No idea what to do with my hair!

Hey Tada...welcome to the site. I think the first question you have to ask yourself is...when is the wedding? This has to taken into consideration before you make a drastic move like cutting...and as you mention "Cut into a style that would be easy to maintain"...honestly what style you know can be easierly maintained other than a ponytail that you do not want to go back to. Answer the question seriously consider the answer. I am gonna admit I have no idea what is sisterlocks....so I can not suggest that, the only thing I can think about is what you do not want to do and that is "go to a salon"...I mean get your regular treatments for now until you decide, then you do not have to worry about split ends and it dropping off.

Welcome to the site Despistada. What are Sisterlocks? My hair is natural also. After perming my hair for years it was just so damaged. I am the queen of oil moisturizer and ponytails. I don't know what I'm going to do with my hair on my wedding day, but I am entertaining getting twists, or a full-head weave. Yes they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but I want to be absolutely stunning on my wedding day. I wish you all the best.

Rony...I just gatta ask you a question....when you say you are thinking of a full head weave...do you mean an actual cap that will cover your entire head or you are going to have pieces sewn or glued in?

I am new to this weave thing. I spoke with a trusted friend, she says that they braid your hair and sew it in. I will be making an appointment with her hair dresser and asking a few key questions.

Rony....now I understand what you are talking about, I've had the weave and if done properly they can be wonderful. I think you will be fabulous, I cringed at the thought of a whole wig cap on your wedding AHHHH! Tada, I am going to the site to see what these micros look like and another question...what is "Aveda?"

I decided to look into the weave thing because my co-worker's hair looks fabulous all of the time. Her hair dresser is skilled. I just thought I would check it out. I am cringing too at the thought of a cap and wig on my head eeeewwwww!!!!!! Thanks for the link Despistada, those sisterlocks are beautiful. I've seen many ladies with them and I have always admired them.

I'm happily nappy and identify with the style limitations it can place on you. Despistada, where do you live that there is actually a stylist who SPECIALIZES in natural hair? And by the way, the sisterlocks are awesome!

And Rhonda, another option to sew-in weaves with just as much versatility and longevity is tree braids. They're what I wanted for my wedding but I couldn't find a stylist who knew what I was talking about so I opted for micros instead. I'll try and find a website that has pics.

Hey there ana...now you gatta share this..."what is "tree braids"?

Taunyana, I've never heard of tree braids. Can you describe them? You ladies are awesome, you have so much wonderful information to share. Thanks!

Yeah ana....describe them and if you can--post a picture or a website where we can go look see. Thanks honey...Rony you are right this site is so cool with knowledgable educated women.

All right Ms Rhonda and Ms Charlotte, y'all had me fishing around on the Internet to find anything to help describe tree braids. First off, the technique is also sometimes referred to as micro interlocking. Anywho, I ran across a few pics online, hope this helps
www.naturalhair.org/hg.htm
www.lelasbraiding.com

I'll keep looking.

Thanks for those websites Tauyana! The tree braids are nice, and now I have another option! I just love our hair we can do so many wonderful things with it.

Ladies, I found a description of the tree braids on www.hairfactory.com. Tree braids are loose extensions of human hair that are interlocked into a cornrow base. No wefts, bonds or thread necessary. The extensions along the base will look like a tree branch to form invisible braids. Thanks again for pointing us in the right direction Taunyana!

Rony---your description is wonderful.....without looking at the website, I have an idea of what you mean. Over here we call that Technique "Shingling".....it looks absolutely wonderful but oh my goodness it takes hours and hours depending on how fine you want them. I am worst than children when it comes to attention span...I can not sit that long. But hey!....it pays to be beautiful right!!?? :-)

Yes it pays to be beautiful Charlotte. I am trying to mentally sike myself up because I am soooooooooo tender headed. Gurl I just hope I can sit through one of those sessions!!!!

Girl do not talk about "tender head"....I set my hair in the evenings with a brush okkkk!....anyway girl what the ladies do over here when they start plaiting their hair---they start around the perimeter of the head so in the event you can not sit any longer, you can pull the hair in a ponytail and come another day to complete the rest of the head.(FOOD FOR THOUGHT)

Well Charly, I guess I am not alone!!!!!

You're welcome for the sites Rhonda, I'm glad you were able to find a description of the tree braids so that you could get a better idea of how they're done. Now you got me curious Charlotte, how long was "hours and hours" to get the style done? I watched someone else get them done in about as long as it took for my hair to be twisted, you've got me scared now. Although I am no stranger to long hair-do's, my mom started me on braids when I was real young, I'm good for up to 8 hrs!

