crochet braids, yarn braids, dread extensions, etc.

well i've done yarn braids & i love them but they are a bit time consuming but i think im going to install some really soon..but i have crochets in my hair now also my avi pic..love it!! it didnt take that long either once you get the hang of it goes fast & smooth..it was my first time so it took me about 3 hrs..i have had my crochets in for about 3 weeks now still looks nice bt im probably going to take them out this weekend..i only used a 1 1/2 pks of hair..

u can usually get the needle from any beauty supply store

I'm actually wearing yarn braids right now...just haven't had the time to take pictures or update my CSJ about it. BUT, if you go back a bit in my CSJ, I do post about wearing, installing, and taking care of them. I followed the same technique that BlackOnyx77 from YouTube used. They'll last me about a month before they start to look "furry", and even then, they still look fresh.

I just took some yarn braids out. And like Lady Mika said, I followed BlackOnyx77's method on youtube. I left mine in for about 5 weeks and I washed them twice with Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine shampoo. They do take a while to put in but they can last you a long time and they are easy to maintain and style. I will probably put some back in before the winter is over. My hair grew a lot while it was in the braids as well which was a great plus!

PanaR3dd wrote:well i've done yarn braids & i love them but they are a bit time consuming but i think im going to install some really soon..but i have crochets in my hair now also my avi pic..love it!! it didnt take that long either once you get the hang of it goes fast & smooth..it was my first time so it took me about 3 hrs..i have had my crochets in for about 3 weeks now still looks nice bt im probably going to take them out this weekend..i only used a 1 1/2 pks of hair..

@Pana...l'm really feelin' your crochet style. That is nice! I have seen that done on the tube but haven't attempted yet. In my opinion, crochet's are the least time consuming protective style I've seen - it's inexpensive, stylish, lasts for a while, and very low/no maintenance. You did a great job.

For those of you who had the yarn braids, did you have little white looking patches of hair showing in the braids? The reason I asked was because I did a set of yarn braids for the first time. I also followed BlackOnyx77's method. I parted my hair very small and it took several days. But some of my hair showed through the braids and it looked like little white/gray patches. I think that's because the yarn was jet black and my hair is not. Anyway, I am in the process of redoing my braids with a different brand of yarn which had the same properties as Super Heart yarn(I think that's the name of it). The only difference was it was much softer, it cost a few cents more and it was kind of a black/brown color, which matched my hair perfectly! I saw another youtuber complaining about the little white looking patches of hair as well. Has anyone else experienced this?

Little white patches? I've NEVER had that problem before. I've always used the Bernat Super Value yarn, simply because that's what the craft store sold. I even used Lion Heart Brand acrylic yarn, and had a good turn out with that--no white patches or anything like that.

mizcreativelyme wrote:

PanaR3dd wrote:well i've done yarn braids & i love them but they are a bit time consuming but i think im going to install some really soon..but i have crochets in my hair now also my avi pic..love it!! it didnt take that long either once you get the hang of it goes fast & smooth..it was my first time so it took me about 3 hrs..i have had my crochets in for about 3 weeks now still looks nice bt im probably going to take them out this weekend..i only used a 1 1/2 pks of hair..

@Pana...l'm really feelin' your crochet style. That is nice! I have seen that done on the tube but haven't attempted yet. In my opinion, crochet's are the least time consuming protective style I've seen - it's inexpensive, stylish, lasts for a while, and very low/no maintenance. You did a great job.

thank you!!!& yes i loved them..they were def a shake & go style..go ahead & do them.. im sure u'll love the outcome..im all about bargain hairstyles that look fly lol

LadyMika wrote:Little white patches? I've NEVER had that problem before. I've always used the Bernat Super Value yarn, simply because that's what the craft store sold. I even used Lion Heart Brand acrylic yarn, and had a good turn out with that--no white patches or anything like that.

Well maybe not exactly white patches but my hair looked a little ashy (grayish color) with the jet black yarn. Anyway I fixed the problem by changing to another type of Acrylic yarn that matches my hair color perfectly.

preciouslady wrote:

LadyMika wrote:Little white patches? I've NEVER had that problem before. I've always used the Bernat Super Value yarn, simply because that's what the craft store sold. I even used Lion Heart Brand acrylic yarn, and had a good turn out with that--no white patches or anything like that.

Well maybe not exactly white patches but my hair looked a little ashy (grayish color) with the jet black yarn. Anyway I fixed the problem by changing to another type of Acrylic yarn that matches my hair color perfectly.

I know what you mean (hair shows through when the hair and yarn doesn't match). I have thought about trying yarn braids myself but I noticed that if the color of the yarn and your hair doesn't blend well the difference is noticeable. Realizing this deterred me from trying yarn braids because my hair is dark brown. What brand of yarn/color did you use?

naturallyme09 wrote:

preciouslady wrote:

LadyMika wrote:Little white patches? I've NEVER had that problem before. I've always used the Bernat Super Value yarn, simply because that's what the craft store sold. I even used Lion Heart Brand acrylic yarn, and had a good turn out with that--no white patches or anything like that.

Well maybe not exactly white patches but my hair looked a little ashy (grayish color) with the jet black yarn. Anyway I fixed the problem by changing to another type of Acrylic yarn that matches my hair color perfectly.

I know what you mean (hair shows through when the hair and yarn doesn't match). I have thought about trying yarn braids myself but I noticed that if the color of the yarn and your hair doesn't blend well the difference is noticeable. Realizing this deterred me from trying yarn braids because my hair is dark brown. What brand of yarn/color did you use?

