Ratty Braid

[FroggyMonkeyMom]

When I braid my hair, in less than half an hour or so it's all ratty and has a bunch of ends sticking out the entire length of the braid. What can I do to keep it smoother longer? I never see other people's braids looking all tore up all the time :-/

And what can I do to protect the end of the braid from getting all dry and brittle, due wearing elastics? When I undo the braid the hair that was below the elastic is practically straw.

[Freckled.Thing]

In my experience the best way to keep a braid neat is to have a perfectly blunt hemline. (Layers are murder on braids.) If the pic in your siggy is current then your lovely fairy tail ends might be contributing to the problem. Maybe you could try making the tail of your braid longer? This would mean that the part you put the tie at would be a bit thicker.
Also I like to put a bit of coconut oil on my tassel before I leave the house. I think it gives it a nice coat of protection from the elements as well as keeping the ends moisturized and un-hay-like.

Good luck, though. I hope you find something that works for you.

[katsrevenge]

I use a bit of oil in my braids to try and keep the layers in a bit. It also helps keep the ends happier.

I also put the tie up higher, and wrap a damp piece of silk or ribbon underneath the elastic. It sounds silly but it really seems to help!

[teela1978]

I just have horribly frizzy braids. No one seems to notice but me

[blondecat]

A blob the size of a ten cent peice of Aloe Vera smoothed over after braiding, helps me a lot.

[longhairedlady]

My braids are alot smoother with a little oil. I think the dryness causes that, but im not for sure.

[jacqueline101]

If you have layers it will have ends sticking out.

[pepperminttea]

Lightly oiled hair, no layers, and bunning the braid will help keep the flyaways in. Wearing it down against your back will always make it a little ratty, just from brushing against your clothing, it's fairly unavoidable I'm afraid.

[WaitingSoLong]

You don't have to have layers to have ends sticking out.

I have a blunt hemline, no layers and this is an issue for me as well.

Everyone has hairs at different lengths ALL THE TIME due to the natural shedding rate. Unless you never shed any hairs...which I am pretty sure is impossible.

Oiling helps, but I use aloe vera gel diluted in water and spritzed down the length of the braid, saturating the end. This has the added effect of making lovely braid waves later when you loosen the braid.

Still, even with heavy oiling, you will get the frizz look after awhile. I just take the braid down and re-do it if it is just a simple Englsih braid. If not, you can try braiding ribbon into it, but I find this difficult and not worth the effort.

Also, like someone else said, I tend to secure the braid higher up as most the frizz is closer to the bottom. Also, I use the little silicone elastics that are damage-free (supposedly). I don't put them on as tight as possible, either, just enough to make sure it won't slip out. I get them at the dollar store for $1 for like a hundred or something.

[Night_Kitten]

I have the same problem, and the only thing that helps me is heavy oiling...
A light oiling helps to slow the process down alittle, but does not prevent it and I'm still left with a hairy caterpillar instead of a braid after about half an hour, LOL
I'm assuming some product like aloe gel or something similar will help as well, never tried it myself though

As for the ends - try soft fabric elastics, or wrapping the ends with a piece of satene ribbon and securing the elastic over the ribon (like this: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...86#post1459286 second post from the end of the page, by spidermom)