Hair care after braids

I am currently transitioning (6 months on Saturday!) and I have not used heat during my transition. I have been wearing braids for the past 6 weeks and will be removing them on Friday. How should I care for my hair after I remove the braids? Also, should I wait 2 weeks before applying heat if I want to wear my hair straight?

I had senegalese twists for 2 1/2 months through my 5th & 6th months of transitioning.

make sure that your hair is somewhat knot free (from the braids & if they used braiding hair, it can sometimes get tangled in with the new growth and the ends).

but the most important thing for you to do is probably condition your hair. when i took mine out,i did a hot oil treatment, i slept with my conditioner in and the next day i actually went to the salon (my stylist is natural) and i got my hair pressed and trimmed.

if you use heat, just make sure you're really careful. i knew that i couldn't do it myself because i'm horrible with the flat iron etc. my hair would be fried dyed and laid to the side.

I would recommend that you minimize your heat usage. IMO I wouldn't use any direct heat at all. When I wore weaves during my first year of transitioning I always detangled my hair first, clarified with a baking soda rinse, shampooed, PT(protein treatment), conditioned and styled with shea butter or CD's Healthy Hair Butter. I used PTs because I redid my weaves every 6 wks with at least a week in between installations for rest.

@naturallyme09, thank you for posing this question. I am also transitioning with twist braids, and I have never worn braids before. Is there any maintenance need to do while I am wearing the braids? I have only had them for two weeks (I am 2 months post relaxer), and I am due for my first wash with the braids. I made a spritz of aloe vera juice, tea tree oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, and rosemary oil, and I spritz this on my scalp daily to help soothe it. Is there anything else I need to be doing during this time to ensure that my new growth stays moistured???

TIA

The first website that educated me about growing natural, healthy hair was growafrohairlong.com. The blogger has developed a different techniques that contribute to growing textured hair. Have you ever heard of the crown and glory method? Check out her tips on wearing and maintaining braid extensions.

I will, thanks!