Here some remedies for unraveling braids use one or a combination of them to help your braids last longer.
1. Braid Uneven Pieces of Hair
This is the appropriate route only if your hair is freshly cut and very blunt. Blunt hair may not hold braids well. Instead of braiding with 3 equal pieces of hair, make one piece thinner than the other. The thinner piece will run out first and make the ends of the braids tapered. You still need to braid tightly, as demonstrated in this post, but in this example with yarn, separate the 15 strands of yarn into 3 strands- 5 strands- 7 strands; rather than the 5-5-5 shown.
2. Beeswax
Check the ingredients in your products. My Bath & Body Works Massage Butter has beeswax on the list. (see the list of products I use here) Many men’s products for waves contain waxes as well. Use this sparingly and only rub a tiny amount on the very ends of your hair. Wet the tips of your braids, rub a tiny bit of beeswax between your hands and smooth it over your ends. Beeswax is not great for hair so avoid getting a lot of it on the length of your braids. Reapply as needed and don’t forget to wet the hair first.
3. Rollers, Braid Outs, and Twist Outs
Setting damp mini braids in rollers, braids or twists can help the ends stay intact and make unraveled ends look very stylish. As with synthetic hair, your real hair can be curled or waved at the ends for a different look. Set the hair overnight. I do not recommend using any type of heat on your mini braids. Use a setting lotion or styling mouse if you need extra hold. These methods also help for frizz prevention. See the article and more detailed how to for each style here.
4. Wear Updos
If your ends have unraveled and you don’t like the look of them or if you can’t keep them from unraveling the easiest solution is to put the hair up. Wear buns or pinned updos to hide and secure the ends of your braids. Stay tuned for styling tutorials and updos.
5. Rebraid the Ends
As a last resort, rebraid the ends as they unravel. Some rebraiding is probably needed toward the ends of your time in mini braids. It’s a normal part of maintenance. If you’re within a week of your scheduled take down time, don’t bother to rebraid…you want the braids to unravel on their own to make your job easier.
I just wanted to thank you for this site. I have been wearing mini braids since 2009 & they are great! I really enjoy reading your posts and will use the information on here to make my braids even better.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! I also don’t see a lot of braid (without extensions) wearers in the natural hair community so it’s nice to hear about that too. 🙂
I’m reading through your blog and I’m very convinced that this style suits my lifesyle and will help me to grow out my hair. I’ve never had mimi braids done without extensions, I’m going to try this out and see how it works. :))
Glad I could help! Come back and let me know how it goes. I wore braids with extensions sometimes but I got tired of dealing with the weight of them. The last time I wore them my friends accidently pulled them, every hug was like a potential scalping, lol. It’s been mini braids on my real hair only, ever since.
Thank you for this site. I just did my first set of mini braids, about the same size as my mini twists and it only took me just under 6 hours (with stops along the way). So far a good experience and looking forward to my braids lasting til about Christmas.
Thank you for your feedback! Have a happy hair journey and enjoy your mini braids. 🙂
GREAT JOB LOVED! LOVE THE WAY YOU WRITE AND, THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL.
P.S. I wrote in all caps to show my appreciation and how excited I was.
THANKS! lol 🙂