Hair Is Breaking A Lot After Box Braids...ladies, Please Help :(

[PianoTiles]

So, about a onth and a half ago, I cut off 4 inches of my hair. It was split, dry, uneven...I desperately needed it. Since I wasn't used to having my hair be so short (I went from APL to just at shoulder length) I decided to throw in some box braids. I deep conditioned my hair, put it in braids, and let it air dry over night. The next day, I moisturized and sealed my hair, and installed my box braids. They were medium sized...no micro braids over here!! lol! I moisturized frequently during the week, and deep conditioned faithfully every week. One week I would use my keracare humetco ( love that stuff!) And the next week, I'd use a protein conditioner.

I left them in for just about a month. Last weekend, I took them down. I spritzed my hair with water to soften the braids, and took my time to remove them. I thoroughly detangled, doused my hair in sunflower oil, and washed the next day. Yall...it's been breaking ever since :/ I first deep conditioned with my keracare humecto, thinking that'd stop the breakage...but it hasn't. Today, I used my aphogee 2 minute and cowashed with V05 moisture milk, the strawberry one, and my hair is still breaking...it feels dry, especially in the back where there's lot of texture. Im about 14 weeks post relaxer.

Some parts of my hair are suuuuper stretchy, others are extremely brittle

Get this, there's still lots of breakage, even AFTER I did a trim! Yesterday, I trimmed about an inch because my ends weren't looking to good...but its still breaking. Im planning on baggying under a faux bun for the rest of the week, hoping that'll bring my hair back to life. I've never had breakage like this after box braids yall :/

Whats going on with my hair?

 

[Evolving78]

I'm not a fan of deep conditioning, or using heavy products when one has braids installed. Keeping the scalp clean and using a moisturizing spray should be it.
You got an overload of everything.
You should clarify your hair, then do a moisturizing shampoo. After that do a DC, no longer than 15 mins.
It could be protein, or just product buildup.

 

[Evolving78]

And don't baggy. You will cause more breakage.
I would go to a professional as well. But u need to first get rid of the buildup.

 

[JudithO]

Clarify your hair - and use a moisturizing DC.... Put it in cornrows, and wear a wig... repeat every week until it feels normal. I suspect you may have too may have protein overload...

 

[PianoTiles]

Ok. So if I ever decide to put in box braids, I will remember not to go so hard with the deep conditioning lol! I was just so worried about have dry and brittle hair when removing them. So...I will try to just shampoo my scalp and spritz with a moisturizer afterwards.

Also, I have clarified...I used ORS creamy aloe shampoo, and shampooed my hair twice, and then did the deep conditioning with my Keracare humecto. Should I clarify again? Not today, as I've already washed my hair (using the cream of nature sulfate free shampoo), but in a couple of days from now.

 

[Subscribe]

Did you wash the hair before you installed it?

 

[newgrowth15]

@PianoTiles, have you considered a tea rinse? They are known to stop breakage immediately. Brew 6 or 7 regular tea bags (I use Lipton) in 2 cups of boiling hot water. Once it cools, pour it all over your hair and let it sit under a plastic cap for at least 20 minutes (longer if you prefer). Rinse and style your hair as usual. You should notice the breakage has stopped as soon as you're done.

Tip: Wear clothes you don't care about and use old towels, because tea stains everything. You can use bleach to clean up the sink/tub after you're done.

 

[PianoTiles]

@Subscribe No, I hadn't washed the hair. Perhaps I should have...to remove any sort of chemicals that might be lingering on the hair? :/

@newgrowth15 I will look into that! Does the tea act as a protein?

 

[newgrowth15]

@Subscribe No, I hadn't washed the hair. Perhaps I should have...to remove any sort of chemicals that might be lingering on the hair? :/

@newgrowth15 I will look into that! Does the tea act as a protein?

Not a protein, but an anti-breakage agent. It might be the tannin in the tea, but it actually leaves my hair soft. I apply olive oil to my hair as soon as I rinse the tea out to lock in the moisture. I then wrap my hair up with a T-shirt to assist with the air drying. Towels make my hair too frizzy.

 

[NaturallyATLPCH]

I'm sorry you are having this problem. I'm a pro at box braids, wore them for years and am wearing them now as we speak. I've gotten great length retention with them.

What has worked for me is to spray them everyday with a refresher spray and wash them with diluted shampoo in an applicator bottle, focusing on the scalp. I do this after two weeks from the install, then weekly afterwards.

Take down, I douse my hair with oil and conditioner, clarify with a shampoo designed for clarifying, do a protein treatment, follow up with a super moisturizing treatment, then apply my stylers and move on. I've never had any issues with breakage.

