Hey Sweetdaisies,
I don't know what size/type braids you are planning on getting but currently I have my semi-micro braids done with human hair(they aren't really micros because i have the patience and attention span of a 6 year old
). Anyways, this is how I care for them:
*Every week I wash them with Cream of Nature for Dry/Brittle hair. I dilute this about half and half with water and put in a spray bottle.
1.Before I wash I put my braids in about eight ponytails. Don't place the rubberbands/holders near your scalp but closer towards where the actual braiding ends.(If you are not going to get the hair braided all the way to the end, this is a very important step as it will prevent them from unravelling and slipping out while you wash)
...Have you ever seen random pieces of hair lying around in the street and you wonder to yourself
"how the hell did that wind up there?".... well that will be YOUR braids in the street, slipping out at the most inopportune times if you skip this step.
2. I wash each section seperately leaving the ponytails in. Don't mess with the braids too much just try to massage the scalp really well. (Don't forget to move the ponytail holder up a little bit so that you can rinse out any soap that is trapped underneath)
3. Sometimes I put some conditioner (Aphogee Moisture Balancing) on the length only. Many people say that conditioner isn't really necessary because it will cause build up near the base of the braid. But I put it on the length only...mainly out of habit.
4. Then I put my Beter Braids Spray-white bottle with purple writing (this stuff is great! It's basically water, glycerine and preservatives)
5. i also take a shower comb and comb the ends...(yeah I know you're thinking a comb and braids don't mix, but my ends are loose and this keeps them from drying all tangled up.
I also wouldn't recommend washing everyday because unless you somehow found the secret to gaining ten extra hours in your day, you don't want to go to sleep with a wet head of human hair briads...your hair will be a matted tangled mess (speaking from experience
)
6. Once my hair is semi dry I add a little oils (Hot Six Oil is my favorite all-in-one if your not feeling like an ambitious scientist
)
7. Even with all these steps I find that a few will still unravel and maybe slip out...But I know how to braid my own hair so I ususally just rebraid any that slip-- Or you can get ghetto and pray that it's a braid in the middle that slipped out and maybe nobody will notice
...believe me, I am not above doing this
HTH
BlackButterflyz