How to Care for Your Braids, Locs & Co

Protective styles are more present than ever and are shown in so many wonderful variations. Right now, actress Halle Bailey is wearing her red locs in Disney's remake of "The Little Mermaid".

Protective styles originated on the African continent. Different styles showed which group you belonged to and what position you held within it. Even back then they were an important expression of identity. For actress Halle Bailey, too, her locs are an important part of who she is; she has worn the hairstyle since she was five years old. Meagan Good wears cool goddess locs in the series Harlem, and in the indie film "Rye Lane" lead actress Vivian Oparah shows how effortless protective styles can look.

High time for a few tips on caring for braids, locs and co.

Scalp: cleanse and care

We recommend regularly using a mild shampoo that leaves no residue and removes any product build up. Our liquid shampoo is perfect for this. It is enough to apply the shampoo to your scalp; when you rinse, it automatically runs down the lengths.

If your scalp feels itchy, an acidic rinse can be soothing. Mix at least 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar with 1 litre of water and pour it over your wet scalp in the shower.

Refresh: DIY with tea tree oil and lavender

Between wash days you can refresh with this DIY mix: combine distilled water with a few drops of refreshing essential oils (e.g. mint, tea tree, lavender, rosemary) and spray it on with a spray bottle. A real fresh kick that smells wonderful.

For a stressed, dry feeling scalp, it can help to regularly massage our hair oil into your scalp with warm water. Take your time massaging it in, as this helps your scalp absorb the oil.

Lengths: be gentle

After washing, our rich conditioner provides gentle care. It works best diluted with water and sprayed from the roots to the lengths.

If needed, you can then, or in between, spray on our  

leave-in , also diluted with water, for protection from external influences.

To keep your protective style intact for as long as possible, it is best to keep friction to a minimum. You can do this, for example, by letting your hair air dry or by using an old T-shirt or microfibre towel to dry it.

At night, protect your style with a satin bonnet or scarf and/or a satin pillowcase.

Extra tips from our Nana

If you are prone to dandruff, we recommend not wearing braids and twists for longer than four to seven weeks.

And for protective styles without extensions, you can apply our leave-in directly to damp ends. This keeps your ends nourished and helps protect them from breakage and dryness.