Knotless box braids can be expensive. I live in New York City, so I treat getting my hair done as an investment. If I can make a silk press last a month, I’m definitely going to stretch the life of my braids.
Box braids are a great protective style but like everything, if they are overdone and left in too long, they can actually do damage to your hair. Just because your hair is tucked away and protected from the elements doesn’t mean you can just forget about it. It’s important to care for your hair inside the braids, as well as your scalp.
Here are some tips for making your knotless box braids last a long time without damaging your hair in the process:
Moisturize your hair underneath
Your hair tucked inside your braids needs love, too. Once or twice a week, lightly mist your braids with a mix of water and leave in conditioner. This will ensure your natural hair doesn’t get dry and brittle and break off when you take down your braids. I use this $9.99 bottle from Amazon, with a mix of warm water and Kinky Curly Knot Today.
Read more: How to maintain boho braids
Then, I’ll rub some light moisturizing oil on my hands and apply that to the length of my braids. I use my homemade hair growth oil or the Curly Proverbz Fenugreek Elixir.
Take care of your scalp
A healthy scalp is the key to having healthy hair. If you’re trying to make your box braids last, it’s very important to clean and moisturize your scalp regularly. I work out a lot and my scalp gets very sweaty — cleaning my scalp is a must.
I’ve been using the SheaMoisture Anti-Dandruff Leave-In a few times a week. It has Apple Cider Vinegar and Salicylic Acid with is soothing to the scalp and prevents itching. I also love the light tingly feeling it gives my scalp. It has a nice pointy nozzle, which makes applying it to my scalp between my braids very easy. I then use either an oil or the SheaMoisture Scalp Moisture Cream to keep my scalp moisturized and flake free.
Wash your hair and scalp
This may be controversial to some, but I’m a huge believer in washing your braids. I don’t think washing them every week is necessary, but if you’re very active and trying to keep your braids in for more than a month, washing them is important.
When I wash my knotless braids, I don’t just stand under the shower and soak my head. Doing that will make your braids heavy, which will pull on your scalp and take forever to dry. I start with my scalp first: I’ll use the SheaMoisture Anti-Dandruff Pre-Wash and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Then, I’ll put my braids in two low buns and get into the shower. To wash my scalp, I’ll put a mix of water and shampoo in a bottle with a nozzle and wet my scalp, then lather up.
To rinse, I take down my braids and use a bottle with a nozzle or a cup to run the water on my scalp and through my braids. Doing this allows the shampoo to also rinse through the braids without overly soaking them.
Towel dry and then either use a blowdryer or sit under a hooded dryer to dry the braids completely. If you don’t dry your braids and scalp completely, you risk getting mildew, which you absolutely don’t want!
Re-do your hairline and the top of your head only
I have a lot of traveling coming up, so I’m really trying to stretch these knotless braids for four months. Leaving in braids for that long is definitely not recommended by stylists but there is a work around — partially taking down and redoing some of the braids.
When your braids start to grow out, they can start to hang on the more sensitive areas of your scalp, like your hairline. You don’t want to have braids dangling like that, as it’ll cause damage to your hairline. Also, after a while, the braids on the top of your head can start to get frizzy, especially if you wash them. If you want to stretch your braids and refresh the style, take down the braids along the hairline and the top few rows, wash and condition your hair and then get those sections re-braided. This will be less money than getting a full head done and will give you the opportunity to really treat your hair underneath and keep the style a bit longer.
What’s the longest you’ve ever kept your braids in? How do you take care of your hair underneath? Share your tips in the comments!
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