How To Loosen Tight Braids Effortlessly

Braids! As beautiful as they look, the pain beneath it all is astounding. But don’t fret because there are a few tips and tricks on how to loosen tight braids effortlessly one can use to reduce/stop the pain.

I terribly love box braids, it’s one of my go-to hairstyles anytime, any day. But lately, I’ve been gravitating towards braided wigs and even learnt how to make my own braided wigs and how to care for braided wigs as well.

[bctt tweet=”The braided wig life is the new cool. However trust me when I say there’s no braided wig that can be compared to the real deal and so even with my little braided wig collection, I still dump them all and go to my braider for some good ol’ box braids. Want to know why? click to read #boxbraids #giftcollins” username=”gyifted”]

Most times it isn’t until I leave the salon and start walking back home with my neck outstretched like a peacock that I remember why I gravitated towards braided wigs in the first place. Let me not even talk about trying to sleep with freshly made braids.

The pain is out of this world. But as the saying goes, if you love something you will find a way to make it work. Hence I started figuring out how to loosen/relieve tight box braids. The first few attempts were not really successful. I ended up pulling up all the root beneath the braids all in the name of loosening it up but after a few more practice I eventually got the hang of it.

[bctt tweet=”Most times it isn’t until I leave the salon and start walking back home with my neck outstretched like a peacock that I remember why I gravitated towards braided wigs in the first place. Let me not even talk about trying to sleep with freshly made braids. The pain is out of this world guys. #boxbraids #giftcollins” username=”gyifted”]

I Felt Victorious!

Now I happily indulge in braiding my hair at almost every appointment I make to my stylist and even though I still walk back home from the salon with outstretched neck, I happily strut like a peacock while mocking the pain from braiding my hair because I am confident that once I apply my how to loosen tight braids tricks, I will be pain-free and stress free! And can thus flip and turn and style my box braids anyway I want rather than wait for the customary 5-10 days to let the pain go before attempting different box braids packing styles.

[bctt tweet=”Amazing tips on how to instantly relieve tight braids from hurting you or depriving you of your sleep. Click to read #boxbraids #giftcollins” username=”gyifted”]

These tips are quick and easy. They cost almost nothing as you most likely have all that’s needed sitting somewhere on your shelf. If you follow this tips, you are certain to have pain-free braids within 12-36 hours after braiding.

Choose Your Stylist Carefully

I bet you didn’t see this tip coming. But if you’ve got to deal with an issue, it’s best you start right from the foundation. As much as some ladies don’t consider it necessary to stick to one hair stylist, when it comes to braided hair, I strongly advice you take your time out to choose a good stylist and stick with him or her. You might not understand the importance of this but some stylist plait pain along with the braids when making your hair. Their hands are naturally painful.

No disrespect but if a lady from Western Nigeria braids your hair, the pain level will be on 10/10 as they are well known for extremely tight braids. This is good though because the tighter you braids, the longer it lasts but trusts me when I say some others will make tight braids without it necessarily being “tight”. My top recommendations for choosing a hair stylist for your braided hair will be to go with a Cameroonian or Hausa braider. They are well-known for plaiting beautiful and pain-free braids.

How to loosen tight box braids, If It Hurts Right From The Start, Speak Up

The title speaks for itself. If your stylist has just begun making your braids and you feel it’s pretty tight, listen to me sister girl, don’t keep mute, speak the hell up. It’s your right. You paid for it and should not fear to tell your stylist to loosen up or take it easy. Howbeit try to be polite about it. A simple ” please your hands are too tight or the hair is really paining me, so take it easy” can save you from a dozen tosses and turns later that night because you can’t sleep due to the pain. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Massage With Hot Or Cold Water

I bet most people don’t know why some stylist apply hot water to their freshly braided hair. Well, permit me to tell you it’s a trick and a mighty good one at that!. Because of what attachments are made of, heat causes it to become more elastic. That’s why stylists apply hot water to the tip of your braided hair to make it reduce in weight and make it relax. Applying hot water to the root of the braided hair is a straight forward way on how to loosen tight braids as it causes the hold at the root to relax as well.

