Braids are pretty great, they’re a fantastic way to protect your actual hair from the harsh outside temperatures. They also protect against over manipulation which will cause your hair to break off. It’s also just nice to wake up and not have to do anything to your hair and have it look like it’s been styled. What’s not so great is accumulating build-up in your braids. This article will help you figure out how to prevent build up in braids.
Unfortunately, your hair can have issues when it’s in braids in the form of build-up and dandruff. You accumulate more build up in your hair the longer you have the braids in. This article will help you take care of that issue in no time
Table of Contents
What is build up?
Build up is the gunk that forms at the start of braids where they connect to your hair. This is not just dirt but can be a build-up of products (which can cause acne), lint from pillowcases combined with oil at the root of your braid.
Build up doesn’t only happen when you have braids. You can also get build up after taking your weave out, removing your twists or removing your cornrows. Build-up can accumulate in any protective style that has been left for a long time and not properly taken care of.
This is not pleasant because when you take your hairstyle out you have to remove the build-up too. It’s a very time-consuming process, also removing your braids and removing all this build-up without breaking your hair is quite tricky.
The excessive combing of the build-up, in an effort to remove the hair, can be detrimental to your hair, it can tear your hair right out. The combination of all this dirt, lint, and oil can also give your hair a weird smell.
Why do I get build up?
You can get build up if you leave your braids in for too long without taking care of your hair, the longer you have your braids in for the more likely the product build-up will get attached to and stick to your hair.
How to prevent build up in braids
In order to prevent build-up, you need to make sure your hair is cleaned and free from any product before you even braid your hair. Leaving product in your hair just before braiding will be the early beginnings of having build-up. Any dirt, lint and debris which gets into contact with the product in your hair will stick to it and cause build up faster.
While you have the braids in you need to make sure you are cleaning your scalp regularly. You will need a clarifying shampoo to get all the gunk out of your hair. Note that this can sometimes be harsher on your hair because it’s been made to really remove dirt. Make sure you condition the hair after using it.
If you don’t want to wash your braids on a regular basis you can use apple cider vinegar to remove the product build-up, this is a great apple cider vinegar you can use. This is a great natural way to keep your hair clean. The smell of the apple cider vinegar will disappear when the vinegar dries.
Apple cider vinegar has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. When applied onto the hair it cleans the hair, alleviates an itchy scalp and gets rid of dandruff.
It does this because it has an acidic nature. This allows it to act as a clarifying shampoo. Note: If you decide to use apple cider vinegar on your hair make sure to dilute it well. Not diluting it and using it directly on your hair will strip your hair of any moisture and can burn your scalp.
To prevent the build-up of dandruff on your hair you would need to use a condoning mask. Dandruff is caused by dry skin which flakes off causing dandruff. A conditioning mask makes sure that your skin is hydrated and won’t dry and flake off. You can also remove dandruff with a hair mask.
Avoid using too much dry shampoo or foaming dry shampoo. This can have negative effects on your hair.
How to get rid of the build-up after removing the braids?
If you are in the unfortunate situation of already having build up on your braids then this safe removal method will work for you:
- You will need to remove your braids. When removing braids be sure to take them out in a gentle way and don’t yank at your hair, this can cause hair loss.
- You can do this step after removing each braid or you can do it after all the braids are gone: You will need to wet the site of the build-up, this will allow you to work with the hair easier.
- Use a comb and start combing at the build-up, starting from the side that is furthest from the scalp. If you try to comb from the scalp side then you can cause a tangle lower down the hair as you try to comb it out.
- Keep combing out the build-up going towards the scalp. As you move down the build-up will become less dense and you can separate it with your hands.
- After you remove all your braids and build up, it is necessary to do a treatment. Your hair will need it after being in those braids for so long. You can do a treatment after a wash and a deep condition straight after removal or you can do a hot oil treatment for about 45 minutes then wash and deep condition. This hair mask is great to use after braids
Let your hair breathe now. You shouldn’t remove braids then do another style straight after, this can be too much manipulation on your hair and can eventually lead to hair falling out.
Dealing with dandruff build up in braids
Dandruff can happen if you’re wearing braids, weaves, sew-ins and with your normal hair as well. Dandruff happens when your hair produces white flakes because it is either dry or it’s greasy. The flakes happen when the skin on your scalp falls off.
