There are so many hairstyles out there these days that you can literally take your pick of the bunch. Right now cornrows for natural hair is becoming increasingly popular in the natural hair community.
People are constantly searching for hairstyles, particularly protective hairstyles that can be made versatile, cornrows serve just that purpose.
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What Are Cornrows?
Cornrows are a particular way of braiding hair. They can be done on any hair type, relaxed or natural and that is what makes them so appealing.
Cornrows are a technique of braiding your hair but for the braid to be attached to your scalp. The braids can be made very close together or widely apart depending on how you personally like them.
There are many different ways that you can style cornrows. They can be braided to the side, have them thick or thin or a mixture of thick and thin braids. They can be pretty much made into any creative style of your choosing.
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How Do You Care For Your Cornrows?
As with any hairstyle, cornrows need to be cared for. You cannot just do cornrows and leave them alone for the entire duration of their stay.
There are a few things that you can do to make sure that whilst your hair is in cornrows that it stays in the best possible condition.
In order to maintain your cornrows:
1. Make Sure You Start Right
Always start on freshly washed hair that is conditioned well. This will ensure that your hair will not get dry and brittle while it is tucked away.
2. Refresh Your Hair
I cant stress enough how important it is that you continue to make sure your hair stays moisturised. If you don’t do this your hair will start to get damaged from becoming dry. You will only really notice the damage once you start to take out your hair from the cornrows.
You can refresh your hair with a few simple steps:
Firstly take a water spray bottle like this one.
Add a few drops of leave-in conditioner along with water.
Give it a good shake.
Then spray your hair down until it is slightly damp.
If you prefer not to use a conditioner you can try a moisturising oil like argan oil.
3. Sleep With Satin
Wrapping your hair with a satin scarf will help to keep your hair neat and tidy and ultimately help it to last a lot longer than it would otherwise.
You can use a satin scarf like this one to wrap your hair with.
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What Are The Benefits of Cornrows?
The benefit of doing cornrows is that they are versatile so can be made as fancy or as basic as you like. Also, they can be done as a protective hairstyle to stop it from tangling and to give your hair a break from everyday manipulation.
If you don’t have a lot of time to invest in your hair for a while then cornrows are a great way to keep your hair looking good but also giving it a rest at the same time.
How Long Should You Leave Cornrows In For Growth
Cornrows are not meant to be kept in for months on end. There is no perfect length of time that you should keep cornrows in for. For each person, that length of time will be different.
There are a few telltale signs that will help you know when it’s time for your cornrows to come out.
- You will see a lot of regrowth
- The cornrows will become very loose so the partings will not be easy to see.
- Your hair may appear dull in appearance.
- Your hair will feel dry to the touch.
To give you an average range. I would say you should not keep cornrows for more than 1 month at a time.
Cornrows As A Protective Style
Cornrows are indeed a protective hairstyle because your hair is wrapped up and tucked away. You can add additional hair if you like or you can just use your own natural hair.
Either way, cornrows still count as being protective.
Washing Your Hair In Cornrows
Whilst your hair is in cornrows you can wash it. In fact, it’s a good idea to wash it especially if you plan on keeping your hair in cornrows for a length of time.
You have to remember just because your hair is in a protective hairstyle does not mean that you don’t need to do any maintenance.
Washing your hair will keep it fresh and free of buildup.
If you are going to wash your hair make sure that you do so gently. Don’t be tempted to soak your hair in shampoo otherwise, you might have a hard time washing it out as the cornrows will not be easy to rinse of shampoo.
Instead, mix a little shampoo with water in a spray bottle and spray it onto your scalp. This will be a much lighter mixture and therefore easier to wash out.
Do Cornrows Grow Your Hair Faster?
The answer to this is no they don’t. In fact, if anyone tells you that braids or any protective hairstyle can grow your hair faster, it’s a lie.
Cornrows don’t grow natural hair any faster. They simply keep your hair neat and tidy while it is being protected. The reason that you may see “more growth” is because your hair has remained undisturbed and therefore there has been no breakage.
If your natural hair has been left loose and you treat it with a lot of care and attention with minimal breakage you could see the same amount of growth as you would if it was in cornrows or any other type of braid.
Remember that your hair is continuously growing it’s just down to you to do your best to retain the growth that you get.
Final Thoughts On Cornrows For Natural Hair Growth
Cornrows are a great hairstyle for those that want to do something a little different with their natural hair.
The versatility options for cornrows are endless and you can make them as jazzed up or as subtle as you like.
Cornrows can be a great way to give your hair a break and retain some growth at the same time.
Have you tried cornrows before? How did you find it?
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