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OK, so now you’ve got braids, what’s next?
Good Aftercare!
Proper aftercare is the way you keep your braids in the best possible condition for the longest possible time. It may seem obvious but I have found that some clients choose to ignore my advice which is built on many years of experience both for my clients and on my own head! The following guidelines may look daunting but, believe me, the routine is easy to get in to and pays you rich rewards.
- There is always a small chance that you may suffer some irritation around the hairline, particularly if you have fine hair as your scalp may be a little more sensitive. You may decide that the change is so great that you do not want to keep the braids in. It would be a great shame to waste your money and time so give it a chance and you will almost certainly quickly get used to the “new you”.
- It does take almost everyone a period of up to 2 weeks to get used to the new style and your scalp may be a little tender due to the work done on your hair to achieve that great look. Any tenderness will subside over a few days.
- The other most common area of problem is dryness and itchiness now that your scalp is more exposed. This can easily be overcome by the correct use of braid sheen spray or oil sheen spray. We will be pleased to advise you on correct usage and suitable brands.
- If your braids were sealed with flame or hot water, use a little braid sheen or oil sheen twice weekly. Don’t drown the hair as this will build up over a period and cause you problems!
- At night it is important to tie the hair down to maintain neatness and prevent tangling.
- You may notice some furring of hair. This is quite normal and can be controlled by careful, gentle trimming.
- Leave at least 2-3 weeks before the first time you wash your hair. If you can, wait at least 4 weeks.
Use a good braid shampoo. Spray into the hair and leave for 10 minutes then rinse thoroughly handling the hair as little as possible. When shampooing, do not tip your hair upside down but wash it under a shower or sitting in a bath.
- Wrap a towel round the hair and allow the towel to take up the excess water. Do not roughen hair with towel as this will cause tangling.
- After shampooing there is no need to condition the hair as a good braid spray will do that.
- With pony hair or any other hair left out, use only oil sheen or light grease to maintain the hair as braid sheen causes hair to matt as the products are wet.
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