I Can't Get a Protective Style Without Prepping My Hair With These Moisturizing Products
These set me up for success.
I get my hair braided once or twice a year at this point, and while it's always nice to be able to wake up and have one less thing to worry about during my morning routine, braids can wreck havoc on my hair if I'm not careful. Synthetic braiding hair can often contain chemicals that are drying and irritating, meaning that tucking away my ends for a few weeks can sometimes do more harm than good and leave me with a dry, brittle texture and split ends. But I've realized over the years that maintaining healthy hair while it's braided starts before the style is actually installed.
These days, putting a hair appointment on the calendar means that I have to do some prep work at home to ensure my hair isn't in tough shape once I take the braids out. My pre-protective style prep routine often includes detangling my hair to the best of my ability beforehand, washing with a clarifying shampoo so that my hair is free of oil and product buildup, and applying a moisturizing scalp serum to alleviate tension and itchiness.
To check out everything that's in my pre-protective style prep lineup, read ahead.
Tangle-Free
By day four or five after wash day, my hair always feels like it’s brimming with tangles, so before even shampooing, I like to start out by brushing through all the kinks and fairy knots in my hair. I loathe brushing my hair when it’s dry, which is why I tend to rely on pre-wash detangling products like the following.
This is, hands down, one of the best detanglers I’ve ever used. Just one tub of it can last me months, and it has a slippery, jelly formula that coats my hair and makes it unbelievably easy for my brush to glide through the 4B curls. It does leave a bit of a film on the hair, so make sure you’re scrubbing it out thoroughly once it’s time to shampoo.
As a person with a tender head, this is one of my favorite detangling brushes because it painlessly gets through knots and tangles without catching, pulling, or causing breakage. The light, backless design also makes it so easy to clean.
Squeaky Clean
When installing a protective style, you should always start with clean hair that’s free of buildup from products like heavy oils and leave-ins. Most stylists prefer that you show up with squeaky clean hair anyway, so when I want to make sure I’m successfully scrubbing away all dirt and flakes, these are my go-tos.
Everything about this product is simple, and that’s why I like it. A small amount creates a nice, creamy lather and it truly does get rid of every trace of dirt. My only gripe with it is that it can make your scalp feel slightly itchy if you don’t follow up with some kind of light serum (more on that later), so keep that in mind if you decide to test it out.
As a brand, Kinky-Curly has never let me down. I’m a big fan of their leave-in products, but this shampoo makes me feel like I’m truly getting rid of every little piece of buildup, but it’s also so gentle.
Unfortunately, my flaky scalp is the bane of my existence, and it’s something I often like to prioritize when I know that there’s about to be a bit of tension put on it. This shampoo from Cécred features BHAs and tea tree oil, which soothe the scalp and provide a cooling effect while also lifting dirt and flakes off of it without making the hair feel too dry or brittle. I’ve avoided scalp scrubs in the past out of fear that pieces of the scrub would get caught in my curls and be difficult to rinse out, but shockingly, that hasn’t been much of an issue with this scrub.
Good Condition
I usually stick to traditional conditioners when I’m doing my weekly routine, but when I know that my ends are going to be tucked away and shielded by synthetic braiding hair for at least a few weeks at a time, I like to bring out the big guns, aka my always-reliable deep conditioning hair masks.
My colorist used this mask on me while I was getting my roots touched up sometime last year, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. Most deep conditioners and masks require you to wear them for at least twenty minutes to actually see results, and while I take no issue with that, I love a product that allows me to streamline my wash routine without having to add extra time to it. I can leave this mask on for just five minutes in the shower, and my hair is usually noticeably softer and more moisturized once I wash it out.
Another Briogeo favorite of mine is this hair mask that I use when I feel like my hair could use some extra protein. My hair is color-treated, meaning it’s already a lot more prone to damage and dryness, so before getting braids or weaves that’ll prevent me from giving my hair a proper treatment for a while, I like to use this to lock in moisture beforehand.
The main ingredient in this mask is hyaluronic acid (along with aloe vera), and my often-dry hair drinks it up like it’s water. It’s another mask that I don’t have to leave on for very long for me to notice that my hair feels softer to the touch immediately after using.
A Real Treat
Again, my scalp tends to get flaky and irritated very easily (I’m working on it, I promise), so before and after getting braids, I like to make sure I’m treating it with serums and light oils, since a healthy, hydrated scalp is the bare minimum for ensuring I can retain length.
I mentioned before that most braiders would prefer you show up to your appointment with a product-free head, but for me personally, there’s nothing worse than having someone part and put tension on your scalp when it’s dry. In that case, I like to apply this very light serum so that my scalp won’t feel as itchy and irritated mid-appointment.
This is another very light formula that absorbs quickly and doesn’t make my scalp feel wet or like it’s coated in product. It contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin for maintaining scalp barrier health.
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