Growing up, I'd always be excited whenever my mum would let me get box braids or cornrows . She'd leave them in for as long as possible, especially during the summer, because it was cheaper than going to the salon every two or three weeks. My long-hair-don't-care days were always fun (especially if I had beads at the end !), but I'd be worried about what to do with my hair after the plaits came out. It'd be too fragile for heat styling or a fresh relaxer, and I didn't want to get in the habit of back-to-back braid installation