tsokuwoman

 

Hey loves! I am back again, its been a long time since I talked to you Ladies. Today I thought I could just share something with you and  keep it real and address the fact that  there  are those days that I don’t have time for my hair, but hair health is still my goal.

I tend to leave my braids for a time way longer than 2 weeks when it is that time of the year when it is rush-hour such as the exam period , where I don’t really have the time to do hair, however I still get nervous about experiencing huge tangling  and breakage once I undo the braids! However , this time I did not experience problems because I did my long term braid-singles maintenance differently from the previous times, whispering “I changed my hair regimen “and it is what I am about to share with you! Yeaaahh!

Now get yourself a cup of tea and let’s get into these kinky-hair saving tips

Not too tight at the roots

Before the braids installation I consider that even though I will stay for long with the braids,, I will not have them holding my hair too tight at the roots, especially at the hairline. This is important to prevent any susceptibility to traction alopecia.

Consider the weight

I use the kinky braiding hair or any light weight synthetic braiding hair, because the kinky ones just happen to seem to be of very lightweight. I then not make them too long so as to avoid using too much hair.

Tuck-in hair and wrap at night

This is probably a silly  point but I realized it happened to me when I had long braids.It is very important to ensure that we don’t have our side of the body/arm sleeping on the braids ends and when we turn-over at night the braids get pulled or get tight.

Getting Braids is not a complete “break”

Getting braids should not mean neglecting your hair, meaning that getting braids is not a complete break from your haircare regimen.

Gal, get this straight, you still need to wash, moisturize and seal with an oil, I know you are thinking, but how? I still get tangles during unravelling. Oh well… tsokungwoman got you with a tip, are you ready? Here we go…

Moisturise daily

My daily braid-singles maintenance moisturizer was the Argan oil strength and shine  leave-in spray by Crème of nature

First I do a hot oil treatment for half an hour before shampooing my hair. I then condition hair as normal. If I am not doing a hot oil treatment or I don’t have time to do it, I use apple cider vinegar-water mixture to rinse only or  my currently beloved sulphate free shampoo by Crème of Nature . I do this every week .

Plan the braids unravelling

Do not just wake up and start unravelling the braids , you know why? , because your hair will probably be  very dry. If you are curious on how I take down my braids using a conditioner please click here!.  The week before unravelling my braids I usually do a strand strengthening conditioning treatment for overnight, using the product below by Hask Beauty.

During the braids unravelling day I usually do it using a conditioner to help get that slip and unravel without breaking hair. Remember that at this point the coiling around that synthetic braid is major and requires patience. I then sulphate free shampoo and then apply Cantu Shea butter leave-in conditioning repair cream , At the same time I detangle my hair and leave my hair to air-dry stretched.

By doing all the above, I was able to reduce the amount of shed-hair I would normally experience during braids unravelling and maintain a healthy hairline.

I posted these DIY  protective styling pictures on Instagram and I received an awesome feedback about my hairline, Below is my hairline secret, The amazing Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Thank you all.

Until next time. lots of love

Lebo @tsokungwoman