uni wigsBraids will be quite tight for a week or so, until they’ve loosened up slightly and your own hair has grown a bit. You will not need to wash braids as often as normal hair – once a week at the most would be fine. The only part that really needs to be washed is at the scalp, so it’s best to run a dilute shampoo solution through the scalp, then let the lather rinse through the braids themselves.
Shampooing:
"If you can’t get Dr. Bronners peppermint shampoo [Ed’s note – which is what Bridget thinks is the best thing for washing extensions with], try any minty shampoo or one with tea tree oil (The Body Shop tea tree shampoo works great, just get one of the bitty travel bottles). So, what I do is first gently rub my scalp with the pads of my fingers to ease the urge to itch, and to losen any, um, scruff. Then, squirt a little shampoo in my hand then dilute it with some water. Apply to part of your hair concentrating it all on your scalp. Apply to your head in sections until you seem to have it all covered. Then, rinse like crazy. A shower or one of those shower head attachments are really helpful at this moment. Rinse for several minutes. Really. Sometimes itchiness is left over shampoo on your poor scalp.
Drying:
Squeeze out as much water as you can while in the shower. Then, grab a towel and gently squeeze out more water. Grab another towel, since the first is probably soaked, and gently squeeze some more. Your hair will be really heavy right now, so try to support it with your hands as much as possible. Definitely, don’t pile your hair on top of your head using a towel as turban. I tend to sit on the sofa with my hair piled on a towel on top of the sofa back. My hair is supported by the back of the sofa, and the towel beneath it is keeping the sofa dry while also helping to dry out my hair. You can use a hair dryer on low temperature to help your hair dry faster.
Funkiness:
Developing a bit of a funk in your braids/dreads is a definite possiblity. I think thoroughly rinsing, and getting as much water out of them as quickly as possible will probably help with that.
Fighting the itch:
I usually apply a little light oil to my scalp. Operative words are "little" and "light." Weleeda makes a great rosemary scalp oil that helps with itchies. Sweet almond oil (w/ rosemary or tea tree essential oil added if you have them) works great. So, I pour a little into my palm and dip my fingers in the oil, then I gently rub my scalp with the slightly oily fingers. This helps if the itching is from dry scalp. A braid spray that is basically glycerine rather than oil will also help itching. Too much will leave icky build up. You can also try a spray on leave in conditioner.
How often to wash:
As far as frequency of washing, this is really individual. I tend to wait at least a week between scrubbing up. Sometimes 2 or so. I give myself a gentle scalp massage with some oil and spray leave in conditioner if I think my head is being sad. "
Preventing fuzz:
In between washes, you can apply scalp sprays and dry shampoos which will keep the itchiness down. Sheen/braid sprays will keep your braids looking nice, and prevent fuzziness. If you wrap your braids in a scarf while sleeping, and change over to satin pillowcases, you’ll find that your braids won’t get too fuzzy.
