One of the many benefits of spending a few weeks wearing box braids [1] or any other protective style is knowing that you get to take a bit of time off from manipulating your natural hair for a change. Your getting-ready routine gets slightly shorter, your hair is essentially being shielded from breakage and possible heat damage, and most importantly, you get to switch up your look. But low maintenance doesn't mean "no maintenance," and since your hair and scalp can still suffer from product buildup when they're in protective styles, it's still important to wash and condition them regularly like you would your natural hair [2].
Here's how to do it.
Pay Attention to the Shampoo You Use
We'll start here. When washing styles like box braids or weaves, it's important to remember that since most of your hair is tucked away, you likely won't be able to use the same kind of shampoo that you normally would since it'll be a little harder to rinse out. To ease this process, we'd recommend diluting your regular shampoo with water and applying it with an application bottle. You can also look into using a shampoo with a more water-based formula, like Carol's Daughter's Wash Day Delight Shampoo [4] ($11).
Make Sure You're Being Gentle
Again, since most of your hair is braided up, the area you should be paying the most attention to is your scalp. But to avoid frizz and flyaways, make sure that you're being gentle while your sudsing up and getting all of that buildup off of your scalp. We recommend applying your desired shampoo product directly to your scalp and then lightly massageing it in a circular motion for about a minute before rinsing it out.
Don't Skip Your Conditioner
Yes, conditioner is still important here. Like your shampoo, you should dilute your conditioner with water and apply it to the braids and scalp using a spray bottle or an applicator bottle. Some of our favourite products for this step include OGX Coconut Milk Conditioner [5] ($6), SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Conditioner [6] ($9), and Carol's Daughter Sacred Tiare Fortifying Conditioner [7] ($11).
Let 'Em Dry
You don't have to break out your blow dryer when the washing and conditioning is all done, but you do want to make sure that you let your hair dry properly before styling it to avoid mildew. Braids also tend to take quite a bit of time to dry completely, so if you have a hooded dryer, it could best to sit under it for about 30 minutes. If not, just make sure to towel dry to soak up any excess moisture.