You go with you bad self Taunyana! Eight hours. I'm ok for 2-3 hours after that, I'm talking out loud to myself to keep it together!!!!!

Those fine shingles take from 12 hours to 2 days to complete...that is why they start from the outside and around the head and the girls wear a pontail with the middle of their heads incomplete and come back the next day to have the rest done.....the most vexing thing about it is that they come out so easy...especially if they get wet and you put conditioner on the hair--they slide right out. WOW!...after all those hours of sitting. Mind you the end result is fabulous but I just can't take all them hours. :-(

(Waving at Tada).I'm relocating to the Tallahassee area (Midway, Fl).You may want to try the Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair to help stop breakage.It really works!I haven't decided on a style for myself. Like some of the other ladies, I'm considering a sew in weave.Do you know of any good salons in the Tallahassee area?

Eight hours isn't bad if you are talking about micros. I usually have two sisters braid my hair. With the both of them they avg. 3-4 hrs. With just one, between 6 -8 hrs. They are very fast. Good for me because I hate sitting to get my hair braided. I love it when it's done, I'm very impatient.

Vetty that makes a lot of sense to have 2 of them plait at the same time---but do they charge each or it's one price?

Now back home I'd always have 2 or more ladies on my head and would be charged one flat price that they would later share. Here in the US I've only had the experience a few times and it was the same thing, I'd pay one fee (that wasn't any higher than having one lady braid at a time) and the two would share it. And Charlotte, I was tickled pink to see you write the word 'plait' thats what I grew up saying...adopted the whole 'braid' terminology when i moved here....thanx for the memory of home :)

Ya know what ana---it tickles me to hear people say corn-row and for the longest, I had no idea what they were talking about [he he]

See now that I've been here for so long I say corn-row all the time and sometimes my mom asks me what I'm talking about, she's so funny! I just love my mother and am excited that I got to talk to her today:)

How did the guinny rows come out ladies...did you endure the hours of sitting....or were you too chicken to go thru with it?????

Nuh uh Charlotte, I wasn't chicken...lol! Here's my update. I got the tree braids done about 3 weeks ago and they look amazing. The entire do took maybe 2.5hrs to do and I was grateful for that alone. Now, here's the thing, if you're getting them done for a specific event/occaision I think they'd work. I'm not having the easiest time maintaining them (I'm a bit of a wild sleeper and also have total paralysis of my left arm) So what originally seemed like a 2-3mnth long hairdo for me is probably gonna be a 1.5-2 mnth do. I think that a sewn-in weave would work better for me. Please note too that for me the longevity and ease of a hairdo depends highly on the quality of the extension used and in that regard I recommend 100% human hair. I have Toyokalon in now and it doesn't hold up as well. Hope the update was helpful...my next do will def. be micros...I never tire of its possibilities. Happy hair dressing ladies!

Thanks for the tips/update Taunyana!

Ana...I never knew about your left arm (you are too phenomonial) and to think you type all that information. wow!.....I am surprised the shingles only took 2.5 hours, I have never know them to take such a short time...have you tried wrapping them in the nights, maybe that will help you keep them....and I know it is not you can do it because you sit here and type...so you can do anything :-)

Hmm, y'know Charley, I'm thinking that your shingles and my tree braids are a lil different and thats why mine took a shorter time. Oh yes, I do wrap my hair at night, my mama would NEVER let me out of that habit as a child and its stuck with me ever since. And incidentally, me typing a lot has less to do w/ my paralysis and more to do with me being so verbose...I just got so much to say!!!!!!

Isn't tree-braids really fine individual plaits? and with the verbose thing...hmmmmm!

Charly, no, they're not individual plaits, the best way to describe them is if u think of getting a sew in weave. first your hair is braided in corn rows/ guiney braids and then a track is sewn in using thread. Tree braids are a recreation of the look but instead of doing two seperate steps, the corn rowing and addition of hair extension happens at the same time. In front they do look like really fine braids but its all just a clever trick.

Now I am totally lost....girl you will have to post a picture for your "behind the time" sista to see :-)

Excellent description Taunyana!

Please excuse this caribbean chick who is not familiar with American customs. But I need a visual.

Go to our hair gallery for ideas. There are quite a few galleries that are fun too.