Looking for a new hairstyle? Box braids are beautiful protective braids created with hair extensions. I had mine installed at a salon specializing in Afro-textured hair.
Styling your hair by yourself can sometimes be tiring, especially for your arms. But for Black women in general, people with kinky, curly, or coily hair, it's not easy to find a good hair salon, even more so when you live in a rural area, whether it's for a simple haircut, a blowout, or a hair treatment.
If you can't go to the hairdresser, opt for an at-home stylist: link to zenaba page
Protective hairstyles can be done on any hair type, thick or fine hair, kinky, straight, whatever the hair length (a minimum of 3 or 4 cm, however) to avoid pulling too much on the roots, all year round, Spring-Summer as well as Fall-Winter. I would advise against doing it on relaxed hair because the hair fiber has been weakened by relaxing, a process that requires the use of chemical products. I'm afraid that box braids might be more of a destructive hairstyle, even with appropriate care.
This African hairstyle requires maintaining your hair routine, please don't let yourself go. The advantage compared to a weave or a wig is that you keep access to your scalp, allowing it to breathe.
The downside is the weight of the braids, which can damage your hair by creating tension on the roots. If the stylist pulled too hard during styling, the consequence can be disastrous and lead to hair loss, especially around the temples.
Maintain a routine! Daily hair care:
Furthermore, the drying phenomenon is accentuated by the extensions that absorb water, so it's better not to skip this step to avoid unpleasant surprises when removing the extensions! Continue to hydrate your hair daily.
For my daily care, I put in a spray bottle /
- Rose Water
- Glycerin
- Vitamin E
- and a vegetable oil, Grapeseed Oil
You can adapt the recipe to your needs by modifying the vegetable oils; there are so many, why limit yourself?
If your hair is dry, for example, you can use sweet almond oil; to stimulate hair growth, castor oil; to repair your brittle hair, coconut oil...
Weekly or bi-monthly shampoo:
Washing your hair is not excluded! Scalp shampoos are vital to rid it of all residues and prevent itching that can be caused by extensions. No need to scrub the lengths; feel free to rinse your hair thoroughly to rehydrate it. Afterward, apply your conditioner or a mask as usual, leave it on for a few minutes, and rinse.
Why conditioner?
If it's not completely dissolved after rinsing, it's okay; it will act like a nourishing cream, which is not the case with shampoo, which will dry out your hair.
So the downside when washing your braids is that they soak up water, making them heavier! I'll let you imagine how much they weigh at that moment, especially if they're long! Quickly lift your braids upwards to avoid tension on the hair follicles, unless you dream of having a muscular neck and, as a bonus, significant hair loss! In conclusion, be careful with wet hair with extensions!
And how do you maintain your braids?
