After you get your box braids, seeing a woman with colorful braids can make you want to dye your hair. But can you dye box braids? Is it safe for your natural hair?
Generally, all professionals suggest not to dye your hair before getting the braids and also not dye immediately after taking the braids off. Similarly, you should avoid dying your hair when you have the box braids.
Then when is the right time to dye your box braids? How to care for dyed hair? And how many times can you dye box braids? Read along to get all the answers.
Can You Color Your Hair Before Getting Braids?
Generally, you shouldn’t go for box braids when your hair is too fragile, and dying your hair will make your hair fragile. Dying products contain harsh chemicals that make your hair roots weak and dry.
Hence, dying your hair before getting box braids or other protective braiding methods will increase the possibility of breakage and damage. You should wait at least 2 weeks after dying to create the braids.
Can You Dye Hair While In Braids?
If your hair is currently styled in box braids and you’re thinking about dying your hair, unfortunately, it won’t be a good time to dye hair. When you get box braids, some areas of your entire natural hair are exposed with extensions.
So if you dye your hair in that state, only a few areas will get dyed of your natural hair, which will look awful after taking your box down.
Is It Safe To Dye Box Braids?
It isn’t safe to dye your hair in box braids or before getting your box braids. It’s because all the chemicals used in the product will damage your hair. You can look for colored hair extensions if you really want colorful braids.
If you can’t find your desired color, you can always dye the extension before using them to create box braids.
What Is The Upside Of Box Braids With Color?
There are some amazing benefits of box braids with color. Such as:
- Temporary hair color. If you like to change hair color frequently, this is the best way to change colors without actually dying your natural hair.
- Using colored hair won’t damage your hair.
- You don’t have to skip any of your work for dying hair.
How To Dye Box Braids?
First, synthetic hair isn’t suitable for dying with regular hair dying products; those products can damage the extension. Here is the right method to dye synthetic box braids:
- Take a clean bottle and pour 1-part of your desired color acrylic ink and 3 parts of rubbing alcohol.
- Shake the bottle properly to mix all the ingredients.
- Put on the gloves. Lay the extension over paper on an even surface.
- Now select the area where you want to dye and spray the mixture on the extension. Flip the hair carefully and repeat the process.
- Leave the hair for 15 to 20 hours to allow them dry.
- Rinse with cold water and let the hair dry again before use.
How Many Times Can You Box Dye Your Hair?
You should re-dye your box braids after every 6 to 8 weeks. It means it’s recommended to dye box braids only once before taking your braids off.
What Happens If You Dye Synthetic Hair?
Synthetic hair isn’t suitable for dying. Almost all hair color products include bleach or ammonia. So if you dye synthetic hair, you’ll either damage the hair or won’t get your expected results.
But synthetic hair has a wide range of shades, and you have to stick with the shade you choose.
How To Care For Dyed Hair?
When you dye your hair, it requires additional care; otherwise, the color will fade sooner than it should. Here are some tips for caring for your dyed hair:
- Don’t wash your hair after dying; you should at least skip washing hair with water for 3 days.
- Use cool or warm water instead of water; otherwise, it’ll ruin your hair color.
- After dying hair, you should opt for products with fewer chemicals and also less number of products.
- Make a shower routine. Try to wash your hair every 5 to 7 days and use hydrating dry shampoo for the other days.
- Make sure you use shampoo and conditioner that are safe for dyed hair.
How To Prepare Your Hair To Dye After Braiding?
If you had braids before, and now you’re planning to dye hair after taking it off, you need to prepare your hair first. Here is how to prepare your hair to dye after braiding:
- Take time, at least 2 weeks, to give your hair space to recover from box braids.
- You have to ensure restoration of hydration before dying. Apply deep conditioning treatment twice or thrice while you wait.
- The tips of the hair mostly get damaged when you wear a protective style. Trim the damaged part and use a hair protein treatment.
- You should wash your hair two days earlier than the day you’ll dye your hair.
- Communicate with your stylist. Ask them questions and clear all your doubts.
FAQs
Can you dip dye braids?
If you want to dye the ends of the braids where your real hair is absent, you can dip dye your braids.
Can you dye fake hair?
Yes, you can dye fake hair with acrylic ink and rubbing alcohol.
How long does it take to dye fake hair?
The whole process of dying fake hair can take a whole working day, and the only dying process may take between 30 to 45 minutes.
Do box braids turn into dreads?
Box braids can turn into dreads if you don’t take care of them. Dreadlocks are created by tightly braiding hair together, and box braids can do the same thing. If you don’t keep the box braids clean and moisturized, they will become frizzy and knotty. You’ll also need to style them regularly to keep them looking beautiful.
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- Are Box Braids Cultural Appropriation
- Who Invented Box Braids
- Can White Girls Get Box Braids
Conclusion
So you now have the answer to can you dye box braids, should you dye your hair before getting the hair, and how long should you wait till dying hair after taking off the braids.
However, no matter whether you dye your hair while having box braids or after the box braids, you must take good care of your hair to prevent damage to your real hair.
