Guide · Pretoria East

Braid care guide

Every braid, from knotless to cornrows, asks the same three things of you: a comfortable install, a simple routine and a careful take-down. This guide covers all three once. Every style guide links here, so you never read the same advice twice.

Book braids

Wear time: 6 to 8 weeks at most, and some styles sooner
Wash: Every 2 to 3 weeks
Take-down: Free unplait, valid 8 weeks
Act on: Pain, stinging, crusts, tenting

In short

Braids should never hurt. Pain, stinging, crusts or tenting mean they are too tight.¹
Wear most styles for 6 to 8 weeks at most, and check your style's guide for its own limit.¹
Take them out slowly, or let us do it: your unplait is free with your braids booking.

On this page

Is your scalp ready?
Tight does not mean longer-lasting
How to make them last
Living in them
Why the take-down matters as much as the install
Words used in this guide
Sources
Keep reading

Is your scalp ready?

Wait, or talk to us first, if:

your scalp is sore, itchy or inflamed
you took a style out in the last few days
you had a chemical treatment in the last one to two weeks²
your hairline feels tender

If you wear tight styles often, give your hair breaks between them. Dermatologists advise switching styles so hair can recover.¹

Transitioning hair needs extra care, because it is weakest where new growth meets relaxed hair.² We may suggest fewer or lighter braids, a shorter length, a different style or a wait. A photo you love starts the conversation. It does not override what is happening at your scalp on the day.

We do not ask whether your hair is 4A, 4B or 4C. Two people with the same type can have different strand thickness, density, scalp sensitivity and history, and those decide how an install is done. Your stylist checks them by hand at the start of every appointment, so arrive as you are.

Tight does not mean longer-lasting

Some people believe braids have to be tight to last. They do not. Tight braids pull hair out, and over time that pulling can cause traction alopecia: hair loss from tension that can become permanent.¹²

How much your scalp feels depends on the weight of the fibre, the length, the size of each braid and how the hairline is sectioned. As a rule, thicker and shorter braids pull less on each root.¹

What is normal

A slight pull for a day or two while the braids settle
New growth at the roots from about week five
A lot of loose hair at take-down

If anything hurts, tell your stylist straight away. We pause and loosen it there and then. If it starts at home, message us on WhatsApp or take the braids out early. Once a month, check your hairline for broken hairs, a receding edge or patches.¹

Tell us, or take them out, if you notice:

Pain or sharp pulling
Stinging or burning
Crusts or small bumps on your scalp, especially at the hairline
Tenting: the scalp pulled up into little peaks at the base of a braid

See a dermatologist if:

You see broken hairs around your forehead, a receding hairline or patches
Symptoms continue after the braids come out¹

How to make them last

A simple routine does more than any product. Let your activity, your products and how your roots feel guide you. These habits are the framework.

Habit	What to do
Scalp moisture	Mist your scalp lightly with a water-based spray every 2 to 3 days. Spray the scalp between the braids, not the braids themselves.
Nights	Cover your hair with a satin bonnet or scarf. Pull your hair back loosely under it.¹
Washing	Wash every 2 to 3 weeks with diluted shampoo worked between the braids. Focus on the scalp, rinse well and dry your roots completely before you sleep or cover your hair.²
Products	Choose light oils and moisturisers. Heavy butters, thick creams, petroleum products and waxy pomades settle on the braids, attract lint and build up.² Oil on its own does not add water, so put it on your scalp and fingertips, not poured over the braids.
Essential oils	Never put undiluted essential oils on your scalp. Natural does not mean non-irritating. Stop anything that burns, swells or itches.²
Dandruff shampoo	Strong commercial dandruff shampoos can strip the scalp.² If you have flaking, ask us what is gentle enough.

How a braided style changes over time

Most braids settle in the first week and look their best in weeks two to four. New growth shows from about week five. The take-down window for most styles is weeks six to eight, and some styles need to come out sooner, so check your style's guide. Treat the limit as the limit, not the target.¹ Past the limit, loose hair and build-up make removal harder, and the risk of breakage and hair loss rises.¹²

Through the Pretoria seasons

Most of Pretoria's rain falls from November to March, often in afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are dry.³⁴ Your routine can follow that.

