Why do some hair braiding styles look great while others less so? It’s possible that one person is following a great program for care while the other might be making some unintentional mistakes.  If you have braids yourself, review the mistakes below and be sure that you are not making them so that your own style falls consistently in the “great style” category.

Mistake #1:  Overuse of Two-in-One Hair Care Products

On the surface, it sounds like a good idea to use a shampoo that has a conditioner included.  Unfortunately, these products can be harsh on the hair and lead it to become dry and tangled. Instead, it is better to use a separate shampoo and conditioner that complement each other.  For hair braiding styles, you want to use products that have Panthenol in them to strengthen your hair and protect it from breakage.

Mistake #2: Overuse of Artificial Hair Coloring Products

Overuse of harsh hair coloring products will make your hair become straw-like and more prone to breakage. However, this doesn’t have to happen. If you want to update your style, then seek out gentler hair coloring products with natural hair dye ingredients. Natural hair colorants include henna, chamomile, and black malva flowers.

Mistake #3: Blow Drying Too Much

Hair is fragile, so you must treat it with care. One of the primary causes of hair damage is heat from styling implements. So the best guideline to follow is to only blow dry your hair when necessary. However, if you must blow dry your hair be sure to use a nozzle on the end of the dryer to diffuse the heat. Without it, you might scorch your hair if it touches the dryer’s heat coils.

Mistake #4: Excess Shampooing

Don’t make the mistake of washing your hair too often because that will rob your hair of its natural oils. This will make your hair dry, frizzy and lead to breakage over time. It is sufficient to shampoo every 1-2 weeks with a dry shampoo or one formulated especially for braids.

Mistake #5:  Sleeping with Wet Hair

One of the best ways to prevent hair tangles after you shampoo is to let you hair dry naturally before you go to sleep.  However, if you let your hair dry and then keep it covered with a silk scarf or bonnet while you sleep, then you can protect your hair and help keep it tangle free.

These are just a few mistakes you may be making to keep your hair from looking its best. And even if you are, you can correct these mistakes easily and help ensure that all of your hair braiding styles look as good as possible.