Hey Curlies,
With it being the summer and many ladies wearing protective styles, I’ve been getting questions about how long to keep in your braided and twisted styles.
Here’s my quick tip for those wearing weave/extensions and those wearing their natural hair in these styles.
For weaved styles (using extensions)
My recommendation is to wear styles, which require added hair for 4-6 weeks. Around this time your hair has begun to grow and honestly, it’s probably in need of a good wash. You may have product build up from hair products used over the past weeks.
For natural braided/twisted styles
My recommendation is to wear these styles, in which you use your own hair to style, for no more than 4 weeks. This could be a bit off for your hair because everyone’s hair texture is different. From experience, I know my hair begins to lock up around the end of the third week of wearing mini twists. Also consider what type of products you are using (sprays, styling creams, etc.). When I wore my mini twists for three weeks I noticed my hair beginning to lock up but my scalp was perfectly clean and healthy (thanks to coconut oil).
Note: Be sure to remember when removing any braided or twisted styles to be gentle and set aside enough time to take them out without rushing.
Note: Your hair will shed when you take down your hair. This is normal, I repeat…this is normal. Your hair sheds about 100-150 hairs per day and when you wear these styles, your hair doesn’t get a chance to shed because it is styled. Naturally, when you take down your style, all of those shed hairs that would’ve came out, will come out. Don’t be alarmed!
Here’s another post you may like: How to prepare your hair for braids and twists.
