Latest / The Tight Curls Project / Braids Care: Scalp Love

Transcript

Braids Care: Scalp Love · The Tight Curls Project

• 0:07
  Welcome to the Tight Curls Project podcast.
• 0:09
  I'm Shadia, and in this episode, we're kicking off a three-part series on braid care.
• 0:15
  If you've ever wondered, how do I protect my edges when I get braids?
• 0:19
  Or why does my scalp itch like crazy after a fresh install?
• 0:23
  Is that news about synthetic braiding hair being harmful legit?
• 0:27
  You're not alone.
• 0:29
  I've had the same questions and more.
• 0:31
  And honestly, when I tried to find answers online,
• 0:34
  What I got was a mix of conflicting advice with sometimes no real explanation to support it.
• 0:39
  So I did what I do best, went deep into the science.
• 0:43
  My background as a bioengineer and scientific researcher for 20 years has taught me how to dig into the why behind things.
• 0:50
  And I'm passionate about applying this to haircare, especially for tightly curled textures like mine and yours.
• 0:56
  This series is about bringing you clear, science-based and practical solutions you can actually use.
• 1:03
  Today in part one, we're getting to the root of the matter, literally.
• 1:06
  We're talking about the scalp.
• 1:09
  Why it's so important?
• 1:11
  What common issues pop up when you're wearing braids?
• 1:13
  And what you can do to keep your scalp healthy before, during, and after a protective style.
• 1:19
  Why scalp health matters?
• 1:21
  So scalp is really important and really there is some science behind it.
• 1:26
  And I think most of our hair goals depend on us having a healthy scalp so we can have healthy hair.
• 1:31
  Your scalp is living skin on the head and it's the foundation for hair growth.
• 1:36
  So basically it functions to protect your head from UV rays and also from microbes.
• 1:42
  It's a barrier of the skin on your head.
• 1:45
  It also hosts your hair follicles, which are little factories, individual factories that have the nutrients and the blood vessels and the circulation to grow hair.
• 1:55
  So each is producing a single hair at a time.
• 1:58
  So.
• 1:58
  uh
• 1:59
  really important part of this is the microbiome.
• 2:02
  And the microbiome is a mix of bacteria and fungi that help maintain balance and protect against harmful microbes.
• 2:09
  So we have a mixture of good and bad.
• 2:11
  Sometimes when you hear bacteria, you think bad or fungus, like, no thank you, but you really need a mix of it.
• 2:16
  Just like we have a gut microbiome, maybe you've heard of that.
• 2:19
  uh We have this ecosystem that keeps things in balance and keeps the bad things lower out and the good things high enough.
• 2:27
  So.
• 2:28
  That's part of the ecosystem of the scalp.
• 2:30
  And I mentioned the follicles, that's where the hair grows.
• 2:33
  And within the follicle, you have the ability to produce sebum.
• 2:37
  Each follicle has this ability to produce sebum, which is our natural oily mixture.
• 2:41
  And it's amazing because it's produced and it's a mix of fatty acids, waxes, oils, that is a natural protectant and lubricant for your scalp and also your hair.
• 2:54
  So it comes...
• 2:56
  as part of the scalp and it really also keeps bad things out and keeps the water in.
• 3:00
  And then it can travel down your hair shaft to provide conditioning and really protect your hair from friction, from the environment and also keep the water in your hair and
• 3:09
  give it suppleness and flexibility.
• 3:12
  Something interesting with tightly curled hair is that the C-bum doesn't travel as freely down the shaft of the hair because our hair is curly.
• 3:20
  So sometimes,
• 3:22
  adding additional oils, well, let's say, let's be real, often adding additional oils and lubricants are helpful because they provide some of the function that our natural sebum is
• 3:31
  not carrying out because it doesn't travel all the way down the really windy road of our curly hair.
• 3:38
  So sebum is very important as well in the ecosystem.
• 3:41
  And then lastly, a thing that's very important is hydration.
• 3:45
  So hydration is the ability to keep the right amount of water in the scalp.
• 3:50
  And that's critical for scalp health.
• 3:52
  You don't want too much water sitting close to your scalp, because that's a breeding ground for the microbiome to get out of balance.
• 3:59
  But you want to have water there, because we don't want the skin to be dry.
• 4:02
  And we also want to ensure that we're having a really balanced environment.
• 4:07
  So all of these play a role in a healthy head of hair.
• 4:11
  Healthy scalp is foundational for healthy hair.
