so im strarting the long-awaited journey a few days before christmas , and i thought i might section the hair into (around) 1X1 inch squares then put two braids in each section for a day or two and wash it with knotty boy shampoo so that the day im backcombing when i take out the braids , my hair will be super fluffy for the backcombing part which will make them bigger and make em loose less lenght. what do you guys think about that ? anyone did this ?
I have used knottyboy shampoo, it sucks ass for mine anyway, use some Dr Bronners, it feeds the natural kinks & tangles so they can grow into a natty paradise Either way your going to loose the same length so braiding it I very much doubt will help reduce the amount. Good luck on your journey Alex
Personally, I think you will loose just as much length with or without the braiding so be prepared if you end with some short hair for a while. I started mine with 3-4 inches of hair that I backcombed. Now, almost a year later I can tell where the original backcombing starts and its at least half as short as I was then. My new natural dreaded growth is now longer than the part that was backcombed. My hair is still not done shrinking I feel, but the drastic changed have stopped and my hair is finally growing faster than it is shrinking so my length is slowly returning.
dont put them in 1x1unch squares, it looks goofy, just grab a random hair and backcomb. but if you 1x1 squares do it in a brick formation. its just you dont want a white line going down the middle of your forehead. trust me you will get annoyed by it and it takes a long time before you wont notice it. but thats just me though do what you feel like doin, dont let any of the dreadelitist pressure you into something you dont want
Agreed with the brick formation, but I'd personally prefer sectioning so that there's consistency in thickness. Each to their own though.
so basically , what i should do is find a balance between square sectioning and keeping them the same thickness.
yeah pretty much, just when you put them in make sure your squares are staggered like you would see a brick wall. remember 1x1 inch will give some pretty big locks too
I got circles squares rectangle there all the same to me. I dont have a straight line down my for head tho. i have a line but its like curves and zig zags
for backcombing, don't brush (but wash with bronners) for a couple weeks. your hair will naturally start to section off... backcomb the sections that are starting to clump together (and the stray hairs around them) and you will get the most natural look. imho, square sections are pretty goofy
