How I Prep & Maintain Box Braids!

Hey Everyone! This post is about how I maintain my box braids. I planned to keep them in for about a month so before I installed the braids I made sure my hair was clarified and moisturized because I wouldn't be touching my hair for about 4 weeks so it's very essential to make sure your hair is in a good state before doing a protective style.

While I was out in London, box braids SAVED my life during my trip. I believed it was the best decision for my hair at the time. I didn't want to go to another country worrying about styling, refreshing and moisturizing my hair everyday. 

I got my hair down by a stylist near me. It took about 6 hours and 10 packs of synthetic kinky hair. There were 54 braids in total. Heres how I maintained by braids for three weeks during my time in London. 

Here are my steps for prepping your hair before a protective style:

To prep my hair before the style. I clarified by hair with the Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 7-in-1 Shampoo to make sure my hair was fully cleansed and had no buildup since I wouldn't be touching my hair for 3 weeks. I also conditioned with the Aussie Moist Conditioner which provided a lot of moisture and slip to my hair for detangling. After conditioning, I used the Eden Bodyworks Jojoba Natural Deep Conditioner to give my hair extra moisture. Like I said before, I'm not touching my hair for 3 weeks so you have to make sure its fully cleansed and moisturized. 

Next, I used the Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In Conditioner  as my leave in and regular olive oil to seal in the moisture. You can really use any moisturizing oil and leave in that suits your hair's needs. Other great oils to use are coconut oil, almond oil and jojoba oil. 

So after about a week for having my braids, I refreshed them using the Garnier Fruits Hello Hydration Shampoo & Conditioner.  I used the conditioner more often than the shampoo. 

To clarify, I mixed the shampoo with water and sprayed it all over my scalped and massaged my head. Then went into the shower to rinse it out. Make sure to have a towel and ring the water out of the braids because the water will be trapped in the braids and feel extremely heavy. 

To condition, I mix water with the conditioner and sprayed it all over my scalp & down the braid where my hair was braided into making sure you condition all parts. 

After I conditioned, I took some olive oil and massaged it all over my scalp and down the braid making sure my hair was properly moisturized. I used a squeezing motion on the braids making sure it was fully saturized.

That's all I did to maintain my braids for three weeks! It wasn't hard at all and I saw some growth in that time span. Box braids are a good protective style to start out with, it was also my first time having braids in too. What are your favorite protective styles? Are there any products you use to maintain them? Let me know!

xo, Ash