• 4:14
  So damage or an imbalanced scalp can actually impact our hair.
• 4:18
  It can lead to slower hair growth.
• 4:20
  and interrupt the hair growth cycle, it could weaken the hair, and it can lead to potentially long-term hair loss.
• 4:27
  So we need a healthy ground for the hair follicles to live in, because they're doing so much work to produce this hair fiber.
• 4:35
  And anything that damages the scalp can damage the quality of the hair and the rate of growth of the hair.
• 4:43
  So now that we know that, let's look at some common issues where braiding can intersect with the scalp.
• 4:49
  So the first is when our braids are too tight right away.
• 4:53
  So we get our hair braided within hours, within a day, we notice that there's a lot of tenderness and redness and maybe raised bumps along that perimeter on the edges.
• 5:03
  We're gonna have a whole episode on edges, but we know that's part of the scalp, uh somewhere else on your head.
• 5:09
  And that can be really painful and it also can be itchy.
• 5:14
  I've seen countless posts on Reddit, people saying, hey, are my braids too tight?
• 5:18
  And it breaks my heart because you spend all that time and money and sometimes they are too tight.
• 5:25
  Like you can feel the pain and it's sad because it is an investment.
• 5:29
  However, what can happen is this tension can stress the hair follicles that disrupts the growth.
• 5:35
  And over time, this tension or pulling the traction that's pulling the hair follicles from the scalp.
• 5:41
  and changing the inflammation and the balance in the scalp, uh that can actually lead to temporary or permanent hair loss.
• 5:49
  So we're gonna talk more about that with edges, particularly, because they're very vulnerable.
• 5:53
  But even in the middle of our head, if it's too tight, that is damaging.
• 5:57
  That's the sign that we're getting with the pain.
• 6:00
  So what can you do about it?
• 6:02
  Well, to lessen some of the discomfort, you can rinse your head under cool or lukewarm water and gently massage.
• 6:09
  And that can help with the inflammation and discomfort, but it won't loosen the braids.
• 6:14
  Yeah, I'm sorry.
• 6:15
  That's just what it is.
• 6:17
  You can also try to adjust the tightest sections.
• 6:20
  I don't know about you.
• 6:21
  I have crochet braids in now.
• 6:23
  And last time mine were so tight, like it was hard to blink.
• 6:27
  Like I was feeling it.
• 6:28
  And I'm someone who knows, but it's sometimes hard in the moment because we know braiders like to braid tight, but what is too tight?
• 6:34
  And when I, at the nape of my neck, it was too tight.
• 6:37
  So I had them loosen.
• 6:38
  braids ah and redo it because it was just too tight.
• 6:42
  That's easier to do often if you have single individual braids, but sometimes that's possible.
• 6:47
  You might have to take it out so you can go back and get them to redo it.
• 6:50
  And that's a thing that uh happens frequently.
• 6:53
  So don't be afraid to ask.
• 6:55
  Another thing that you can do, which no one likes, which was already said is to take out the braids.
• 7:00
  Okay.
• 7:01
  Don't be mad at me.
• 7:02
  I know no one wants to do it, but that's just sometimes necessary.
• 7:05
  Your future self will thank you.
• 7:08
  Okay, so now we've covered tight braids, the obvious, obvious because it's super painful.
• 7:11
  But another issue that I've heard a lot is immediate itching after getting braids.
• 7:16
  So if your braids are itching that same day, the next day, would say maybe the next 36, 48 hours, and you're getting things like redness or bumps, or maybe you're getting painful
• 7:28
  bumps, mild swelling, and it's right after the braiding, it's likely contact dermatitis.
• 7:34
  And this is having a reaction, your skin is having a reaction to an irritant that is on it or something you're allergic to.
• 7:41
  It might be allergy or it might just be something, an ingredient um that is known to be irritating.
• 7:47
  And this is something that um is not unusual.
• 7:51
  So the biggest irritant is really the coatings that are on the synthetic hair, the Kanekalon hair.
• 7:57
  So this care is coated with alkaline.
• 8:01
  Basically, alkaline meaning a high pH coating.
• 8:03
  And why they do that is so in the packaging, in the shipping, there'll be mold resistance because we don't want mold to grow on our hair.
• 8:10
  Obviously, we don't want that.
• 8:11
  So they cover it with this alkaline coating, but it's a high pH.
• 8:16
  And our scalp is a lower pH.
• 8:18
  So take it back to chemistry, know, basic alkaline, acidic is the scalp.
