Braids : 5 rules

[diamsdesiles]

Hello everyone,

I will be in braids tomorrow, and I plan to keep them 7 weeks.

What are the 5 main rules to follow to have strong, healthy hair with low shedding when I'll remove them ???

Thank you in advance




I'm still learning my english....

 

[cocosweet]

1. Don't get them too tight.

2. Don't be afraid to tell the braider to ease up if she's braiding too tight. You don't want a sore head for days!

3. Moisture is important. Get a braid spray and moisturize your hair everyday.

4. Don't get them too small. With washing and daily moisturizing, your own hair inside the braid will shrink up making braid removal more tedious than it needs to be if the braids are really small.

5. When taking your braids down, put a creamy leave in conditioner in your hair to aid with removal. Slippery hair is easier to take down.

Hope that helps.

 

[diamsdesiles]

Thank you cocosweet

It will sure help me

 

[cocosweet]

You're welcome!

 

[diamsdesiles]

BUMP BUMP BUMP

 

[Healthb4Length]

I pretty much agree with everything cocosweet listed. I would also add that when washing hair you should dilute your shampoos & conditioners with water to avoid product build up. You should have a solution of 50% WATER and 50% shampoo or conditioner. You should also keep braids in your hair for no longer than 6-7 weeks.

 

[Nonie]

Hope this isn't too late, but in addition to the advice already given, ask the braider to use less extension hair per braid section than the section's thickness so that she doesn't make the mistake of adding too much hair on a small area of your head which will exert a lot of strain on that spot and lead to breakage (traction alopecia).

I don't use products on my braids (but that's just my eccentric self) and I find this has helped me not get knots/matted hair no matter how long I wear my braids. If you use any products (eg braid spray) or when you apply conditioner, avoid applying them to the base of your braids. Your scalps sebum will do its thang, or if you're a baggier, then your roots will be well moisturized so no need to add anymore gunk there.

When shampooing - if you will be doing it - particularly when using undiluted shampoo, focus on applying it to your scalp and then massage it to clean your scalp. When you start to rinse, that's when you get to wash the hair as the shampoo runs through your hair. Use a squeezing motion as your braids hang straight down. You may find putting your braids in several loose braids will prevent them from unraveling or sliding off. Or you could put friendly elastics on the ends.

Make sure you touch up your braids as soon as they start to swing painfully. You'll particularly notice this along the edges when you have some growth. Not only does this take the strain of the previous starting point of the braid and put it on new stronger unstressed hair, but it also serves to prevent a knot from forming at the base of the braid - particularly if you're using a lot of products.

ACV rinses are heaven sent so treat yourself to one as often as you can. Besides smoothing out your hair so it tangles less, they leave your scalp feeling so fresh and clean - particularly if you do them like I do: put solution in a basin and dunk your head in, then massage your scalp with your head submerged. Can you just imagine how good this will be for the circulation of blood in your head?

I never find the need to use anything like conditioner when undoing my hair (I use my fingers) and I honestly think it's because rather than layering things on my hair, I ensure that my hair is well moisturized by washing often (whether w/ shampoo then conditioning; or just condition washes) and DCing. Then the ACV rinses keep my strands (and the human hair extensions) smooth so that my strands separate so easily when I undo them. I am the queen of HIH disease because I love how unsticky my hair is and I'm always touching up braids that have new growth. I never use a comb, and it doesn't matter whether I have long nails or not. I also find that my braids are easiest to undo when they are clean so I tend to undo them after a wash, conditioning and ACV rinse...when the braids are completely dry. This might not work for everyone, but you won't know till you try it, perhaps on just one braid.

 

[anahnamuslyyours]

Co-signing on what everyone else has already said. But I wanted to add that you wanna make sure that your nails are free of snags and such so that when you go to take down your braids, you're not rippin out your hair on jagged nail edges or anything.

 

[diamsdesiles]

Thank you ladies for your advice...

I will apply all that rules

 

[newflowers]

Only one braid rule - treat your hair in braids the same as you would without. This was Sareca's advice and it served me very well.

 

[diamsdesiles]

Only one braid rule - treat your hair in braids the same as you would without. This was Sareca's advice and it served me very well.

Yes I think it's a good advice
Thank you