Mini braids are a protective style and for my fine and fragile hair- the best protective style. But as the saying goes, there’s such a thing as “too much of a good thing.” If a protective style is not maintained adequately, there is a chance of it going all wrong.
Here are some things to look out for to make sure your long-term protective style is a success and not a setback.
- Wash your hair regularly to prevent product buildup. A buildup of products, dirt, and shed hair will lead to a nightmare when detangling.
- Condition, deep condition, and moisturise your hair regularly. Wearing a protective style is not an excuse to neglect proper haircare. The more moisturised your hair is, the easier the take down process will be. Dry hair will just stick together, well maintained hair has more slip.
- No matter how straight you do your parts, there will be strands of hair that web in between the braids as the root grow out. Because of this, you need to be extra gentle when manipulating the hair. You don’t want to pull strands out at the roots.
- Your ends are still the most fragile part of the hair, protect them by sealing with oils and tucking them in when possible. Keep your ends trimmed to prevent split ends.
- Redo your edges when needed. I like to undo my braids altogether, twist the edges, or re-braid them every couple of weeks just to reduce tension on that very fine hair and remove shed hairs that can cause tangling.
- The hair at the nape of the neck or “kitchen” is also fragile. I usually make the braids in this area twice the size of the rest of my hair. Larger braids will prevent breakage in that area- a thick rope is stronger than a thin thread.
Of course it’s not all bad to protective style for long periods of time. But just remember, it’s not an excuse to not take care of your hair. It’s the perfect time to simplify your hair care routine and see your hair grow.
Hello. Lovely post. Do you find that washing your braids causes it to tangle and matt because of all the shed hairs and also the shrinkage water causes?
I want to try this method for 6months but I’m worried constant wetting and drying will cause my hair to loc and matt.
Hello, sorry for the really late reply. For me personally, my hair does not loc easily. I had a couple locs in for about a year and I was able to detangle them easily with little hair loss. To contrast, my sister’s locs matured in a matter of months.
Tendency to loc definitely depends on the head of hair. I find that if I braid the length of hair securely (tightly), it’s less likely to shrink and tangle. Shed hair will accumulate but regular deep conditioning and moisturising actually helps them slip out when it’s time to take the braids out.
My recommendation would be to braid your hair, but take a few down after 4 weeks or so and check on the condition of your hair. If you’re happy with how things are going, braid them back up and leave it longer. At any signs of matting or locing, take the whole set down. I usually leave my braids in about 8 weeks at the longest and I always redo or twist the perimeter (edges) because my hair is most fragile there.
Good luck and come back and tell us how it goes!!
Hello, great post. Do you normally blow your hair straight before doing the mini braids or do you braid on wet/damp hair? Also, how long does it typically take you to do your mini braids and how many do you typically end up with approximately? Im just trying to get an idea of what to expect. Thank you.
Hello, it depends on the look I’m going for. If I want curly ends, I braid on damp but stretched hair. Usually it’s been in big plaits or twists overnight but not totally dry. If I want length, I braid on blowdried hair. It’s rare that I use heat on my hair these days.
I’ve actually never counted my braids. In my culture, it’s bad luck to count them. The number would also vary greatly between people. I have higher than average density and fine strands so the number of braids I end up with might be completely different to the next person with the same size braids.
I typically give myself 2-4 days to get them done. It’s hard to tell exactly how much time it takes since I take a lot of breaks. Maybe 8+ hours…however, as mentioned above I have A LOT of hair.