How to Wash Crochet Braids and Make them Last Longer
Everyone wants to have hair that looks gorgeous and majestic, and this is why the hair care and hair styling business is being considered as one of the most profitable businesses today. You don’t have to obsess over taking care of your hair for it to look good all the time. A simple visit to the salon for a bi-weekly trim, purchasing hair care products made especially for your hair type, and taking extra precautionary steps in making sure your hair incurs as little damage as possible are enough to get your tresses healthy.
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If you want to go the extra mile to ensure your hair looks its prettiest all the time, though, there’s always the option to have it styled and/or to have extensions or weaves installed and attached to it. Though this option comes with a price, it’s a good way to get hair that would make you proud to say “I woke up like this.”
What are Crochet Braids?
If you have textured hair, you know that one of the best ways to keep your hair looking fabulous all the time is to get crochet braids added in. You can have your crochet braids done by a professional at the salon or you can do it at home. Here’s a quick and easy-to-follow tutorial to help you through the process.
Before we go any further, though, let’s talk about what crochet braids are. If you’re hearing the words “crochet braids” for the first time, you might get an impression that it’s just another braiding style you can apply to your hair. Well, it’s not.
Crochet braids refer to the method of adding extensions to your natural hair. You start off by doing cornrows on your natural hair and then attaching the extensions to them. It’s just like a regular weave except you don’t sew the hair in. Instead you loop it into the cornrows using a crochet needle, hence the name. Also, the extensions added are loose instead of being on a weft.
Just like extensions and weaves, you will need to wash your crochet braids to maintain them and keep them clean. Here are some of the things you’ll need to do that.
How to Wash Crochet Braids?
What You Will Need
- Applicator bottles with nozzle or spray (x2): If you’re not sure what applicator bottles are, they’re the ones that come with your at-home DIY coloring kits. They usually come with nozzles, but there are some that only come with the plain cap so check it out before you check out. You will need this for deep cleaning your crochet braids. Get one for shampoo and one for conditioner.
- Shampoo: Not a lot of women agree on shampooing crochet braids, but if you’re going for a clean and refreshing wash, you could do it to your hair.
- Conditioner: More women who have had experience with crochet braids recommend using conditioner alone over shampoo then conditioner for regular washing sessions. For deep cleaning washes, though, you can use both.
- Microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt: When drying your hair (natural and crochet braids), you’ll want to use something that’s absorbent and also something that won’t leave any lint behind, so a microfiber towel or a t-shirt made of cotton are your most ideal options.
- Optional: Hair moisturizers, oils, sealing formulas, etc.
How to Do It
Step 1: Preparing your materials
- Lay out everything that you need for washing your crochet braids. This will make it easier for you to finish the task rather than spending time running around and looking for the things you’ll use. Here are the things you need to do:
- Water down the shampoo and conditioner - since you won’t have full access to your hair and scalp, watering down the product is better to ensure that you won’t have as much build up in your hair and scalp. Mix water and shampoo in one bottle and mix conditioner and water in the other.
- Get a clean microfiber cloth or cotton t-shirt to dry your hair with after washing.
Step 2: Shampoo
- Take your bottle with the watered down shampoo solution and spray it directly on the part of your scalp that is visible. These are the spaces in between your cornrows. Do not spray on too much product to avoid build up.
- If you have thick hair, part them a few sections at a time and make sure you get to each and every one of them.
- Immediately rub and massage the scalp with your fingers to work up a lather after spraying your hair with the watered down shampoo.
- Once you’re done, rinse your hair with lukewarm water. Using lukewarm water will help get rid of dirt trapped in your hair more effectively and it can also be beneficial to your hair when it comes to keeping the curls on your synthetic hair set nicely and properly.
Step 3: Conditioner
- Now that you’re done with shampooing your hair, it’s time to bring back the moisture to avoid further damage. Take your bottle with the watered down conditioner solution and start spritzing it on your hair. This time, you don’t need to work it really well into the scalp so just massage it lightly to the cornrows and scalp immediately after spraying.
- Take one manageable section of your crochet braids at a time and spritz some conditioner on them, too! Go from top to bottom and then carefully massage the conditioner into the hair.
- Do an overall rinse (scalp, cornrows, and crochet braids) with lukewarm water.
Step 4: Drying
- Gently squeeze out your hair to get rid of most of the water in it. This is an optional step, but if you have lots of crochet braids on, I would highly recommend doing it since it will help dry your hair a bit faster.
- Wrap the microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt around your hair to absorb the remaining water in your hair. Once it’s no longer dripping wet, you can let your hair down and let it air dry or you can turn your hair dryer on and use the cool setting to help your locks dry faster.
Washing My Crochets and Weekly Moisture Maintenance
Conclusion
Once you’re done washing, you can start putting in all the other products you usually use on your hair like oils, moisturizers, sealing formulas, and what not. Washing crochet braids may take longer than just washing your natural hair, but it’s worth it if you’re after prolonging them and making them more comfortable to wear and keep.
Did you find this tutorial helpful? Let us know if you did by leaving a comment and sharing it to your friends who might benefit from it. We’d love to know, too, if you have an entirely different routine for washing your crochet braids!