Maybe you should actually clarify your hair and start with a clean slate. Some shampoos with sulfates are actually moisturizing shampoos so between all the dcing you've been doing, even with the Aphogee, there's still build up possibly leading to moisture overload. Your hair is still out of balance which could be causing the breakage.

 

[almond eyes]

Your hair definitely needs to get back into balance with its protein and moisture.

I used to be a big fan of boxed braids, but I no longer wear them. My hair texture is fine and I would always have matting from too much products or extreme dryness from not using enough products. The extension braids would always suck out too much moisture and the tension of the rubbing on my cuticles would cause my hair to have a dry and withered look. So, I stopped. It's funny now that I no longer braid my hair I look back at pictures when my braids would be removed and see that dry, rough, porous and withered look. My hair no longer looks like that anymore. I can always tell when women wear extension braids too much for their protective style when they wear their hair out vs those that rarely wear them or never wear them at all. Because my hair always had that dry, withered, rough look. Plus extensions and hot sun equals high porosity hair.

If you are going to use extensions, I would not keep them in for long periods of time and be careful with what you put on your hair during that time. And make sure to treat your hair before you put them in. Extensions should also be put on clean hair. You may have to do some slight trimming.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[PianoTiles]

@newgrowth15 So, do you shampoo prior to doing a tea rinse? And do you condition afterwards? I'm really interested in trying it!
@NaturallyATLPCH When wearing box braids, did you ever use some sort of conditioner on them? Or just shampoo the scalp, and spritz with a moisturizer of some kind? I have dry hair, and so when I read about people shampooing and spraying a leave in on their hair without deep conditioning, I get a lil scared! lol I'm beginning to realize that I definitely was over zealous with deep conditioning....leading to horrible build up
@almond eyes Im definitely planning on laying off the box braids for a while, until I can find a way for my hair to actually benefit from it. My hair is coarse, but I still struggled with some of the things you mentioning...matting, dryness, all that jazz. Typically, I only leave them in for about a month, no longer than that. The first time, I left them in for 2 months and had to deal with lots of tangles. No fun .

 

[NaturallyATLPCH]

@PianoTiles when I cleansed them, I would spray a leave in conditioner on them afterwards. Something light but very moisturizing. As long as I was spritzing them with something daily, I didn't have any issues when I took them out.

 

[newgrowth15]

@PianoTiles, I shampoo and condition my hair first. Then I do the tea. Rinse the tea out and then apply the olive oil. When I remember, I will apply aloe vera gel/juice to help restore the pH balance, but that's not very often. I keep the avj in the refrigerator and usually don't think about it until after I'm done with everything. Let me know your results.

 

[lux10023]

well iunno if your hair was breaking b4 the box braids cant really attribute it to the box braids...

with our hair we need to strengthen it prior to another style or process

the kanekolon in box braids can also be very drying to the hair....
try garlic pills...and tons of great advice was given...

 

[tru4reele]

You need an Aphogee two step protein treatment. You over moisturized your hair. I did the same thing not too long ago and my hair snapped off in the places where there was a line of demarcation from heat damage that was grown out.

 

[MzSwift]

Clarify your hair - and use a moisturizing DC.... Put it in cornrows, and wear a wig... repeat every week until it feels normal. I suspect you may have too may have protein overload...

ITA! I used extensions religiously as a PS to grow out my hair the first few years of my journey. Protein overload is no joke and it's much harder to fix than moisture overload. Yes, keep it moisturized, put it under a wig or scarf/wrap and let it rest for a few weeks.

Also, is your hair glycerin/humectant sensitive? Maybe that is impacting your hair's ability to hold moisture. You can DC with a regular condish mixed with EVOO to help infuse moisture into your strands. I've always added a tsp of salt to my EVOO DC and it's done wonders!

GL!

 

[Subscribe]

@MzSwift

Tell me about the salt please?

 

[MzSwift]

@Subscribe

There have been so many explanations. Some equate it to how salt helps the body retain moisture.

All I know is that I tried it back in 2010 after a bad henna tx. I used 3 different moisturizing DCs and was so desperate. I read about salt on both of the hairboards and mixed a tsp with one of the DCs and my hair felt like butter!! I've been using it in my moisturizing DC mixes (always with heat) ever since. I've found that a tbsp works best for me but I always recommend a smaller amount to start with. GL, if you try it!

 

[Aggie]

Here is a link to how I used to take care of my braids, the 'Crown & Glory' way:

http://www.blackhairinformation.com...bin-woods-will-give-maximum-growth-retention/

Personally I think your hair has a bit of moisture overload if you have stretchy hair in most parts of your head and protein overload in the dry and brittle areas. My suggestion is to protein treat the stretchy areas and moisture treat the dry and brittle areas if you can find them easily. If not, see a professional to correct the damages.