Braid Out FAIL!!!! (Products or technique?)

So yall know I'm on this new hair journey of styling my hair! So yesterday, I attempted my first braid out. I think it was a total fail! Maybe I just prefer twist outs to braid outs, but I'm not done testing it out. Yesterday, I washed and used the Au Natural line by Dark & Lovely (not a review.....yet). I also did a treatment because my hair is just raggedy and I need to get it back into shape. So maybe the results had to do with that too. IDK, but I was not pleased.


So I started with a pre-poo...

 

These are the products and tools I used as well as what my hair looked like after all the product was in. That wide tooth comb, afro comb, and Denman brush are a MUST!!!! These are what I use to complete my pre-poo. I covered my hair with a plastic bag and left this on for about 30-45 min.

 

Next, I rinsed the pre-poo out and washed my hair section by section. I washed with the Au Natural shampoo and conditioner...not pictured here, but it's the Hydrating Soak Shampoo and the Knot Out conditioner. Before putting the knot out conditioner in. I used ion Repair Solutions Effective Care Treatment. I was at Sally's and they had the 1 oz packs on sale for $.99. I bought 4! Hey, my hair needs to get back into shape! After rinsing the treatment out, I put in the Knot Out conditioner. I left the conditioner on for about 35-45 min with a plastic cap on and then rinsed. Next came the braiding.

 

 So, the products pictured above are what I used. In the applicator bottle is my Vatika Frosting. The other oil  is CoCasta Oil. To each section I put the Vatika frosting on first, then the moisture soufflé and a tad bit of the gelee and braided. Once I was all done, I rubbed a bit of the CoCasta oil in my palms and smoothed over all my hair and coated my ends.

I had to sit under the dryer to let them dry as I had places to go! Once I untwisted...this is what my hair looked like....

Crappy pic, I know cuz I have not invested in a camera yet, but I didn't like it! Maybe it's because they only set for a couple of hours, or because I let my friend help me take them out who has no respect for my hair!!! She just doesn't get it and she did not take it down carefully which contributed to the frizz. UGH!!! So I'm trying to figure out if my technique was just wrong, if the product is just crappy or what! Anywhoo. I'm going to maintain the braid out all week. I have begun my work out routine again which means I will be co-washing a couple times a week and maybe I can get a better braid out. I'm going to go for a chunkier one next time!  So yeah, this was a total FAIL!!!! I told yall this was trial and error for me. Consider this a styling FAIL!!!!!




Peace