• 8:23
  And so a scalp is four and half to five and a half pH.
• 8:27
  And it's not something that our scalp sometimes likes.
• 8:30
  Some people aren't sensitive to this, but you might be if you're having itchy scalp.
• 8:34
  There are other coatings as well.
• 8:36
  So I'm saying this because alkaline is the one I read the most about.
• 8:40
  There's a lot more acknowledgement of that being an issue.
• 8:44
  And often the remedy is apple cider vinegar rinse when you're preparing the hair.
• 8:48
  So that's what people are trying to lower the pH with apple cider vinegar.
• 8:52
  But there are other components that can be on the hair that cause issue.
• 8:56
  So it could be the color or the dyes and the pigments in hair.
• 8:59
  Also, there are heat resistant or smoothing coatings on some types of hair, which can have resins or silicones in them, which can be irritating.
• 9:08
  And then also anti-static or softening agents for the hand feel, the texture of the hair to keep it from having a lot of static when you're wearing it.
• 9:16
  That can be irritating.
• 9:17
  So it could be a number of coatings that are on the hair that could cause irritation.
• 9:22
  Another thing that we're adding to our scalp that changes our environment is braiding gels or waxes.
• 9:27
  And they can include typically a braiding gel will have polymers and that's like really what's holding the hair in place and they're strong.
• 9:34
  And people can have irritation to that as well as the alcohols, not all have alcohols, but for quick drying, some products have that.
• 9:41
  One thing that is more likely the culprit and the braiding gel are the preservatives or fragrance.
• 9:46
  A lot of people have sensitivity to both of these.
• 9:49
  So if.
• 9:50
  If it's the braiding gel or the hair, the solution once the hair is in is basically the same.
• 9:55
  And this is to wash your scalp and braids thoroughly with a gentle shampoo.
• 10:00
  And that's to remove the residues from the hair and gel.
• 10:03
  Water probably will not be enough.
• 10:05
  And we're gonna go through what washing braids looks like later, but I just wanna put this here as that's the best solution when that happens.
• 10:12
  If it's just one area, of course you could try to spot clean it under scalp.
• 10:17
  and use maybe a micelle water to remove that area of irritation or a braid treatment for your scalp.
• 10:24
  But the likelihood is it's not just one area and there's no way to get it out unless you actually wash your hair.
• 10:31
  Also, let's avoid scratching because when you itch and you scratch, you disrupt the skin surface.
• 10:39
  There other things we can do when this happens like using a cool compress or an anti-itch spray.
• 10:44
  Okay, so moving on from the really itchy scalp straight after getting braids.
• 10:48
  SU3 is different source, still itching, but having persistent itching or periodic frequent itching weeks after we get these braids.
• 10:57
  So say we're in week three or four or five or six and we're getting a lot of itching.
• 11:03
  And sometimes that seems just itching by itself, but it can come with redness or flaking or a lot of dandruff, big oily flakes on our scalp.
• 11:11
  Maybe we scratch our scalp and we get buildup under our nails.
• 11:14
  These are all signs that there is buildup that needs to be removed.
• 11:19
  And the buildup of sweat, oils and dead skin or styling products, they can disrupt the scalp balance.
• 11:25
  And this is something that happens if we do not wash our hair frequently enough to remove those and restore the balance to our scalp.
• 11:33
  So when our scalp is really itchy, maybe we've been told to use oil on our scalps to soothe our scalp if it's dry.
• 11:40
  That can be helpful, but also that can be problematic.
• 11:43
  Maybe you have dandruff and have heard that oiling your scalp actually feeds the dandruff.
• 11:49
  It can be very confusing.
• 11:50
  Like, should I oil, should I not oil?
• 11:53
  What's going on here?
• 11:55
  Let's go deeper on this.
• 11:56
  And because I think it will help us generally, but also with braids specifically, because that is a time when people frequently use oil to try to alleviate the itching.
• 12:05
  So here's the truth.
• 12:07
  It's not about oiling or not oiling.
• 12:09
  It's about the type of oil and how you use it.
• 12:12
  So certain oils do serve as a food source for dandruff.
• 12:17
  And that is because they are feeding the yeast that is responsible for dandruff.
• 12:22
  There's a certain species that are responsible for dandruff.
• 12:25
  And when they're out of balance, that's when you get the symptoms like a really flaky scalp that's oily and it's persistent.
• 12:31
  And it's not tiny flakes, but they're large and it can also be quite itchy.