Dry season, May to September. Dry air pulls moisture from your scalp, and mornings are cold while afternoons warm up. Mist a little more often. Keep your satin covering on for the cold mornings.
Wet season, November to March. If a storm catches you, dry your roots as soon as you can. Sitting with wet roots for long periods can lead to odour and affects how the style sits.
Hot afternoons. Wipe your hairline with a clean cloth when you sweat and let your roots dry fully. Cleanse when sweat or build-up calls for it, not on a calendar.

Living in them

Braids fit around an office day, a gym session and a weekend at the pool. The questions we hear most:

Are they heavy? They can feel heavy for the first few days, and you will notice the weight most at longer lengths. Fibre per braid, braid count and length decide it, not the size label alone. Shorter lengths are lighter. If the weight bothers you in the first week, tell us.¹

Can I run, gym or play sport? Yes. Wear a satin headband at the hairline to manage sweat, and tie your braids up loosely rather than in a tight bun. Keeping braids pulled up all the time adds tension, so let them down when you can.² Let your roots dry fully afterwards.

Can I swim? Yes. Rinse your scalp afterwards and dry your roots completely.

Can I sleep in them? Yes, with a satin bonnet or scarf pulled on loosely.¹

Can I wear them to work? Yes. Braids suit an office without constant restyling.

Why the take-down matters as much as the install

A protective style only protects your hair if it comes out well. Careless removal can damage hair that has been protected for weeks.

Everyone sheds 50 to 100 hairs a day.⁵ In braids those hairs stay trapped, so by week six there is a lot of loose hair inside them. Take your time and it separates cleanly. Rush it and it knots, and knots break.

Taking braids out yourself takes far longer than people expect. If you remove medium braids on your own, it can take four to six hours, because each braid is opened one at a time, and smaller braids take longer.² Many people dread it, put it off and wear the style too long.

What a careful take-down looks like

Cut the extension about 5 to 7 cm below where your own hair ends. Never cut at the root.²
Soften any build-up with conditioner and a little oil.
Open one braid at a time, working up towards the root, and hold the braid so it does not pull.
Clear loose hair and lint as you go, section by section, not at the end.
Wash twice: a clarifying wash first, then a gentle moisturising one. Check your scalp and hairline.²

When to take them out. At 6 to 8 weeks at most, and sooner for some styles.¹ If your hair is fine or soft, aim for the shorter end.² Take them out sooner if you have pain, stinging, crusts, tenting or bumps at the hairline.

Booking it. Add the free unplait at checkout when you book your braids online, then use it within 8 weeks of your install.

Words used in this guide

Extension (or fibre): the synthetic or human hair added to your own hair to make a braid longer and fuller.

Sectioned: divided into small squares or lines of hair, one for each braid.

Strand support and density: how strong each strand is, and how much hair you have in each section.

Relaxed hair: hair straightened with a chemical relaxer. Pressed hair: hair straightened with heat.

Transitioning hair: hair growing out from a relaxer, so it has both relaxed and natural hair.

Clarifying wash: a deep-cleansing shampoo that removes product build-up.

Petroleum products and waxy pomades: heavy, greasy products, such as petroleum jelly, that sit on the hair and attract lint.

Take-down: taking the braids out.

Unplait: to open braids back out into loose hair.

Sources

American Academy of Dermatology, Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss. Updated 6 November 2024.
Diane C. Bailey, Milady Standard Natural Hair Care and Braiding, Cengage Learning, 2014.
Country Studies (US Library of Congress series), South Africa: Climate and Rainfall.
Weather2Travel, Pretoria climate and weather by month, from University of East Anglia and Met Office data.
American Academy of Dermatology, Do you have hair loss or hair shedding?

Keep reading

Ready when you are.

Choose a style, then book online, or ask us a question on WhatsApp.