Yeah that's why I'm re-doing my yarn braids. The brand I have is Caron Simply Soft. I got it from Wal-Mart and it is a few cents more than the other brand I used but I didn't mind paying extra because it matched exactly. The color is black but once I put it in it looks like a really dark brown/black color. Anyway it's much softer and not as dull looking as the other brand. That's what I'll be using from now on.

PanaR3dd wrote:
thank you!!!& yes i loved them..they were def a shake & go style..go ahead & do them.. im sure u'll love the outcome..im all about bargain hairstyles that look fly lol

@ PanaR3dd
What type of hair did you use? Did you have a problem when you tied it in a knot? Did they unravel? I just experimented with crochet braids on my sister. She had synthetic hair and some of the knots did not stay. Maybe it due to the type of hair she had. But your hair is pretty. I like the look and may try it on my own head one day but it's hard for me to cornrow my own hair.

preciouslady wrote:

naturallyme09 wrote:

preciouslady wrote:

LadyMika wrote:Little white patches? I've NEVER had that problem before. I've always used the Bernat Super Value yarn, simply because that's what the craft store sold. I even used Lion Heart Brand acrylic yarn, and had a good turn out with that--no white patches or anything like that.

Well maybe not exactly white patches but my hair looked a little ashy (grayish color) with the jet black yarn. Anyway I fixed the problem by changing to another type of Acrylic yarn that matches my hair color perfectly.

I know what you mean (hair shows through when the hair and yarn doesn't match). I have thought about trying yarn braids myself but I noticed that if the color of the yarn and your hair doesn't blend well the difference is noticeable. Realizing this deterred me from trying yarn braids because my hair is dark brown. What brand of yarn/color did you use?

Yeah that's why I'm re-doing my yarn braids. The brand I have is Caron Simply Soft. I got it from Wal-Mart and it is a few cents more than the other brand I used but I didn't mind paying extra because it matched exactly. The color is black but once I put it in it looks like a really dark brown/black color. Anyway it's much softer and not as dull looking as the other brand. That's what I'll be using from now on.

Thanks I will keep this brand in mind if I decide to try yarn braids. I'm glad you found your match.

preciouslady wrote:

PanaR3dd wrote:
thank you!!!& yes i loved them..they were def a shake & go style..go ahead & do them.. im sure u'll love the outcome..im all about bargain hairstyles that look fly lol

@ PanaR3dd
What type of hair did you use? Did you have a problem when you tied it in a knot? Did they unravel? I just experimented with crochet braids on my sister. She had synthetic hair and some of the knots did not stay. Maybe it due to the type of hair she had. But your hair is pretty. I like the look and may try it on my own head one day but it's hard for me to cornrow my own hair.

i just used some cheap BIBA hair..i had never heard of it but i refuse to pay a bunch of money for hair & it was the cheapest in the BSS lol..its 100% toyokalon Tan Tan braid so im pretty sure thats synthetic..No i had no problems with unraveling but i loop through then i knot..regardless of what you do after you knot its going to loosen up..but i think its easier the tighter the curl pattern of the hair because the looser hair does seem to unravel..i tried the freetress loose wave or something like that on my cousins hair & it was pretty but to keep from unraveling i had to do slip knots..THANK YOU!!!Girl you better get to practicing on those cornrows..i dont let anyone else cornrow my head..i like my edges & im trying to keep them..

@ naturally me- Thanks and you're welcome. I'm glad I found a match as well.

@PanaR3dd- I don't know if I already told you but your hair looks good. You did a good job! I did the slip knots on my sister's hair and some still loosened up a little but it was fine because they didn't come out. I think it was just the type of hair she had. It was kinda wavy. I guess I better practice on cornrowing my own head. I've done it before but it wasn't neat at all. I'm just happy to know that I can do my own protective styles now instead of having to pay someone. I know what you mean about those edges! The last time I had kinky twists and let the africans do them, they were so tight that my edges broke off even more and they were already fragile! Lesson learned and that's when I started looking for styles that I could do myself. Youtube has it all!

I've never had any of these styles but youtuber MsVcharles has had yarn braids before and she has a whole series of upkeep, cleaning, and a lot of cute styles for them.

curlista wrote:I've never had any of these styles but youtuber MsVcharles has had yarn braids before and she has a whole series of upkeep, cleaning, and a lot of cute styles for them.

I checked her out. She did have some cute styles. They were different than the other ones I've seen.

@preciouslady Yeah, I'd never seen any other naturals do cute, everyday styles. They are even work appropriate.

Glad I found this thread. PanaR3dd how long did it take you to do your crochet braids? They look cute! I watch a tutorial for them on YT but I didn't like how HUGE the girls hair ended up being. Any tips for making it a managable size, lol?

I was actually considering yarn braids too, and have off black/1B colored hair too. It never even crossed my mind that the yarn wouldn't match. Thanx for sharing the brand you used, Preciouslady!

I gotta come a to decision quick, I really need to get myself a protective style going...

@ Curlista-I agree & I'm gonna have to try a few of those styles myself.

@ Tiff, you're welcome. I learned that if you do medium sized braids, the hair won't be as big. The back and sides of the head don't have to be filled in as much as the top. And instead of crocheting around a whole braid, you can crochet the outsides of the braid to fill in any gaps. I just recently did my sister's friend hair like that & it wasn't big at all. It even turned out better than when I did my sister's hair. I know you didn't ask for my input but I thought I'd just let you know what I've learned so far from my experiments! HTH
hopefully you can make your decision soon & protect your hair from this freezing winter weather!