• 12:36
  What is happening is that certain oils have high levels of free fatty acids that are the perfect food for this type of yeast in your microbiome.
• 12:46
  And they love that and they go to town on it and they proliferate, they grow, you have uh overgrowth of yeast.
• 12:53
  That said, it's only certain type of oils that do this.
• 12:56
  So the other issue with oils is we're putting too much on or specifically when we're putting on too much of thick oils like mineral oil, petroleum jelly,
• 13:05
  or heavy shea butter.
• 13:08
  These trap sweat, debris, and moisture, and they can create a humid environment that favors yeast and which can irritate the scalp because again, your microbiome will be out
• 13:17
  of whack.
• 13:18
  So putting on these on top of a scalp, especially when it's already irritated, is not really doing the hydration or restoring balance like we might hope.
• 13:27
  They might give an immediate sense of, okay, there's something on my scalp, but really they're trapping.
• 13:34
  the things we don't want to be there onto our scalp and making it harder for the ecosystem to keep a healthy balance.
• 13:42
  Lastly, when it comes to oils, essential oils are irritating to a lot of people.
• 13:46
  So things like peppermint oil, tea tree oil, lavender, they are always intended to be diluted with a carrier oil.
• 13:53
  So something that's not essential oil and scented, but some people have sensitivities to them.
• 13:59
  And a lot of scalp treatments have a tingling sensation with...
• 14:02
  peppermint, I have a lot of these essential oils.
• 14:05
  But if you don't know, if you have a sensitivity, that might be a place to start because that could definitely cause irritation.
• 14:12
  So overall, we wanna use light oils, the right oils sparingly.
• 14:18
  And light oils that are great for the scalp include jojoba oil, grape seed oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil.
• 14:25
  And that is something that can be put on with our fingertips lightly.
• 14:29
  I like to do this with my crochet braids.
• 14:32
  after washing.
• 14:34
  And I actually think it's easier to put on oil on my scalp because I can part the sections and apply the oil and massage it and make sure it gets under the cornrows and on my scalp.
• 14:44
  And these are oils that are great to put on after you take a shower, just like you put lotion on your body after you get out of the shower to get the most amount of moisture
• 14:54
  locked in.
• 14:55
  That's what these oils do when we put them on our scalp when it's wet and can really get that protective layer.
• 15:00
  So the oil is
• 15:02
  restoring the balance to our scalp after we washed it, removed all of the excess oil and some of the natural sebum, we're bringing that back in.
• 15:10
  And again, I love jojoba oil because it's close to the composition of sebum.
• 15:15
  Nothing's just like sebum, but it's close.
• 15:17
  So that is my preferable oil.
• 15:22
  So let's go on to what we need to be doing.
• 15:26
  Oh, the controversial washing hair.
• 15:29
  I've talked to several people in preparing for this episode.
• 15:32
  I like to wash my hair in braids because there's easy access.
• 15:37
  I can get with the shampoo in a nozzle, I can easily get to the braids, wash it, slightly condition it and dry it and keep it moving.
• 15:46
  I don't have to section, I don't have to detangle.
• 15:48
  For me, because I know how important water is for our scalp and our hair, and I, you know, I'm someone who will push back the regular wash day if I'm feeling tired, because for me,
• 15:58
  it's a lot of work.
• 15:58
  So...
• 15:59
  Having my hair in crochet braids or in any kind of braids is really easy for washing.
• 16:04
  And I often get braids because I like to go to the beach and I like to swim.
• 16:08
  I know not everybody feels that way.
• 16:10
  We want to keep our braids looking fresh, especially if we have a lot of braid gel and it's laid down really nicely, or maybe it's cornrows or, you know, feed-in braids.
• 16:19
  I get that.
• 16:20
  But if you're going to be wearing braids for an extended period of time, more than three weeks,
• 16:25
  It is recommended because our scalp needs that refresh, that reset.
• 16:29
  And then also, we're going to talk about this later, it has an impact on our hair health as well.
• 16:33
  So if we want to protect against breakage and want the style to be truly protective, it's great to wash our braids.
• 16:40
  I know.
• 16:42
  Let me know how you feel.
• 16:43
  I'm curious what people are doing.
• 16:44
  I'm going to share one method, but if you have other methods, I'd love to hear what's worked for people.
• 16:50
  So I get it.
• 16:51
  But it's good for your hair, your scalp will thank you later.
• 16:55
  Washing your scalp regularly every two weeks with a gentle shampoo, hydrating shampoo to remove the buildup and restore balance is great for your scalp health.
