How to Take Care of Bundled Hair (Protect your investment) Daily Care
Daily care consists of 3 parts - protecting, styling & maintaining.
Protecting - Before you start styling your hair in the morning the very first thing you must do is moisturise. The amount of moisturising you need to do is dependent on how good your night time routine is, the type of virgin hair you have and how old the hair is. Spray your virgin hair with a light moisturiser (you can mix conditioner and water in a spray bottle to make your own). If your night time routine is great and you've followed all the tips below then this should be very easy for you. Spray the hair very lightly and rub in with your fingers, comb through the hair with a wide tooth comb then spray again until the hair is softer. Complete this stage by adding 2 drops of Argan oil or Olive oil (or any oil you prefer) to your palms and rubbing it all over especially on the ends. Make sure this is done before styling your hair - if done well you may not even need to style the hair at all - it just falls into place.
Styling - When styling your virgin hair make sure that you are using the right tools for the job. Try to avoid tough bristle brushes to style your hair as this can scratch the hair cuticle. Once the hair cuticle becomes excessively scratched or damaged the hair will start to clump together, tangle and matte. Virgin hair is less resistant to the scratching of the bristle brush than your real hair is. So if you want to keep the hair strands smooth and silky, avoid the bristle brush. Great alternatives include a paddle brush with coated tips and wide tooth combs.
If you choose to tie your hair up, make sure you avoid using elastic bands. The elastic band is any type of hair's worst nightmare. It grabs the hair and rips it out, even if you are really careful. A great alternative is to use a medium/thick hairband without the metal grip or grips and clips.
Avoid using heat tools without heat protection, especially on the ends. Heat protection has elements that help protect the cuticle when heat is applied. Nothing damages the cuticles quicker than running heat through the hair constantly without any heat protection. And you know what happens when the cuticles are damaged - tangle time! You can bypass using heat tools altogether by using bendy rollers before you sleep to give big beautiful curls. And if you need straight hair, before bringing out the hair straighteners - ask yourself - could a blow dryer and a comb do this? If so - minimise straightening your hair to once or twice a week maximum.
Maintaining - you worry that your hair may not keep its style throughout the day so you carry in your handbag a collection of combs and tools to attack the hair with every 30 minutes without realising. Stop it! Stop brushing it so much, stop running your hands through it all the time just leave it alone and let it look pretty. Remember - virgin hair cuticles are not attached to a scalp so they will not be getting any of the natural oils and nutrients your scalp would normally give your real hair.
Now i'm not saying you should go around looking like a wild animal, if your hair needs taming then do so. Always see if you can sort it out with your fingers first and if not then bring out the brush, but make sure you start from the bottom and work your way up with the brush or comb.
How to Take Care of Your Bundled Hair at Night
For short to medium styles with straight hair:
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Brush out any tangles or knots with a wide tooth comb
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Use a light moisturiser to re-hydrate the hair (Be very light, the product build up can happen very quickly and compromise your style, use this step only as needed)
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Use a moisturiser on the nape and edges of your hair, if you have any hair out, be sure to gently moisturise that as well and try to reach your scalp at least twice a week.
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Wrap the sewn in hair in a circular motion using a large paddle brush around the head and secure with pins if necessary.
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Secure with a silk or satin scarf or tight satin bonnet. *If you have a longer style, wrapping may be cumbersome and large flexi rod rollers to secure the hair may be a better option. They are quick and will not alter the bone straight look, but will give your hair body and protect the style while you sleep.
For All Lengths with Curly Hair
1. Avoid brushing and combing as much as possible - never do more than necessary to protect the curls, use your fingers and a wide tooth comb to remove tangles.
2. Rehydrate the hair with light moisturisers
3. Use either a daily moisturizer nothing too thick or heavy.
4. It is best to maintain curly looks with pin curls using small bobby pins
*If the hair is wavy, you can secure the strands with large dual strand twists, DO NOT PIN WAVY LOOKS.
*If the curls are tight, you should also use large dual strand twists and if the style allows, pin that down as well.
5. These styles should be protected in a loose fitting bonnet. Tying them down with a scarf or tight fitting cap will flatten the curls. Alternatively, consider pinning them up towards the crown of your head and wrapping the scarf around the head, leaving the curls untouched on top.
6. After removing pins or taking down twists, use your fingers to position the hair into the desired style.
7. Use any finishing or holding products you wish to use and Voila! You’re back to beautiful you!