If you have a tight or zig-zag curl pattern, it’s important to pay careful attention to your ends. If your ends do not naturally spiral curl, they can tangle more easily. Recently, I braided my niece’s hair. I didn’t have time to complete the whole thing, so I told my sister to do the rest. I noticed in just a few days the side that my sister did is very dry and tangled on the ends. The side that I did still feels moisturized and isn’t tangled. The difference is that I two-strand twisted the last inch of her mini braids. I don’t braid all the way to the end (not even on my own hair) because I want to be able to take the braids out without using a rat-tail comb or other tool. While I leave my own 4a ends loose, for tighter curl/coil patterns, it’s important to have the ends secured in some way. Twisting the ends will keep the hair organized and lead to less tangles and more moisture. Twists are also easier to undo than teeny tiny braids.
By Jay
An Afro-American girl with afro textured hair. I found a method of maintaining my hair in braids that I'd like to share! :)
i agree with you. I for sure to moisture and seal. I notice grow since doing mini braids for a month even if I do not like when I am doing them. I am very please I found your website
Thanks so much for all your comments and support on the blog! I’m glad mini braids have worked out well for you! 🙂
This may explain why after putting my 2yr olds mini braids in for just 2 wks the braids at the nape of her head was very difficult to take out. It started to loc although i make sure to keep her hair moisturized. Also there was a lot of lint where the ends were locing but i figure thats bc shez a baby and they get dirty when they play. Next time i install mini braids im her hair i will try twisting the ends. Hopefully that will help keep in the moisture and it won’t loc. Love your site btw!!
The same thing happens with the hair at my niece’s nape. But it’s usually only when she wears twists. Her hair is always down so it collects lint, rubs on her uniform collar, and gets tangled in the cheap necklaces she wears. Fortunately for my niece, her hair is super strong and her nape touches the waistband of her pants when stretched.
What you can try is part the hair at your daughter’s nape and braid it in one cornrow going across (ear to ear). The hair will be protected and the other braids will hide the cornrow. Even if it shows, she’s just a baby so it’s no big deal. When I cornrow my own nape, I bobby pin the end of the braid to my scalp so the nape hair is completely tucked away.
Great to know that. I will do it. What’s hard for me is the moisture proitein and balance. My hair goes from moisture oveload and protein overload. It is tuffs