• 17:04
  For washing braids, what I've done for years without issue is getting a bottle with a nozzles applicator and putting shampoo into the bottle, a small amount, what I think I
• 17:16
  would use, and then diluting it with some water and swirling that around.
• 17:20
  And I usually do that just before washing the braids so I don't prepare it in advance.
• 17:24
  But then,
• 17:25
  applying that to the braids.
• 17:27
  So again, if you have cornrows, you can go down the roads and really try to get underneath and on the scalp.
• 17:32
  And then also, you you can just, if you have a grid pattern, it's easier to go in and apply that and then get your scalp wet lightly and then gently massaging and just letting
• 17:42
  that get into every crevice around your scalp.
• 17:46
  And then I rinse that out after a couple of minutes.
• 17:49
  I let it sit a little bit longer than I would if I was really getting in there and I didn't have braids.
• 17:55
  because you're not really disturbing as much when you're trying to wash your hair in braids.
• 17:59
  And then after that, you can repeat it again if you feel like you need it.
• 18:04
  And then when we're in braids, we don't do the deep conditioner necessarily or the regular conditioner.
• 18:10
  You can if you would like.
• 18:11
  My concern often is that if I use that, it'll be hard to wash out.
• 18:15
  So what I do is I rinse the braids out.
• 18:17
  If I have box braids or not less individual braids, I'll pull them in half, two halves.
• 18:23
  and go like this under the shower head to really get out and make sure I'm getting out all that soap.
• 18:30
  And when I think it's done, I just do it one more time just to make sure the shampoo is gone.
• 18:34
  And then after that, you can kind of squeeze it dry and then apply that uh scalp hydrating scalp mist if you have one.
• 18:43
  If you don't feel like you need that, because you don't have a lot of scalp issues, you can just go in with the light oil and then to your hair and really focusing on the hair as
• 18:51
  a leave-in conditioner.
• 18:53
  So if you're using a water-based leave-in conditioner that does not have those oils we talked about that are problematic, you could use that on your scalp as well.
• 19:00
  And when I'm doing the leave-in, I'm not trying to get all that braid hair.
• 19:02
  I'm not doing this hair.
• 19:03
  I'm not worried about this.
• 19:04
  I'm getting in my braid.
• 19:05
  So I might actually spray it onto my fingertips and squeeze my braids.
• 19:11
  And to really get it in there without, you know, going crazy and disturbing the braid too much, but really focusing on my actual hair because...
• 19:19
  The synthetic hair can't even absorb any of those products and we don't want to use all of our expensive uh products on our synthetic hair.
• 19:27
  So if I have long braids or box braids, then I'll focus on the links that have my actual hair in it.
• 19:33
  You can put a little on the rest of your hair.
• 19:35
  Maybe it'll feel a little nicer, but again, it's just the surface that's really going to be impacted.
• 19:40
  Obviously, if you're using human hair, that's a different case and you're going to be taking care of that like it's your real hair.
• 19:46
  So when I'm talking about not...
• 19:48
  not doing much for the braids.
• 19:49
  It's because I'm focused on synthetic hair, but real hair, treat it with real good products as well.
• 19:55
  Okay, so that is how we're gonna wash our hair and then putting this leave on, leave in conditioner and then going in with a light application of the oil if needed.
• 20:05
  And that's the same oils we've talked about.
• 20:08
  Then after, you you squeezed your hair dry, depending on the type of hair you have, some are more water resistant and they dry really quickly.
• 20:15
  uh
• 20:16
  but what we want to focus on is getting our scalp dry.
• 20:19
  So I would recommend not doing this right before bed.
• 20:22
  The goal would be to get your scalp dry before you tie it up or you go to bed.
• 20:26
  So if it's close before bed, I will put on a scarf.
• 20:30
  And sometimes, you know, you put the mousse on your scalp.
• 20:33
  If your scalp is not sensitive and you know that, you can put some mousse onto your scalp, the braids on your scalp, focusing on the hair part and actually tie it with a bandana or
• 20:44
  scarf.
• 20:45
  and hit it with the blow dryer a little bit.
• 20:47
  That helps lay it down a little.
• 20:48
  I don't know how much that actually does, you know.
• 20:51
  It's still gonna, maybe, maybe, it's not gonna change that much, but I feel good when I do it.
• 20:56
  And I don't think that's harmful, because I don't have a sensitive scalp.
• 20:59
  But the goal is to really dry your hair.
