Back to Braiding & Banding (aka B&B)

About 1.5 months ago I was given permission by my consultant to discontinue banding and braiding. At that point my SLs were going on 8 months. The first time I washed without B&B, I panicked because I experienced significant slippage with the locks at the back of my head; the front locks were just fine. So we agreed that the next time I washed, I would B&B, and that the next time I washed, right before my next retightening, I would not B&B. Well that sounded good to me since that was also when I planned to color my hair and we’d already agreed that I should do that only if I could plan it right before my next retightening session (most of you have already read about my coloring debacle, if not, you can check it out right here on my blog). So between the results of my hair coloring experience and the couple of times I washed without B&B, my consultant and I have decided that I need to return to B&B for a while. I am more than happy to do this for a couple of reasons. First, and probably the most obvious, is that I don’t want to experience slippage at any cost. Second, the only time I experienced bunching and/or tangling with my permed ends is when I didn’t B&B. True, B&B takes extra time, but I really don’t mind anymore because I just get much better results with my permed ends and no slippage. In truth, I’d escaped B&B for the first few months because my consultant always washed my hair. So it’s not like I’ve been doing it “forever”. I know one day I’ll be able to enjoy the freedom of no B&B, once my SLs become more settled and then locked. But for now, the extra time is worth what I receive in peace of mind. I don’t know exactly how much longer I’ll need to B&B, but I assume that I’ll continue at least until my consultant gives me the okay to do away with my permed ends.

Lucky for me, several months ago I got a couple of wonderful tips on B&B from Sistalocd's blog. Namely, I use the clips shown below all around my hairline. They do a remarkable job of keeping my most delicate locks from slipping. I also love using the terry cloth bands below. They're much easier to remove than rubber bands and safer for my hair. Another tip that I picked up somewhere along the way is to not braid my hair to the very end. I used to do this in the beginning and it made unbraiding each wet section a real hassle. Now I leave about ½” open at the ends and band it all up.

Oh, one more thing I prefer about B&B is that, while I really detest having to separate my locks after washing, B&B makes it a lot easier for me to do; seems like not as many locks get caught up in each other when I B&B. Here's a picture of one section of my hair taken loose from B&B after washing.