Mini braids: Installation and maintenance

Hey lovelies!

In my hair journey, I have noticed that my hair responds well when I keep my hands out of it. I have tried braids and twists with extensions but my favourite protective style is mini twists. But because mini twists are easy to install and take down, I always find myself unravelling one to check on the length, which is counterproductive. However, that is a subject of another blog post :)

So, after doing some research, I decided to try mini braids just with my hair. My experience is probably somewhat similar to what other naturals have experienced so the pros and cons may tend to be the same. I have had them in for 5 weeks now and hope to keep them for longer. I have noticed a bit of growth at the roots. I will measure the growth when I finally take them down.

Installation and maintenance:
I braided my hair from the roots till about 1 inch from the ends. I then twisted the rest of the length for easier take down (I don't wanna lose my ends!). It is still ok if the last inch is not twisted at all, especially if your ends are a bit thinner.

Mini braids post 3 weeks.

I moisturised my hair every night with my DIY spritz and sealed with my shea butter mix. I also massaged my scalp with Jamaican Black castor oil once or twice a week. At times, I spritzed my hair with my spritz and then applied Eden Bodyworks coconut shea curling creme before doing two braids that would help curl the hair and give it a different look (see my Graduation hair blogpost).


Pros:

• Less prone to shrinkage and frizz as parts look fresh for longer. I was able to moisturise with less frizziness occurring.
• They show more length as they hang better than twists.
• Wash day was a breeze! The easiest wash day I've ever done!! No need to detangle hair, it was awesome!! I simply followed my normal co-washing and moisturising routine, as when my hair is out. I have washed them once since installation though.
• Last longer than mini twists as braids are less prone to tangle and hair is in a more stretched state.
• They kept my hands out of my hair as I didn't style them much.

Cons:

• Installation takes forever. It took me 3 days to complete them, however they could have taken about  8hrs if done in one sitting.
• Styling. I have been in a bit of a rut in terms of styling them. as someone who loves bulky hair, I struggled to style them as most of the bulk can't be seen in braids. So most of the time, I wore them hanging down or in a ponytail (maybe that was a blessing in disguise).
• Take down is going to be a pain (will dedicate that to a post on its own when I get there)
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So, this sums up my mini braids journey of 5 weeks (so far). I plan to keep them for another 3-4 weeks. Wish me luck for the take-down :/

If you have ever done mini braids, please comment below and let me know how your experience was and whether you would do them again. 

Peace out

Jo xx