So you may have noticed in a previous post that I was rocking a new hairstyle! I got box braids on a Saturday morning and they lasted approximately 4 days (haha). So I am going to take you through the journey, my weakness, and why I will never be getting them again (hahahah).
The Idea
Lets really start at the beginning, how did this begin. All through college I saw friends of mine getting braids and twists and I was so jealous. I thought that they made them look so cool and beautiful. I never really did any research but just assumed that my hair was too thin (my hair is very thin and pretty straight) and that it would never work. When I got to Florida the spark reignited and I started seeing more and more Black women with braids and I knew I had to try it.
So I found a braider in Orlando and I started off with something a little less intimidating.
The First Experiment
So the first thing I experimented with was feed in braids, cornrows or dutch braids. Whatever you call them I basically had two braids with hair extensions braided in for about 7 days. I LOVED THEM. I didn’t have to do my hair in the morning, I always looked polished, they were so easy to style and cute. The only negative was that my hair was so thin that it started getting frizzy around the braid on day 6, and I had to jump in at the pool at work and they were essentially ruined.
You can see the little frizz around the middle of these braids
Looking for something that would last even longer than my last braids I started researching box braids. I probably read everything on the internet, and after I was done I called my braider and made an appointment. Now from my extensive research I knew a few things were going to happen:
- I was going to be sitting in a chair for 6-7 hours
- It was going to hurt
- They might itch later
Even knowing this, I was not prepared for what followed. Getting my hair braided was so painful I don’t think I could ever do it again. I would like to say that they woman braiding my hair was not braiding extremely tight. I am just a weak person. I am tender headed. I am not capable of fighting through the pain. I considered just telling her I couldn’t take it and walking out, but I was in too deep and there was no going back.
The Days Following
Smiling through the pain, probably thinking about my itchy scalp
Day one was full of pain. My head hurt so bad, I could not touch the braids without feeling pain, but I took an Advil and felt a lot better. I also loosened them with hot water and they felt significantly less tight than before, but I definitely had trouble sleeping.
Day two was itchy. I knew that they might itch a little, but oh my god I wanted to just rip them out just to itch my scalp. I tried everything, I washed my hair, I used braid spray, apple cider vinegar, EVERYTHING, but nothing helped. Now when I see girls with braids I just wonder how they aren’t always scratching their heads.
Day three was heavy. Now I screwed up, I got small braids that went to my waist. I knew they were going to be heavy but I had no clue that they would feel like I was wearing a ten pound helmet on my head. The heaviness of those braids is ultimately what caused my decision on Day four.
So by Day four you can imagine wear I was at. I was itchy, weighed down, and in pain. I decided I would try to cut them shorter and see if that would help but it was too late, the damage was done and I couldn’t take it anymore. With the help of my roommate Colleen those braids were out in 45 minutes and I swore to never get them again.
I would really like to make it clear that I am a weak human being. My braider did nothing wrong I simply wasn’t ready. I truly don’t know how you guys do it, having braids was the hardest thing I did this month and I don’t care how much my hair may grow I can never do it again. If there was any advice I would give to someone thinking of getting braids for the first time, I would tell them that it is uncomfortable in every single way. Uncomfortable to get them, uncomfortable to wear them, uncomfortable to sleep with them, it’s just uncomfortable.
So I wasted some money, but at least I have my sanity.