A couple of week ago, I got these beautiful braids (pictures below) installed to give my hair a break from daily styling. Braids are definitely my preferred protective style because of how low maintenance and versatile they are.
Usually after the first week of having braids in my scalp gets so irritated and itchy (if you’ve ever experienced this you know exactly what I mean) to the point where I want to just take them out, defeating the purpose of actually having them in the first place. I’ve tried various braid sprays and these often cause product build-up leaving my already irritated scalp feeling worst. I’m usually relieved by washing them with my regular shampoo but by then the damage (sore scalp) is already done. I also don’t want to wash them after the first week as I typically like to keep the same routine as when my hair is not in a protective style which is 2-3 weeks (depending on style) so that my hair doesn’t suffer from dryness.
I had previously thought of washing the braiding hair (just because I like to wash everything before use) but I didn’t want to risk ruining the hair. So, the day before getting my hair braided this time around, I went on YouTube (as you do) to see if there was a demo on how to wash braiding hair and surprisingly there were a few! I unpacked the braiding hair (without unravelling it) and soaked it in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water mixed with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for 30 minutes. Within the first 5 minutes there was a layer of white foam at the top of the bowl. I repeated this process once more and got the same results. I then followed up by washing the braiding hair with a regular shampoo (this is optional) to remove any remaining residue or smell from the ACV, left on a towel to remove any excess water and then hung to dry overnight. On drying it looked exactly the same as it did fresh out of the packet.
The braiding hair I use is X-Pression (pictured below), this I believe is the most popular braiding hair to use for the type of braids I have.
Most synthetic braiding hair have an alkaline coating on them which allows the fibres to be curled in hot water or burnt. The purpose of washing is to remove the alkaline coating and any other chemicals left from the factory processing of the braiding hair that may be transferred to the skin/ scalp causing irritation or sensitivity.
I can honestly say that over two weeks in, I have not experienced any irritation at all. For maintenance, I like to spray my scalp with water to rehydrate then apply some Avocado Oil or Really Good Hair Oil (by Fushi) and for the braids I also spray with water and evenly distribute some Shea Moisture Loc and Braid Cream every few days so that my actual hair doesn’t get dry.
If you are considering getting braids installed with synthetic hair or currently have them in and experiencing similar irritation/ sensitivity, you can try the following:
- soak the hair in hot/ very warm water diluted with ACV (you can also use White Vinegar) before installing
- wash your braids with shampoo
- do a water and ACV rinse on your scalp and on the braids
- regularly rehydrate your scalp
Share some of your braiding experiences and tips on caring for them in the comments section.
Until next time……………wash your braids.
Thanks for sharing this information… very helpful
This is quite an interesting read. Never thought you could wash synthetic hair. Thanks for this good tip. I often have the same issue with braids or hair extensions in general and find that washing them 2 weeks in always reduces or stops the irritation. Again thanks for this handful tip. I will remember to use on my girls someday soon.
Nb: I’m too lazy to be washing hair or synthetic hair though…* crying eyes*