Fashion: How to Care for Your Hair in Braids

There is a tendency to put your hair in a protective style and forget all about it! Girls do it alot (hides face :))! However, that isn’t very good for your hair, your hair still wants to be moisturised whether or not it in braids, and it will still get dry and break off whether or not it’s in braids. Also, some of the materials used to make our synthetic braids are quite drying to the hair, so to minimize breakage during your braid take-down it’s necessary to keep the hair moisturized and clean. Anyway, about tell  how you could take off your hair while it’s in braids, so Enjoy!

• Before you braid: Make sure your hair is washed and deep conditioned, so it’s at its strongest state. This way it’s more elastic during the styling process and is less prone to breakage.

• Edges: For the first two days (if you have a good stylist and the braids are not tight) your edges will be under a lot of pressure, so apply coconut or olive oil around the edges up to twice a day to ease the tension and avoid hair loss from the root. Any other oil will do really. If the hair was done really tightly then you might want to massage your hair on the first day with some warm water, and then apply oils around the edges frequently for up to seven days.

• Wash at least every 2 weeks:  To keep your hair moisturised and your scalp clean,  wash your hair while in braids. Make your own rhassoul clay shampoo which doubles as a conditioner, it’s also really watery and easy to rinse out. Put your shampoo in an applicator bottle squeeze the mixture into your scalp, gently massage your scalp and squeeze the remainder of the mix on the braids. Then, use your palms to press the mixture into the braids,  don’t rub to avoid frizz. Afterwards, rinse it all out, wrap your head in a scarf until it’s dry. If you are using regular shampoo and conditioner, be sure to dilute these in water so they are easy to rinse out and you avoid product build up. A really simple rinse is the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse. Simply mix 1 Cup of ACV with 2 Cups of water, put this in a spray  bottle, spritz your braids and scalp, then massage it into your scalp gently and rinse. This a lazy mix for when one can be bothered with shampoo! See applicator bottle:

• Keep Scalp moisturised:  Make sure the scalp is clean and moisturized to prevent it from becoming itchy and flaky. Some people will naturally produce enough oil for their scalp to remain moisturised. If that’s not you, then you can mix some aloe vera gel, shea butter and rosemary oil in a container and apply a little (don’t coat your scalp too much) throughout your scalp daily. This is will soothe and moisturize your scalp. That’s the mixture best used after you've washed you hair. Stay in a really cold place, but if you are in a warmer climate a simple light coating of coconut oil or any other light oil every 2 days will do.

• Moisturize your braids: Moisturize your braids like it’s your hair. Mix water and coconut oil in a bottle and just spray it on your braids up to the point your hair stops. Then, apply some olive oil on the braids up until the point your hair stops. No need to moisturise the parts of the braids not containing your hair. You can use any oil of your choice, but oils or butters that are too heavy tend to attract dirt to your hair.

• Sleep with a satin scarf, to reduce frizz, preserve the style longer and present dirt from getting on your scalp.

Well there you have it! Hope this helps and have a nice day