• 21:01
  So you wanna dry your scalp either under a hooded dryer, you know, wash it earlier and go outside and let it dry, or just let it air dry.
• 21:09
  And if it's still wet uh after an hour two, then you really want to get in there.
• 21:14
  with a blow dryer or hooded dryer to remove the water because we don't want to have too much water because we know too much water is a ground for the microbes to get out of
• 21:25
  whack.
• 21:25
  We wanna keep our scalp healthy and in a balance.
• 21:28
  That's why we just washed it.
• 21:30
  So yes, those are the recommendations for washing our hair and braids.
• 21:35
  So between the washes, what can we do?
• 21:38
  You can use the light braid sprays or scalp serums that are water-based and really
• 21:44
  It can help just keep our scalp hydrated between washes.
• 21:47
  And then really, if there are spots, we can add a little bit of the oil.
• 21:51
  When to seek professional help?
• 21:52
  Well, if you have persistent sores or pus or spreading bumps, like it's not, it's growing, the area's growing, then that's a time to see a dermatologist or trachologist to really
• 22:03
  address what's going on there.
• 22:06
  So, recap on the action plan.
• 22:08
  Now that we know all these pieces and what's going on, how do we prepare next time so that we don't have these issues?
• 22:14
  Before braids, we want to clean and deep condition our hair, shampooing well, maybe using a clarifying shampoo as part of our wash uh day in that process, and making sure we
• 22:25
  lightly oil our scalp if needed after we wash our hair.
• 22:29
  For those with really sensitive scalp and if we know it's coming from our braiding hair, we can soak the hair in an apple cider vinegar rinse and
• 22:38
  If you want something that's even more effective, be mildly shampooing your hair because again, that will remove basically all the other uh elements that potentially could be on
• 22:47
  your hair besides just changing the pH, it will remove the silicons and oils and other things that might be residual on the hair when you buy it.
• 22:54
  You can also patch test the hair before you get braids, rubs in the hair behind your ear and see if after a bit it starts.
• 23:04
  uh
• 23:05
  itching or you have irritation, you can do the same thing with braiding gel.
• 23:08
  And if you do, maybe you bring your own gel that you know is not an issue for you, or you go braiding gel free with your braider.
• 23:15
  You can ask about that ahead of time if you have a sensitivity.
• 23:19
  Then during braids, we're going to watch for tension, make sure that we remove or adjust any too tight sections.
• 23:26
  And we're also going to really soothe our scalp if we have irritation.
• 23:32
  and wash every two weeks.
• 23:33
  So we're gonna keep our scalp in check.
• 23:35
  And again, we're gonna moisturize using water-based products first and applying light amounts of scalp friendly oils after washing.
• 23:43
  Things like jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil and grape seed oil.
• 23:48
  I'm saying a lot of times, so maybe you get them in our heads, we try to use them going forward.
• 23:53
  And then again, everything that we're doing for our scalp is really trying to get this microbiome healthy.
• 23:59
  and keep it in balance throughout our experience.
• 24:03
  So proper hydration and light oils support the beneficial microbes and protect against irritation, dandruff, and hair growth disruption.
• 24:11
  Then we take the braids out.
• 24:12
  We want to give our scalp a reset.
• 24:14
  That's when we definitely want to use the Clarifying Cleanser as part of our washing.
• 24:18
  Maybe we do that first and then move on to a more moisturizing shampoo, and then really moisturize our scalp again with those water-based products and light oils.
• 24:27
  So giving our scalp a break between the next protective style also gives it more time to reset the microbiome and the follicle health.
• 24:35
  So if we were having some tension, maybe it was low grade, not as intense and painful, but still tension on our scalp with the tighter braids or the heavy braids, giving our scalp a
• 24:45
  time to reset where it's not under tension is also very healthy for us.
• 24:49
  Thanks for listening to part one of our braid care series.
• 24:52
  Today we focused on scalp health.
• 24:55
  because a happy scalp is the foundation for healthy hair.
• 24:58
  Yep, I believe it now, it's true.
• 25:01
  I'd love to hear from you.
• 25:02
  If you have any great questions or want me to cover something in our upcoming episodes on protecting your edges, preventing breakage or anything else, send them my way.
• 25:12
  You can reach me on Substack at tight curls project pod or drop your questions in the comments below.
• 25:18
  And if you found this helpful, make sure to follow or subscribe on your favorite platform so you don't miss.
• 25:24
  the next episode in the series.
• 25:26
  Until next time, take care and show your tight curls of love.