If you have dandruff build-up you’ll need to maintain your scalp to get rid of the dandruff and keep it gone. You’ll need to wash your hair with an anti-dandruff shampoo. You’ll also need to use an anti-dandruff leave-in spray where your scalp is visible. This will remove grease, add moisture to your dry scalp and allow your scalp to breathe. Here is a great anti-dandruff shampoo you can use.
How to get rid of white bulbs in braids
You might see tiny white bulbs soon after you get our braids installed. These tiny bulbs are the result of braids being pulled too tightly during installation. If you pull the bulb a strand of your hair will come out with it.
Don’t panic, your whole head of hair won’t fall out, white bulbs usually only appear at the hairline. If your braids are too tight and many white bulbs appear I recommend redoing the braids so they aren’t too tight. This will also prevent more bulbs from forming and thinning your hairline.
How to detangle matted hair after removing braids
If you have matted hair after removing your braids it will consist of a lot of shed hair. You’ll need to sit down and detangle your hair properly. Make sure you use a good conditioner in your hair to give you slip so you don’t yank your hair out. This is a good detangling conditioner you can use. A good brush to use is the Felicia leatherwood detangling brush, a Denman brush or a Tangle Teezer. You can find the Denman brush here, the Felicia leatherwood detangling brush here and the Tangle Teezer here. This is how to:
- Dampen your hair a little bit so it absorbs the product better. This is a great misting spray you can use.
- Use your detangling conditioner or dangling spray to add slip to your hair, you can also use an oil if this gives your hair more slip. You can choose to let the product sit on your hair for 30 minutes to make the hair easier to work with
- Direct your attention to the knots, detangle them one at a time. Grab one of the knots and gently start pulling the strands apart.
Tip: We usually shed about 100 hairs a day, don’t panic if the shed hair seems like a lot of hair, shedding a lot after having braids in is normal
Tip: Make sure you detangle as often as needed, don’t put off detangling as this can make your job even harder in the future. Putting it off can result in you damaging and yanking at your hair in the future.
How long are you supposed to keep braids in?
I’m someone who has a bad habit of keeping their braids in for too long. The recommended amount of time braids are meant to be kept is 8 weeks. This is to make sure you don’t stress your hair with all that braid weight. Keeping the braids in for only 8 weeks also keeps the build-up of products, shed hair and any debris to a minimum prevents too much build-up from collecting in your braids.
Tip: Before you put your braids in remember to prep your hair for this process of installing and keeping the braids in. You need to give your hair a good intensive deep conditioning treatment to make it strong enough to handle having the braids in. A strengthening deep conditioning treatment and a moisturising deep condoning treatment will be good prep for your hair.
What to do after taking down braids?
After you’ve had your braids removed and after you’ve done the steps of adding treatments to strengthen and moisturise your hair you need to let your hair breathe. This will give your braids a break from the stress of being in braids. You should generally let your hair breathe for 2 weeks before installing a new long term protective hairstyle.
Is it bad to have your hair in braids?
No, it isn’t bad to have your hair in braids, you just have to install them correctly, maintain them correctly and make sure that you take them out when necessary.
Braids are a great protective style, especially in the winter months when the weather is harsher on hair. They keep you from rubbing against your hair, manipulating your hair and they’re great to have in if you want to be able to wake up and go
Tip: You need to make sure that they aren’t too tight when you install them. This will prevent pulling on your hairline. Your braids need to be taken care of as you wear them, this will keep them looking good and keep your hair in the braids healthy. As long as you’re moisturising your hair and taking care of your scalp underneath your hair will flourish in the braids.
How often should you wash your braids?
You technically don’t have to wash your braids when you have them in. it’s a personal choice and having heavy water-filled braids isn’t exactly desirable. That being said you still need to make sure your scalp is clean while you have the braids in. This will ensure your braids always smell and look fresh.
You can use which hazel to clean your scalp. The process would entail wiping down your scalp with a witch hazel soaked cotton pad. The witch hazel breaks down any oil and dirt on your scalp and is wiped away by the cotton pad. This is a great witch hazel to use.
If you so desire you can wash your braids every two weeks. If you’ve been exercising or have been swimming you may want to bump that up.
If you decide to wash your braids you definitely need to keep them frizz-free, to make sure your braids stay frizz-free you’ll need to use a stocking cap to keep the hairs together. This way you can wash your scalp and have the water run down without any stray hairs frizzing up.
I hope you enjoyed this article on how to prevent and deal with product build-up in braids. I hope you take good care of your hair so you don’t have to remove much product build-up at the end of your braid cycle. If you enjoyed this article please share it.
