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Cornrow braids are very beautiful and have been popular for the longest time. These cute braids have been one of the identities of the black community even before the colonization era. With improvements in creativity, cornrows are now a must-do hairstyle for most people at some point in their lives, regardless of their race or hair type.
One of the reasons why cornrows are popular is because they are not only simple to come up with, but they are also low maintenance. You will not need to do a lot of styling before you leave the house, and this is something that most people love. Cornrows are also a protective hairstyle that helps your hair grow out. Learn how to maintain and take care of your cornrow braids here.
1. Prepare Before Installation
Although cornrow braids are a protective hairstyle, if you don’t prepare well for the cornrows and do them too tightly, they may cause damage.
In most cases, the tension on the roots of the hair is caused by doing the prep incorrectly. When doing the prep, don’t blow dry; go directly into installing the cornrows. Focus more on hydrating the hair if you are planning to get cornrows.
Shampoo your scalp well and use hair conditioner to nourish your hair. Use a thickening conditioner to keep the curls thick and stretchy if you have curly hair.
2. Don’t Use Excess Tension
Excess tension can damage the roots of the hair. Too tight cornrows can cause hair breakage and itchy spots on the scalp, which is an uncomfortable experience. Tension on the scalp could eventually resent in permanent hair loss due to continuous traction.
To avoid this type of tension, you should let your hairdresser know that you don’t like your hair pulled too tight. Some people have the false idea that pulling the hair too tight can make it last for a long, but this is not the case since, with scalp itchiness, the hair will get loose faster due to scraping.
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It is not normal to experience pain or itchiness when the cornrows are being installed. If this is the case, get the hairdresser to change the braiding technique, and if not, you should consider changing your hairdresser.
It is also nice to get breaks in between when to get cornrows. This will give your hair and scalp a break from any kind of tension that had been experienced the previous time. Avoiding repetitive tension gives your hair to recover from tension.
3. Setting The Look
You have to use certain hair products to ensure that you sharpen the hairstyle and it looks as neat and clean as possible. Getting the right products gives your hair the required shine without applying unnecessary build-up on the scalp.
You should use mousse whether you are getting cornrows on your natural hair or you are having extensions to help hold all the hair in a place where it should be.
Ensure that you always sleep with a scarf or a satin bonnet to protect your hair against friction with your bed covers. This will help keep the hair neat for the longest time possible.
4. Minimize Friction
You should ensure you minimize all sorts of friction when you have the cornrows installed to protect your hair.
Although your cornrows will get loose as your hair grows, that does not mean it is the end of life for your cornrows. Minimizing friction is the best way to maintain a long life for your cornrows.
Avoid hair accessories that could exert friction on your cornrows and result in the loosening of your cornrows.
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5. Minimize Greasing Your Scalp
It would be better to hydrate your scalp rather than use any greased products. Most greasing products do more harm to the scalp than good. When there is grease build up on the scalp, you will eventually have to wash your hair more often, and too much washing results in the loosening of your cornrows.
If you get the temptation to grease your scalp, you should consider hydrating it instead. How often you need to moisturize your scalp depends on the health of your hair and how dry your scalp gets.
