Listen, I love box braids just as much as the next person. Of all the protective styles out there, I find myself wearing box braids (knotless, to be exact) the most, since installing them means that I can spend a couple of months with an abbreviated morning routine and fewer worries about my hair frizzing up thanks to heat, rain, and humidity. You can’t beat that kind of convenience.
That being said, while box braids help me keep manipulation at an all-time low, having my strands tucked away for weeks at a time can do a number on my hair, and whenever I remove mine, I’m left to deal with a lot of dryness, product buildup, and scalp irritation. Since some protective styles can be a little more damaging than you might think, I’ve limited myself to only wearing box braids once a year, and I’ve worked hard to master a post-protective style routine that focuses on hydration and making sure my hair and scalp stay as healthy as possible.
Ahead, you’ll find my go-to products for reviving my hair after six weeks of being tucked away in box braids.
Scalp Treatments
My scalp gets pretty dry and irritated in general, so whenever I’m coming out of a protective style, I like to make sure I have scalp-specific products on hand for clearing away buildup and soothing irritation.
I’m not kidding when I say that I have about three bottles of this in my bathroom—it’s that good! Braiders typically add a lot of gel to the base of braids when installing them—it makes it easier for them to grip the hair and the get the braid as sleek as possible, but the downside to that is that it causes a lot of product buildup and can clump the hair at the base of the braid together. I use this scalp rinse to gently remove all of that product and loosen the hair to ensure I’m not damaging it once start to I detangle it.
Braids can often cause my scalp to become itchy and irritated. I recently tested out Cécred’s Scalp Refreshing Spray from its new protection collection, and when I say this works, I mean it. Not only can it hydrate the scalp whenever it looks and feels flaky, it also features menthol and peppermint oil, both of which are cooling on the scalp to temporarily resolve all irritation.
This is another product that has a cooling effect on the scalp while also addressing flaking and itchiness. It's on the pricier side, but believe me, it's so worth the splurge.
Hydrating Shampoos
A little-known fact about synthetic braiding hair is that, while it can add a lot of body to braids, it’s also very drying. It’s for this reason that, aside from scalp health, hydration is my main focus when removing protective styles, and that starts with shampooing with a product that can lift the dirt and buildup from my scalp while hydrating and not being too harsh on my hair.
This has been one of my go-to shampoos for the last several months. It lathers and foams up really nicely but it doesn’t dry out my hair, likely because the featured moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane.
Drugstore shampoos don’t get a lot of credit for how good they are. Not only are you getting a lot of bang for your buck with this one since it’s under $10, a small amount goes a very long way, and it cleanses the hair without stripping it.
Masks
Again, focusing on moisture after a protective style is extremely important to me, which is why I like to follow my shampoo with a hydrating hair mask that’ll give my hair a little more of a boost than a traditional conditioner.
Whenever I wash my hair while it’s braided, I typically focus on cleansing my scalp, so after six weeks of my hair being tucked away and not getting a ton of love, my strands are usually pretty dry and brittle. My hairdresser used this deep conditioning mask on me after my most recent stint with braids and I was honestly shocked at the way my hair had transformed. After 20 minutes and a rinse, my hair felt incredibly soft, likely because of the conditioning avocado extract, and my curls, which had been stretched out for weeks, were instantly whipped back into shape.
On top of being curly, my hair is also color-treated, meaning I also have to swap out regular deep conditioners with the occasional bond repair product. This is one of my favorites in the category. It has amazing slip and features proteins that are specifically meant to repair damage from color while also preventing further breakage.
Detanglers
Detangling before shampooing is a must for me, especially after removing a protective style (skipping this step would leave me with a lot of matting that would likely worsen any damage I might have). I’ve stuck to the same detangling hair products for years—these are my tried and true hair helpers.
Any time I’ve dealt with tangles and knots, this jelly-like detangling product gets them right out, and it makes my hairbrush practically glide though my hair like butter. It’s a pre-shampoo product for a reason though (it can make the hair feel like it has a slimy film on it) so just be sure to follow up with a nice cleanse after using.
I’ve tried a million hairbrushes, but this one tops my list of favorites. It features bristles of varying sizes that make detangling and smoothing the hair without damaging it a breeze, but it also features a backless design that takes the hassle out of cleaning the brush.
The thing that sets this brush apart from so many others is that it has super flexible bristles that move with the hair instead of moving against it, so it’s able to remove tangles without pulling the hair, or worse, ripping it and causing further damage.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