Always ensure your stylist is using a towel to apply the hot water method. For the love of God, don’t allow any stylist who decides to show off their hot water pouring skills on your hair. It is dangerous! Anything could go wrong and you will have scalding hot water all over your body. ALWAYS insist they apply with a towel and tell them to massage the roots with the towel as well.

If you cannot stand the thought of having hot water close to your hair/scalp then opt for cold water. I don’t mean room temperature water, I mean cold water. Let your stylist soak a towel in it and massage the roots of your braids and scalp with it. This gives instant relief and you can always repeat the process when you arrive home.

Apply Heat To Relieve Tight Braids

After the step above, your hair will be damp and it’s best to apply heat to dry your braided hair as wet braids usually feel heavier. So tell your stylist to let you sit in a stem dryer or use a hand dryer to dry it up. The extra heat will also help make the attachment more elastic and hence loosen up the tight braids. You can also skip this step at the salon and do it in the comfort of your home if you have a hand-held hair dryer.

Loosen Up The Roots With A Bobby Pin

This works like magic! But it also happens to be the difficult tip on this list. Well, nothing good comes easy!. A lot of people will advise you to use a pencil or an object with a sharp edge. I totally advise against this. I’ve tried that method several times and only ended up with a mess of loosened hair that ended up making my braids look old in no time. Instead, I advise you to use a Bobby pin. And rather than pricking and pulling as most people suggest, I suggest something completely different.

Here’s how to loosen tight box braids using a Bobby pin.

• Press the Bobby pin at the middle to make both tips touch.
• Next, slide it into the root of the hair. Very close to your scalp.
• Now, this is the difficult part. Don’t pull the Bobby pin rather slide it back and forth as if you are trying to scratch your hair with it but this time you are not using the tip of the Bobby pin, you are using the body.
• Continue to slide it back and forth through the root of your braided hair. Do this for 3-4 times then gently slide out the Bobby pin.
• Repeat this process for the rest of the braids. To make this faster, you can get more Bobby pins and teach those around you how to do it.

The essence of using the sliding method instead of the pulling method is that it doesn’t pull out hair strands as the pulling method does. Plus it helps loosen and relieve tight braids faster.

Apply Ice Cubes To Loosen Tight Braids

Wrap up a bunch of ice cubes in a not so thick towel and press down on your scalp. Ice is very good for soothing pain and this is one surefire way to relief and soothe tight braids.

Apply Refrigerated Leave-In Conditioner

We are definitely not done with the cold treatment. Leave in conditioners help soften the hair. Put your leave in conditioner in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes maximum and then apply to the roots or your braids/scalp. The cooling sensation will immediately soothe your scalp and relieve the pain.

How To Loosen Tight Braids By Pating It Down

This step is pretty easy and it is very effective in relieving pain from tight braids. Simply place your palms on the braids and gently pat it down.

Girl, If It Hurts So Bad, Take An Advil, It Doesn’t Kill.

Not everyone is cut out for such pain. A short cut will be to take a pain reliever as soon as your return home from the salon. However, this isn’t very effective because once the drug starts to wear out, the pain will most likely be more pronounced. But if you honestly can’t stand it. Just pop an Advil and drink. It saves time and energy but this will be my last resort instead of my first. I advise you to adopt pain relievers as the last resort as well.

Wear It Up The Next Day

I know you are already thinking “is she crazy for suggesting this”. Maybe I am! Well, I believe in facing my battles headlong and after doing some of the above mentioned on how to loosen tight braids, I like to pack up the hair. Howbeit not too tight. More like a loose packing. Now the thing about this is because you have followed the aforementioned tips, packing your freshly braided hair won’t hurt like a death sentence. Rather it will tingle a bit. This will help on how to unstiffen box braids.

Grab A Cone Of Ice Cream

Okay I know I’m just being extra but there’s absolutely nothing a sweet tooth can’t solve and what better way to indulge than a large cone of ice cream preferably from cold stones creamery or sweet tooth confectionery (my two favourite ice-cream joints).

If you are reading this post you are probably about to make braids or you just made one. If you found this post helpful don’t forget to let me know in the comment section and share this post with your friends. Have you had any stories to tell from your experience with tight painful braids? Please share, I Love to read similar stories.

Also let me know if you want me to do a post on how to sleep peacefully with freshly made tight braids. Don’t forget to subscribe in the box below to get helpful tips like this straight in your inbox.

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