We love serving looks in some silky inches, whether that’s with a weave or colorful wig. Wigs and weaves are such a great way to experiment with your hairstyles (without damaging your natural strands) and are a much healthier alternative to dyeing or chemically relaxing your hair.
If you’re anything like us, when you’ve got a fly new look you take every precaution you can to ensure your new locks stay shiny, clean, and tangle-free. You obsessively brush them and gently wrap your hair in silk every night. However, when it comes to the natural hair that lies underneath, it can be dangerously easy to slack off or simply prioritize caring for your new strands instead of your natural ones. After all, that’s what you and everyone else will be seeing.
Wearing wigs and weaves, as great as they might be, are not an excuse to ignore your natural hair care routine. We all know that slippery slope, how easy it is to get stuck in a vicious cycle of wearing weaves. The more you wear them and neglect your curls and coils, the more you’ll want to wear them in order to cover up or make your natural hair look healthier.
Weaves and wigs are super versatile and a great option for protective styling, but they’re not an excuse to neglect your natural locks. Instead, there are a few easy ways to care for your natural hair so that when you remove a sew-in you can reveal strong, moisturized, and healthy hair.
Armed with a few expert tips and tricks and nourishing formulas like our Black Castor Miracle Hair & Scalp Sealing Oil, get ready to have curls and coils poppin’ no matter what protective style they’ve been in.
The Benefit Of Weaves & Wigs
While we always advocate for embracing your natural curls and coils, we also recognize the incredible benefits of wearing wigs and weaves. In fact, we always recommend going this route in order to protect your natural hair. But protective styling is just that, it’s meant to protect the natural strands and give them the time and space they need to breathe. If you neglect caring for your natural strands then what’s even the point of wearing a protective style?
We don’t mean to make wearing weaves or wigs sound like a chore. Wigs especially allow you to completely switch up your current hairstyle. Whether you want to sport trendy braids, go for a dramatic new color, or rock a new length, wigs give you the freedom to transform your look without damaging your natural hair.
Weaves and wigs alike give your strands a much-needed break from being constantly styled. This gives you the opportunity to nourish your natural locks, resulting in healthier and stronger hair.
How To Care For Natural Hair Under A Wig
Whatever chic wig you’re rocking, there are some essential hair care tips to follow in order to ensure your natural hair gets the most out of this much-needed time out.
Don’t Neglect The Pre-Wig Process
Okay, you’ve got your fabulous new wig and you can’t wait to put it on. We get it. But slow down! Your natural hair will thank you if you follow a few simple steps before slapping on a wig.
First, be sure to wash your natural strands with a hydrating shampoo. Next, deep condition your locks. Reach for a nourishing formula that moisturizes dry hair and leaves it soft and smooth, like our Deep Penetrating Conditioner Moisture Restore Treatment.
This step is especially important since you won’t be able to properly condition your strands for a few weeks. Plus, hydrated hair will ensure strands remain healthy and strong in a protective style.
With clean, dry hair you can begin braiding strands into tight cornrows. Now, you might think this is when it’s time to wig up, but don’t forget that cap! Putting a wig on top of your protective style can result in pulling, breaking, and damage to your natural hair, which hello…defeats the purpose of a protective style. Instead, opt for a satin lined cap to give your natural hair the ultimate protection.
Embrace Wash Day
Just as you shouldn’t neglect pre-wig hair care, don’t completely forget about caring for your natural hair while rocking a protective style! It’s easy (especially with wigs) to skip wash day. After all, nobody is really seeing your natural hair. However, washing your natural hair is about so much more than looks.
This might seem obvious, but washing your natural hair (especially while wearing a wig) is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a healthy scalp and beautiful strands. With all that heat and moisture being trapped under a cap and wig, sweat, dirt, product residue and more gross stuff can build up in the scalp stunting hair growth. This can also increase the risk of dandruff, acne, inflammation, and infection.
So how often should you be washing? Experts recommend every 1-2 weeks depending on your unique hair type and texture. For tips on how to properly wash braids without frizz read some of the best Braid Cleanser Hacks.
