Box braids, cornrows, wigs, or twists are great versatile, low-maintenance protective styles. As we all may know, protective styles are not always protective. To ensure your next protective style is protecting your hair and lasts long, follow the tips below.
How to prepare your hair for a protective style?
- Freshly wash, detangle, and blow dry your hair. Protective styles are installed on clean and detangled hair. This method helps your braids last longer as they look neat and tidy for a longer time.
- Deep condition your hair. Deep conditioning your hair before installing a protective style helps keep your hair hydrated and healthy with the install.
- Trim your split ends. Trimming your split ends before getting your protective style installed helps to keep your hair healthy and strong with the install allowing you to maintain length and see growth after your takedown process.
- Clean the synthetic or human hair. Soaking the extensions used for the protective style in a water and apple cider vinegar mixture will remove toxins from the hair that can cause scalp irritation once installation.
- Avoid using too many styling products. Be mindful of the amount of styling products you use before getting your hair done. The use of too many styling products can make your hair difficult to grip for the person styling your hair.
Once you have prepared your hair following the tips above, you will be ready to head to the salon and get your new hairstyle.