7 Steps for Maintaining Braids or Twists (2024)

Let’s be honest.

Braids take a lot of time and cost a good bit of money.

There are several reasons you may choose to get braids for yourself or your daughter, and we know most of them. So, to make sure that your investment goes a long way we have some steps for you to take.

Who wants to spend money or time making their hair look good with braiding only to see it go down rapidly after 2-weeks?

Nobody.

If you do the following things you will be in a much better position after you decide to drop upwards of $200 or MADD hours in a salon.

Ready? Let’s go!

1. Protect Your Hair At Night

A silk headscarf or a satin pillowcase will help keep your braids from drying out. Your edges will also remain fresher. Doing both may sound like an overkill but many women lose their headscarf during sleep, only to find their braids pressed up against a moisture robbing cotton pillowcase. Keep frizz down and hairstyles in tact with these materials.

#1 Options for Satin or Silk

– Silk Scarves
– Silk Pillowcase
– Satin Hair Bonnet

2. Keep Your Scalp Moist

Break out a Spray Bottle and spray your thirsty roots. It only take a couple of minutes to moisturize your hair. Just like EVERY other living thing on this earth, your hair needs moisture to survive. The number #1 moisturizer for your thirsty roots is water…PERIOD!

#1 Option for Spraying Hair

– Spray Bottle

3. Avoid Unnatural Products For Keeping Your Braids Moisturized

Avoid mineral oils like the plague. Yes, your braids need to hold as much moisture as they can for that optimum look. But, did you know that “Mineral Oil” is the key ingredient in most of the popular braid moisturizers? Don’t use them!

Instead, use natural oils like coconut oil or almond oil. To seal in the moisture a leading option is Apricot Castor Oil. You can use it to seal entire braid strands or just your ends. The oils are really good for scalp soothing and retaining important moisture. If you need a non-greasy feeling moisturizer simply use a natural leave-in conditioner.

#1 Options for Keeping Moisture In Hair

– Apricot Castor Oil
– Coconut Oil
– Almond Oil
– Natural Leave-In Conditioner

4. Wash Braids Bi-Weekly (Minimum Recommendation)

A daily buildup of dirt or sweat can cause pores to clog and product build up. This is a recipe for disaster of a scalp and hair. Go here to learn how to wash braids without creating much frizz.

#1 Option for Washing Braids

– Shampoo
– T-Shirt Towel for Drying

5. Reduce Up-Dos, Pulling and High Manipulation

Constant styling and high ponytails or up-dos pulls on your hairline. Consistently pulling on your hairline will weaken your thirsty roots. No need to destroy your edges over styling. Simply limit these kind of styles to 1 or 2 times a week instead of daily.

6. Redo Your Edges After 4 to 6 Weeks

On average, hair grows 1/2 an inch per month. This means after 4 weeks you have some new growth and the braids around your front hairline…(Edges) can begin to look a bit rough. 2-months in you will feel like you are pushing the limits of HOTNESS..lol.

Let’s take care of this by simply taking out the braids along the edges. Detangle and conditioning that hair before re-installing those few braids you took out.

Reminder: Your edges are fragile and NOT taking care of them properly while in braids can cause some serious Eye DRAMA if you know what we mean. 🙂

#1 Option for Controlling Edges

– Edge Control

7. Don’t Wear Braids For Too Long

Some women have been able to effectively wear braids for 4-months with serious care. We recommend a maximum of 2 months. New growth can cause the hair to be pulled on from heavy braids or constant tugging from them. Sleep patterns and daily movement can weaken or damage the new growth from consistent stretching. Fragile ends or breakage goes totally against “Protective Hairstyle” so please, Be Careful!

These 7 steps for maintaining braids or twists should keep you looking nice. You should definitely get your moneys worth of wear. Your thirsty roots will also remain beautiful as you experience healthy hair growth.

If you enjoyed this article please share it on Twitter or Facebook to your friends and family.