How to properly take care of your hair under braids.

When tired of weaves and every day hairstyling, braids are next resort. Braids are great low manipulation protective styles that also help in hair length retention. But, you can feel regrets after taken them down, if you do not properly take care of your hair underneath your braids during the period you have them installed.

Your natural hair within the braids needs to be cleansed, conditioned, moisturised as you would when not in braids.

Cleansing
To cleanse your hair, you can use just water, liquid shampoo or dry shampoo. For easy application of the liquid shampoo, dilute and gently massage your scalp with your palm. Take care not to cut hair strands from the root with your nails or better still keep short nails, your hair will thank you for that. Cleanse your hair and scalp once every 5-10 days.

Condition
Follow up cleansing with conditioner. Dilute your conditioner to prevent build up on scalp and for easy rinse off.

Moisturize
The first few days of braid installation, you need to massage your scalp and hair at the roots and edges once or twice daily. This strengthens the roots  to prevent uprootof the hair due to tightness. After which you can reduce the frequency.

Have your hairspray filled and handy for during the day moisturizing. This will prevent your hair from drying out and breaking . Just shake and spray on scalp and the entire length of your hair in the braids.

For my present faux locs,  I have water 80%, coconut oil+olive oil+ Nature and Nurture 10-in-1 growth trigger oil for daily use in my spray bottle. Even when on faux locks and the length of my hair is not exposed as its in braids, I spray along the length of my hair hoping water get in . Point :Our hair thrives on moisture. The first few days of faux locs installation, I massaged my scalp  and hair at the roots with Nature and Nurture 10-in-1 growth trigger oil which calmed the tension at the roots and hairline.

Protect hair at night
Use your satin scarf or satin pillowcase if your satin bonnet cannot contain the braids. You can also raise hair to an updo, if its too long and wrap you hair round.
Remember to massage and moisturize hair before covering it.

Donts
Choose braid styling that are not tight, painful and pull on the edges. No need to risk loosing your natural hair from the roots to a momentary gorgeous braid styling. Infact it took me more than a month to be able to style my faux locs. and still wasn't too comfortable restyling it.

Optional tip
After wash, you can seal up moisture in exposed hair not scalp (so as not to clog the pores on scalp) with melted Shea butter or any natural butter. Rub between your palm to melt and rub along the length of you natural hair.

Throughout the period of your braids are installed, your hair will look really clean, neat and smell good. You might be tempted to leave your braids on for so long b. A maximum of 8 weeks for braids and 12 weeks for faux locs is okay. If you do not take it down at a reasonable time, breakage from hair matting can occur and benefits of length retention and growth will be forfeited.

I know you got it!

I hope you enjoy your braids and keep slaying!


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Posted in: Faux Locs,Hair,Protective style,Relaxed hair,Transition hair