Braiding your hair can be damaging, whether you're just doing it
for a day or going for long-term micro braids. Find out how to
protect your tresses by getting familiar with the most common braid
mistakes to avoid.
Braiding Too Tight
Hair that's prone to breakage should never be braided tight, but
even healthy hair can suffer when it's braided too tight, whether
it's for a day or for weeks. If you do the braiding yourself, make
sure you don't pull on your hair too much or create very strong
tensions as you braid.
Not braiding tight enough can lead to frizz, but when the braids
are very tight you're committing one of the worst hair braid
mistakes. Keep in mind that braided hair is more sensitive to any
factors that can cause breakage.
Excessive Blow Drying
Heat damage is a threat anytime,
but excessive blow drying is especially harmful to braided hair.
Letting braids air dry is the best way to go.
If you absolutely must use a blow drier, have it on the low heat
setting and always use a diffuser nozzle to make sure your hair
isn't exposed to excessive heat. Using other heat styling tools
while your hair is braided is very high on the list of hair braid
mistakes. You'll only see the harmful results when you take out the
braids.
Using a Combination Shampoo and Conditioner
When you wash your braided hair, the fast solution isn't the best
one. Avoid any product that offers a combination of shampoo and
conditioner. Your hair should have regular deep conditioning, but
mixing the two can have bad results.
Use dry shampoo when you need to freshen up and also give leave-in
conditioners a try to keep your tresses looking good and to avoid
subjecting your hair to too much product at the same time, one of
the biggest hair braid mistakes.
Dyeing Your Hair with Harsh Chemicals
Hair braid care should be focused on putting your tresses through
the least amount of stress. Most chemical hair dyes do the exact
opposite. Even if you stay clear of all other braiding mistakes,
don't ever use hair dye while your hair is braided, unless it's a
natural gentle dye.
Taking Out Micro Braids Yourself
When you got the help of a stylist for micro braids, you should go back
to have them taken out. Unless you have very short hair and it
won't take long to remove them, trying to take micro braids out
yourself is one of the biggest hair braid mistakes. You're likely
to damage your hair when you get bored of this time consuming
process.