9 Tips To Maintain Box Braids

Most women braid their hair to take a break from combing, styling and other things that damage and break their hair. Whatever the reason may be – Ladies! please you still need to take care of the braids and maintain your hair beneath the braids. If you care for them well, they will last longer and grow your hair as well. Follow these 9 tips to maintain box braids:

Wrap it up at night

Obviously, your braids are still fabulous – but before you go to bed, you should wrap your braids with a satin or silk cloth. This will help the braids stay intact and fresh like they did the first time. Also, as days go by your hair starts growing and the new hair needs to be protected from friction when you sleep.

Note: wrapping your hair should be done whether you have braids or not.

Use Satin or silk pillow case

If you don’t have a satin/silk scarf, you can use a satin/silk pillow case which is easier in my opinion. When we sleep, at times the scarf can fall off so a pillow case can be used as an easier alternative. Satin/silk pillow case reduces frizzy and kinky hair.

Washing Braids

Many are guilty of going weeks without washing their braids but the itchiness can be really annoying and make you want to take them off. You also don’t want your braids to stink so you can just wash them and they’ll be squeaky clean.

Braids should be washed every 2 weeks because the build up from sweat and products can damage your hair. The good news is that you do not have to hop in the shower and drench your braids in water. The easiest way is to part your hair and wipe your scalp with a damp washcloth and dry shampoo then spray witch hazel on your scalp.

Retouch the front

Nobody can keep their braids intact for as long as they keep them. We all know the front starts getting older than the middle or back. Instead of removing perfectly fine braids because the front is really old, why not just fix and retouch the front? They will look brand new again, like you just got them!

 Oil massages to the scalp

Oil massages are important to promote hair growth while your hair is braided up. It eliminates dandruff, itchiness and keep your hair shiny. Do this thrice a week – take some essential oil, put it on your fingertips and massage your scalp thoroughly.      Some oils you can use are; Jojoba oil, tea tree oil, peppermint oil, coconut oil, castor oil etc.

Don’t keep the braids on for too long

Please don’t keep your braids for more than 2 months. This is because your new growth stretches and then breaks. A protective style should be kept for a short time, any longer than 2 months and you could end up with hair loss.

 Avoid up-do hairstyles

Tying your braids up in a ponytail can damage your edges and cause hair loss. This is because your hair is constantly being pulled for the style.

 Protect your hairline

Your hairline and baby hairs are very fragile. They shouldn’t be included in the braids because if they’re pulled too tightly they will break. If your braids too painful or little bumps start forming along your hairline, that’s a sign to loosen them up or remove them.

 Keep scalp moist

Keeping your scalp moist prevents your hair from drying and eventually breaking. You can keep it moist by spraying a mixture of water, leave-in-conditioner and any natural oil of your choice e.g. Coconut oil every day to promote hair growth respectively.