Never Take Your Wig to Bed
After a long day we completely get the urge to sleep in your wig. Like washing your face before bed, taking your wig off is a must. Sleeping in your wig will not only cause issues on the wig itself, like knots, tangles, or frizz, but all that tossing and turning will pull at your natural hair underneath.
Nourish Your Edges
With all this talk about natural hair it’s easy to forget about the most delicate part, those beautiful edges! Constant brushing, combing, rubbing, and pulling your edges will cause excessive and possible irreparable damage to your hairline. Before you style your edges or put your natural hair into a protective hairstyle, make sure you’ve given hair the proper time to care and recover.
When putting hair into a protective style it’s best to leave your edges out and nourish them with a hair growth oil, like our Black Castor Miracle Hair & Scalp Sealing Oil.
Similarly, to lay your edges be sure to use a moisturizing smooth edge hair gel. For instance, maintain your hairline’s strength and moisture with our Shea Miracle Silky Edges Anti-Frizz Conditioning Gel and Olive Miracle Super Hold & Smooth Edges pomade.
These are each made with the best natural oils and extracts that will nourish the hair while keeping it shiny and smooth.
How To Care For Natural Hair Under A Weave
While similar to caring for your hair while wearing a wig, there are a few different approaches and techniques to caring for your natural hair while rocking a weave. Whether it’s a sleek bob or Naomi level inches, here are some hair care rules to follow.
Use a Hydrating Shampoo
Just as we recommended while wearing a wig, washing your natural hair in a weave is a simple way to ensure the integrity of your hair. It can be easy when your natural locks are in a protective style to skip wash day. But washing your natural hair is about so much more than how it looks. Not properly cleansing your natural hair can lead to product residue, trapped dirt and sweat which in turn leads to inflammation, dryness, and stunted hair growth.
It’s almost important to give your hair as much moisture as possible, which is why we recommend using a nourishing and restorative formula to help eliminate dryness. Our Moisture Miracle Honey & Coconut Oil Shampoo for example, gently cleanses strands while removing dirt and buildup from hair without stripping it of its natural oils.
Double Up on Conditioner
While it’s recommended to do a penetrating deep conditioning treatment before braiding hair, you can never have enough moisture! While you’re putting your hair into a protective style spritz strands with a lightweight leave-in conditioner to smooth strands and add an extra dose of hydration.
Once hair your weave is installed you can spritz hair with a leave-in conditioner (or a mixture of water and leave-in conditioner) daily. This will not only help tame flyaways and frizz, but helps keep both your natural hair and your weave soft and moisturized.
Detangle Gently
Natural textured hair is super vulnerable to knots and tangles. And as much as we love those lengthy weaves, longer hair results in even more tangles. There are a few specific times when your hair should be detangled, before bed, in the morning, and on wash day. The best approach is to take your time. Using a wide toothed comb gently work your way from ends to roots. Before washing your hair it can be helpful to use a pre-shampoo treatment in order to remove any knots and tangles (plus it gives your hair an extra dose of moisture!)
Seal Hair With Black Castor Miracle Sealing Oil
Hair oils are our favorite way to add moisture, combat dandruff, stimulate hair growth, and seal in moisture. One of the number one products we recommend for sealing in moisture while wearing weaves is our African Pride Black Castor Miracle Hair & Scalp Sealing Oil.
Its nozzle tip ensures application is seamless and helps direct the oil exactly where you want it to go and it’s lightweight blend of oils work for almost every hair type and texture. There are tons of benefits to using Black Castor Oil.
This amazing ingredient is packed full of Vitamin E and fatty acids which help stimulate circulation in the scalp, leading to increased hair growth. Castor oil is also an effective humectant, as it moisturizes and conditions naturally. It locks in moisture and shields strands from dust and dry air, making it ideal for keeping your natural hair and your weave hydrated.
The African Pride Great Hair Guarantee
Making positive, healthy choices for your curls and coils (and your overall well-being) may take slightly more time or effort but that’s why it’s important to use ingredients that work overtime. That’s why we’re committed to creating effective yet affordable natural hair products that make your life a little bit easier. Discover our extensive natural hair care collection and get ready for healthy, fabulous hair!
