Also, I thought that I would be saving a little extra money since I wasn’t getting past bra strap length. I did end up liking the style when she finished, and it was 20 dollars cheaper than the original quoted price, but my head was pounding!
Since it was my first time getting braids, I just assumed that the pain was natural, because I have heard my friends talk about how the braids hurt the first day or so, so I figured that was it.
When I got home, I took an aspirin and went to sleep, but when I woke up my scalp was red and sore, and I noticed little red bumps around my hair line, and the back of my neck area, and my head was still in excruciating pain!
At this point I was still trying to rationalize the pain, even though deep down I knew that something wasn’t quite right. This went on for 2 days, but by day 3 I couldn’t take it anymore.
I could actually see where the braids were pulling at my edges, so I took the braids out on the third day. As much as I wanted to try to get my money’s worth, I didn’t think any amount of money was worth the health of my hair, and not to mention my edges! We’ve all seen or heard stories and jokes about girls not having edges, and I didn’t want that to be me!
Sometimes braiders braid tightly so that the style lasts as long as possible, which is what most of us want, especially if we’ve saved up our hard earned money on the style.
But tight tension is not good for your hair, hairline, or scalp. If you are a victim of braids that are too tight, and you notice redness, soreness, or bumping, then the best thing to do is to remove the braids. This is not normal, and it could lead to hair loss down the road.
If I could do it all over again, I would have been more vocal about what I was feeling as far as pain. If you are sitting in the stylists’ chair and something doesn’t feel good, then speak up! Tell her that it’s feeling tight, and ask her to ease up a bit.
It is much easier for her to redo a few braids then, before you’ve spent any money, versus you letting her do your whole head tightly, and then end up losing money and time when you have to take them all out. Since then, I vowed to never get box braids again, and I decided to go with crochet braids. I’m not saying that you should never get box braids, or any other type of braids, but I know that I won’t.
Angela Desselle says
I tell my clients all the time if it feels tight in anyway SPEAK UP, cause I don’t feel what you feel and I want you to be 100% confident and comfortable while wearing your braids. Healthy hair comes first.
Zackins says
Agreed… :
Shawnta Coleman says
My sister said the same thing to me Christmas night doing my sew in.
Zackins says
Sweet
Cee Turner says
That braider’s behavior was all kinds of unprofessional. Speak up! Walk away!
Jacqueline says
This is a why I box braid my own hair – I don’t a so called ‘stylist’ to do it for me. I don’t want a hair stylist to jack up my hair and I certainly don’t want to pay for the privilege. To be honest box braids are fantastic protective style don’t allow the this bad experience to put you off.
judith taylor says
Same here, I do mine myself, save my edges and money in one shot!