How to Easily Loosen Tight Braids & Relieve a Sore Scalp
I love box braids. They’re a great protective style and they look really nice, too, so I decided to start a series on what you need to know about box braids and how to take care of them. In this tutorial, I’m going to talk about how you can loosen tight braids.
Usually, when you ask for advice on what to do when your braids are too tight, you’ll just get told to braid them looser, but they’re already in your head and they’re already too tight.
Sometimes even if the braider braids them just right, you still feel discomfort because you suffer from a sensitive scalp as I do. Fortunately, I’m going to go give you my number one overnight tip on how to loosen tight braids.
Don’t worry: this trick won’t unravel anything. It will just loosen the tension on your scalp and make you feel so much better. Let’s get started!
Tools and materials:
- Conditioner
- Peppermint oil
- Tea tree oil
- Warm water
- Spray bottle
1. Add warm water to a spray bottle
The first thing you want to do is add warm water to a spray bottle. I usually use mineral or boiled water, because this water is going to stay in our hair and on our scalp, so we don’t want the extra chemicals from tap water to build up in our hair.
I recommend around 8 fl oz of water that’s warm enough to wash greasy hair, but not too hot that it’ll burn or irritate your scalp.
2. Add conditioner
Then, take your favorite affordable conditioner and add about a tablespoon to the bottle. The conditioner is going to help loosen tight braids and moisturize your hair at the same time.
The warm water is going to help it dissolve easily, so shake it up until it’s evenly distributed.
3. Add essential oils
Finally, add some tea tree oil and peppermint oil. If you only have one or the other, that’s fine, but I prefer to add both. All you need is about nine drops of each.
The essential oils give a tingling sensation and fresh feeling to your scalp that I just love. Give it a good shake and that’s the solution that’s going to help you loosen tight braids.
4. Section your hair
If it’s the first or second day after you braid your hair, your braids might be too tight to section, so move your hair however is comfortable. Otherwise, I recommend sectioning your hair into four sections.
5. Spray the solution
Spray a generous amount onto your scalp, making sure to avoid your hair as you don’t want a buildup of product on your hair.
6. Gently wipe the solution into your scalp
Wipe down in the direction of your hair to evenly distribute. Don’t rub as that’ll cause unwanted frizz. Do steps 5 and 6 all over your hair.
7. Massage it in
When you’re done applying the solution, gently massage your scalp for 4-5 minutes. Go slow and don’t rub vigorously. This should be very relaxing and this is the key to loosening up your scalp.
You’ll know you’re done when your scalp starts tingling from the essential oils and your hair will feel nice and fresh.
How to loosen tight braids
10 minutes later and your hair should feel so, so much better! I hope you guys learned some useful tips from this tutorial and that it works for you.
This is definitely something I wish someone had told me when I first started wearing braids and it’s such an easy way to relieve tension on your scalp. Let me know what you think!
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