I had my last set of mini braids in for about 5 weeks. My roots grew out quite a bit. Here are some tips for caring for mini braids with new growth.

1. Be extra gentle. The hair at the roots is loose and can easily break if braids are pulled too tightly. The tighter you pull the hair into a ponytail, bun, or other style…the neater it will look. Just remember that the hair at the roots is much weaker than the length of the braid so don’t pull the roots too tightly.
2. Don’t scrub roots when shampooing. Use a gently massaging motion to keep the hair from snagging. Loose hair the roots is already being stretched to reach the braid and being wet makes the hair even weaker. Try not to put any tension on the braids when cleansing. Here’s my tutorial for cowashing mini braids.
3. Keep finger nails trimmed and take off chipped polish before washing and styling hair. This is a big issue for me. Chipped nails will saw strands of hair in half. Manicure nails before doing hair to prevent issues.
4. If there are strands of hair that are completely loose and you plan to wear your mini braids for a few more weeks, undue the nearest braid and rebraid that area. I don’t know how it happens, but I get loose strands of hair often and if I don’t rebraid them it will tangle around the braids.
5. Listen for snapping sounds, especially if you’re fine-haired like me. Snapping means you aren’t being gentle enough or you are putting too much tension on the braids when styling.