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What to Do After Taking Braids Out

Detangle before washing, clarify, deep condition, trim, then rest the hair for at least a week before the next install. Take-down is when most people do the damage that they then blame on the braids, and doing it in the wrong order is the main reason.

That pile of hair is mostly normal

Everyone sheds roughly fifty to a hundred hairs a day. Over six weeks in braids none of them fell out, so they all come out at once at take-down, and the volume is genuinely alarming the first time. Look at the pieces: long strands with a small pale bulb at one end are shed hairs, and that is normal. Short broken fragments with no bulb are breakage, and those tell you the style was too tight, worn too long, or taken down too roughly.

Detangle before water touches it

Wet hair full of six weeks of shed hair mats into something very difficult to recover. Cut off the added length first to reduce bulk, then work through each section dry or lightly damp with a conditioner or oil for slip, from the ends upward, with fingers before combs. Do it in sittings over an evening or two rather than forcing it in one. This step is the whole job.

The wash

Clarify. Weeks of scalp oil, product and gel have accumulated, and a gentle shampoo will not lift it. Wash in sections so the shampoo reaches the scalp everywhere, and rinse for longer than usual. Expect the first wash to feel like it is not enough, and to need a second pass.

Deep condition and assess

A full treatment with heat straight after clarifying. Once the hair is clean and conditioned, you can actually see its state. Do the stretch test on a shed strand to decide whether it wants protein or more moisture, and treat accordingly rather than guessing. Trim any splits, particularly the ends that were carrying the added hair.

Rest before the next style

At least a week, and longer if the hairline looks thinner or the ends look chewed. Going straight from one tight install into another gives the follicles no break and is how gradual traction damage becomes permanent. Wear the hair loose, in low-tension twists, or under a unit that puts no pull on the hairline. Use the rest week for a second deep conditioning treatment.

If the hairline has moved

Look at the temples and the nape honestly, and compare with a photo from before the install. If they are sparser, the next style needs to be lighter, looser and shorter-lived, and adhesive and tight ponytails should come off the table while it recovers.