Taking good care of African hair is crucial because, even though it looks tough, it’s actually quite fragile. In addition, it can be difficult to maintain and this is why many women go for African hair styling options such as braids and weaves. These are usually long-term hairstyles that are meant to last for weeks and sometimes months. A lot of money is spent on these hairstyles and holding on to the hairstyle for as long as possible is equivalent to ensuring that the money spent stretches as far as possible.
How long a woman keeps her braids or weave in is totally up to her, but at some point, that hair and scalp will need to be cleaned. I’ll not try and speculate how often, if ever, some women clean or wash their braided hair and weaves, but I’d bet it’s anywhere between bi-monthly, monthly or in-between hairstyles.
It’s is up to you, as an individual to decide how often to wash your hair when it has extensions in it. The main concern when it comes to washing your hair is usually maintaining the neatness of the hair style.
By washing it, you may be loosening the extensions and so, the hairstyle will quickly look like it needs to be re-done.
Where to Start
It‘s common knowledge that before you get your hair done, it should be washed thoroughly and given a deep conditioning treatment. A good anti-dandruff shampoo will help keep itchiness and flaking at bay for a longer time than ordinary shampoo.
While Braided or Weaved
As mentioned before, how often you wash your hair while it has extensions in is up to you. But, you should take into consideration the fact that braid sprays and moisturisers for your scalp lead to product build-up, which is usually visible on those with braids as white-ish rings around each individual braid.
If you are someone who likes to keep their extensions in as long as possible, then washing your hair before any product build-up has happened that will be hard to wash out, unless you remove the extensions, is important.
A diluted shampoo and very gentle rubbing can help you remove products, flakes and clean your scalp and hair. Also of very great importance is THOROUGH rinsing. This will, once again, prevent product build-up from the shampoo and ensure that all the dirt you rubbed out is removed.
Personally, I braid my hair every 4 weeks and only wash it when I take out my braids. I’m not very disciplined about braid sprays and so, very little product build-up occurs. I will spray the braids to keep them smelling good, but will avoid the scalp area.
Waterless shampoo options
You could consider the type of dry shampoo available for those with dreadlocks such as Jabu Stone No Rinse Shampoo. Other dry shampoos targeted at Caucasian hair may not be suitable as they need to be brushed through the hair.
Another product to consider for cleaning your scalp and hair could be the Dark and Lovely Braids n Weaves Scalp Wash that requires no water. Read the review to find out how the product works.