.

 

[Lady Esquire]

I think a distinction needs to be made. If you're talking about wet wrapping, then I don't think its good. But I wrap my hair after I've blown it dry and flat ironed it and I couldn't survive any other way .

Wet wrapping has always been more trouble than it's worth, at least for me. And all that combing and smothing while your hair is wet or even damp can't be good even if you do have some type of leave in.

My hair does great with dry wrapping and I haven't had any problems!

That is a really important distinction. I have not done a wet wrap in years. But the dry wrapping has caused thinning for me as well. Now the only time I dry wrap is immediately after a rollerset - when I do the saran/silk wrap to straighten my roots. And even that causes all kinds of breakage. My hair just does not like wrapping. But wrapping for the purpose of silk wrapping, is justifiable. Maybe I should purchase a Denman brush to really do the wrap properly...and maybe that will eliminate some of the breakage.

 

[Artemis]

If you go over the HealthyTextures.com (or healthyhairtextures.com)---macherieamours site you will see a great tutorial on how to wrap hair. It helped me greatly. I used to not know how to wrap my hair properly. I was really 'rough' although I didn't think I was before seeing her tutorial. It works so much better when you break it up in sections like she does it (when you see her tutorial you will see what I mean). It's much more gentle on the hair IMO. I was wrapping too much hair at once before. Now that I just break it into sections and wrap it's so much easier and I have very few breaks in my hair. Also, don't wrap too tight and I tie it loosely with a silk scarf and sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Wrapping is good for my hair. I also reverse every other night. I will wrap to the left one night and wrap to the right the next. I think this method works as well.

I posted a long time ago in this thread, but since then I too have adopted the technique that Macherie shows in her tutorial--which is TOTALLY different from what I had been doing before!! I enjoy wrapping my hair at night now (although it's still not every single night, just in case it really is damaging...) and I haven't seen any ill effects after the past few months. My side are still flourishing and I don't have that pain there either.

Doing it in sections (and starting from the back) is definitely the way to go...

 

[cg92]

I think you have to find what works for you. Unfortunately if wrapping does not work for your hair the damage will already be done. I was a wrapper for years. Alternating sides did not make a difference for me b/c I experienced damage on both. The only thing I can tell you to avoid thinning sides and edges is to alternate wrapping your hair with other styles. If you wrap for a week do something different the next week. Be sure to keep your sides & edges moisturized. And if you are trying to wrap after a rollerset be very gentle with your hair or make sure your hairdresser is gentle.

 

[BEAUTIFULBLACKHAIR]

I wrapped my hair faithfully for years,I mean I was a real wrapaholic.I truly believe this is why my hair is shorter on the left side.This was the side I started my wrap on and I always had recurrent breakages.erplexedI stopped wrapping for now.I only wrap when I flatiron my hair,and this is only on special occasions.You should try cross wrapping,it works and it's less manipulation.

 

[LadyCee]

wat is cross wrapping? any pics???/

 

[Cleve_gryl]

For those of you that don't wrap and sleep in a bun, how to you get the length of your hair to remain straight or full without crunchy looking ends? My hair always comes out crazy when its in a bun.

 

[MsSharee06]

I think wrapping is a good idea, I've been doing it for years and when I do it consistently it helps me with hair growth. I wrap it every night in the same direction, but never too tight. Wrapping is a great alternative, less heat is needed, less combing,less manipulation, and less oppurtunity for hair breakage.

 

[ChocalateDiva]

Wrapping thinned my edges on one side and the nape on one side. I stopped wrapping and my hair is doing much better.

Wrapping did make my hair silky......................I miss it.

 

[ChocalateDiva]

I used to think wrapping was the be all end all I now realize how unhealthy it was. Iused to wet and dry wrap. That said I have not wrapped in year but that is because I have been natural a texturized. Now that I'm texturized I see more straight styles in my future but I will try not to wrap. How do you doo a cross wrap?

http://public.fotki.com/Khandi/how_to_do/crosswrap/

 

[pearlygurl]

Wrapping absolutely killed the left side of my head My left side was very thin, much shorter and suffered regularly from breakage. Granted I was wrapping the same way consistenly each night.

Anywho, I stopped wrapping and now my left side is quickly catching up with the right side and is MUCH thicker I now pin curl at night and use steam rollers in the morning.

 

[SleekandBouncy]

I think you have to find what works for you. Unfortunately if wrapping does not work for your hair the damage will already be done. I was a wrapper for years. Alternating sides did not make a difference for me b/c I experienced damage on both. The only thing I can tell you to avoid thinning sides and edges is to alternate wrapping your hair with other styles. If you wrap for a week do something different the next week. Be sure to keep your sides & edges moisturized. And if you are trying to wrap after a rollerset be very gentle with your hair or make sure your hairdresser is gentle.

Wow!You had the same damage even though you wrapped in alternate directions Did it thin your ends as well or just edges?

Has anyone been able to pinpoint the cause?? Is it clipping the hair to the hairline/edges underneath the wrap, is it simply forcing the hair in that direction, is it the brushing....