How to Keep Hair Healthy in Braids

Braids and braid extensions are not just a fashion accessory, they are also a great way to keep hair healthy and manageable. However, if you want to get the full benefits of your braids and have the longest, strongest, healthiest hair possible, you must take some precautions when you are caring for your braids. Whether you have all-natural braids or you incorporate extensions into your look, you can keep your hair healthy and happy by adding just a few additional steps to your hair care habits.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deep conditioning treatment

1. Evaluate your hair. If you have already treated your hair with color or relaxer, then it may not be ready for braids. Both of these procedures break the bonds in your hair and can make it brittle and hard to manage. Putting braids in when your hair has just been treated with another styling technique can cause the braids to break off and make your natural hair uneven.

2. Prepare your hair. Give yourself several deep conditioning treatments over the week (or weeks, if you just got your hair relaxed or colored) before you get your braids. If your hair is recovering from another treatment, then give it four weeks of weekly conditioning treatments. If your hair is in a relatively natural state, then you can give yourself one or two conditioning treatments leading up to the braids. You can go to a salon for these treatments or use an off-the-shelf product.

3. Do a strand test. This will help you determine if your hair is ready for braids. Putting braids into unprepared or unhealthy hair will not keep the hair healthy, but rather exacerbate the matter. Pull a few strands of hair out from the crown of your head or the nape of your neck, then allow them to spring back. If they snap, then you need more conditioning before you put in your braids.

4. 
    
   Textured hair is difficult to grow long, but braids make it far easier to maintain.

   Shampoo daily. Once you get your braid extensions, shampoo your hair daily. This will cause your hair to grow faster. To help keep the braids intact, massage your scalp with shampoo, but sponge off your braids instead of scrubbing them. The hair in the braids is already protected by the braid, so you should be focusing on your new growth anyway.

5. Make sure to dry braids thoroughly. If you leave your braids wet after bathing, then the hair in them can actually rot or mildew over time. Use an absorbent towel to squeeze the water out of your braids before using any styling products on them.

6. Avoid braid sprays and styling products with oils. Oil causes the hair in braids to become matted. Mats must be clipped out when the braids are removed. If you want your hair to remain in tact throughout the time it is braided, you should use as little oil on it as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are going to wear your braids for two months or more at a time, make sure that you keep them very clean with regular washing. This will strengthen and fortify your hair as well as giving you better growth results. Redo the braids at the base of your neck and behind your ears to avoid matting, dreading and buildup in the hair.
• Wearing braids for an extended period of time will result in some shedding when you remove them. You lose about 100 strands of hair a day. However, leaving braids in for an excess of two months can actually result in significant hair loss, so do not exceed the amount of time recommended by your stylist.

Resources

• Learn more about growing healthy hair using braids here.

[robinwoods]

on 9/16/2009 Here is the link to My Braid Regimen

http://www.growafrohairlong.com/braidreg.html
Copy written from the Crown & Glory Technique

Do Not Steal my technique or my info, ask for the information.

Robin Woods
http://www.growafrohairlong.com

[robinwoods]

on 9/16/2009 Thanks for post My braid regimen from my site http://www.growafrohairlong.com. My customers told me to come take a look.

I would appreciate if you would ask for my hard earned information instead of stealing it.
And you have a BBB sign on this site? What?

For braid extensions and braid hair care as well as Hair care for Afro Textured hair, visit MY site
http://www.growafrohairlong.com

I am Robin Woods the maker of the Crown & Glory Technique.

formulator of the famous Afro Detangler and Flat Ironing Creme, Scalp Oil and the best hair growing vitamins there is.