Most of us don’t know how to do our own braids or twists which means we rely on other people to do our hair. This makes it harder to get everything we want but there are some things that we need to make sure happen (or don’t) just so our hair is kept healthy and growing.

Some of these things sound like basic knowledge but its quite important that we mention them over and over again because some people still don’t understand the importance of maintaining healthy hair. So, what is this basic-not-so-basic information that we all need to be mindful of?

1. When getting your braids done you don’t want them to be too tight or too thick. The tightness pulls on your hair which leads to breakage; the heaviness also weighs too much on your hair and well, you guessed it breakage. So, what can you do? Be aware of what is happening to your head, if you feel any kind of pain or tightness – mention it so that your stylist can loosen it. Also, don’t use more fiber than the amount on your section, this ensures that the hair is evened and resembles the hair you have on your head just longer.
2. Create a regimen. A lot of us think that putting braids or twists on means its a break from taking care of your hair. WRONG. It is more than ever important to keep a regimen going because your is still growing and needs the TLC. This regimen should capitalize on moisture while ensuring that there isn’t too much of product build up. In this instance you would use more of sprays or liquids that have moisturizing properties.
3. Not keeping your braids for too long, we know it feels like a waste of money especially because you most likely paid the stylist but having braids for too long can cause tension to your hair and the product build up can make detangling harder. Also, this is not to say change your braids every week because that will cause more tension, a good amount is between 2-4 weeks with a regimen.
4. Be gentle. During your protective styling and after. It is still very much your hair underneath and any tight hair styles still cause tension. It’s advisable to avoid tight buns or repeating the same kind of style too much because that causes tension in just one part of your hair.
5. When taking your hair down you must be very careful with detangling, use smaller sections than you would normally, ensure that the products you use to detangle have slip and start with just your hands and gradually move to tools.

If you read this and thought “oh yeah it makes sense and it seems like basic knowledge”, just remember to actually do it next time.