Protective styles are very popular now and it’s no longer taboo. As more and more women are opting for sew-ins, there’s more of a need to be educated on how to take care of them. A lot of times, different hair rules may apply when it comes to keeping your weave intact. Check out some great tips on how to take care of your extensions and the hair underneath.
Picking Your Extensions
It all starts with the hair selection. If you’re an extensions newbie, you might want to go for a texture that mimics your own hair. It will make your life so much easier the first go-round. Also, do you want extensions that last two weeks or six weeks? Make sure you pick great quality hair that can give you the results you’re looking for. It is an investment, after all.
Combing & Detangling
It’s all in the technique. Don’t rip your comb through your weave! Remember that the tracks are sewn onto your hair. The more you pull and yank through the extensions, the more you can damage your hair. You don’t want your hair to fall out from tugging on the extensions. As you would with your own hair, always detangle from the bottom up and preferably while wet. Weaves can get tangled badly.
Washing Your Extensions and Your Hair
You can’t wash your hair like you normally do. But make sure you wash your hair underneath too. Using a bottle with a nozzle attachment really helps. Add your favorite sulfate-free shampoo and mix with water. You can get the shampoo mix into all the different crevices and in-between your braids. After that, take your fingertips and lightly massage your scalp in between the braids. Rinse and repeat at least twice.
Drying Your Hair
If you take anything from this, make sure you dry your hair completely when wearing a weave after cleansing it. When you wash your hair and your braids get wet underneath, if you don’t let your hair dry completely, your hair will smell like mildew. Sitting under a dryer and letting your hair completely dry will combat that horrid smell (and potentially mold).
To Scratch or Not to Scratch?
Don’t scratch with your fingernails, the end of a rat-toothed comb, or anything else that will irritate your scalp more. Your scalp can get scabs. Since you generally don’t wash your hair as much while wearing extensions, you may find that your scalp itches more than usual. You can use items such as the Scalp Soother for quick relief. It doesn’t disrupt the braids and it literally soothes your scalp. Also, you can use that same bottle with the nozzle attachment and use oils such as tea tree oil, which is great for itchy scalp. Whatever you do, just don’t scratch until you get scabs. You will be disappointed at yourself when you take your hair out.
—Lexi with the Curls
