Advantages, Upkeep, Inspo, and Extra

Cornrows are among the many hottest protecting kinds—and rightfully so. They require comparatively little time in your braider’s chair, last as long as three weeks, and supply a chance to provide your hair a break from manipulation. Straight-back cornrows are at all times in model, however persons are getting further inventive nowadays. The most recent trending model on social media? Coronary heart cornrows.

Maybe the cutest, most romantic replace to the look, the sort of cornrow is braided on the again or sides of your head within the form of a coronary heart. Forward, professional hairstylists Ursula Stephen and LaRae Burress clarify every little thing you could learn about getting coronary heart cornrow braids (together with how one can hold your edges intact).

Maintain studying to be taught extra about coronary heart cornrows.

What Are Coronary heart Cornrows Braids?

Cornrow “coronary heart braids are a kind of braid design the place a coronary heart is braided into the hair,” Stephen tells us. Cornrow coronary heart braids are making waves throughout social media platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram, with the completely different variations unlocking the creativity of purchasers and stylists alike.

How Are They Made?

Putting in coronary heart cornrows is very easy. This is Stephen’s step-by-step information:

1. Part and half the hair the place you need to create the guts
2. Cut up the part from prime to backside
3. Braid a kind of sections into half a coronary heart
4. Do the identical to the opposite part

That was a breeze, proper? Nonetheless, there are some issues to recollect earlier than, throughout, and post-installation. The hearts are sometimes positioned alongside the edges of the pinnacle and even on the nape of the neck. Whereas that is very cute, stress from braids might be problematic for the scalp. So, the way you put together, take care of, and hydrate your hair is essential for its well being.

The way to Take care of Coronary heart Cornrow Braids

Correctly Moisturize Hair Earlier than Braiding

“Any type of braid could cause breakage if the hair will not be correctly moisturized first,” says Burress. “To keep away from breakage, be sure you correctly shampoo, situation, and moisturize hair [before] any braiding.” She additionally says to verify your hairstylist is not gripping your hair too tight in any areas whereas braiding.

Rinse Your Braiding Hair (or Use an Different If You Have a Delicate Scalp)

The primary time I bought field braids put in, my scalp was infected. Not as a result of my hair was braided too tightly however as a result of the coating on the braiding hair had irritated my scalp. Since cornrows lay straight on the scalp, Burress advises these with delicate scalps to soak braiding hair in an apple cider vinegar bathtub earlier than set up. Alternatively, she says it’s also possible to go for pure braiding hair like Rebundle, which is made out of naturally extracted banana fiber. You should utilize this hair proper out of the field with out worry of irritation; no pre-install rinse is important.

Do not Braid in Child Hairs

My braider at all times asks me: “Would you like me to braid in your child hairs?” Instinctively, I at all times reply “no”—and in response to Stephen, I have been making the appropriate name. “Whether or not it is coronary heart braids, field braids, or cornrows, there’s at all times an opportunity of breakage in the case of the hairline,” she shares. The easiest way to keep away from hairline breakage, she says, is to go away these child hairs out.

Do not Go away Them in Too Lengthy

Each stylists agree: Three weeks is the longest you possibly can hold this model in. The longer you put on a protecting model, the extra moisture your hair can lose, resulting in breakage. That stated, Stephen notes that the longevity will in the end come right down to upkeep. “The higher you [care for] them, the longer they are going to final,” she says. (Extra on that beneath.)

Take care of Your Hair Whereas It is Braided

• Curbing itchiness: Although most of us grew up greasing our scalps once they began to itch, it is higher to go for merchandise with hydrating and soothing components—corresponding to aloe vera, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid—over heavy oils or greases. I like to recommend Briogeo’s Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Scalp Therapy Serum and Act + Acre’s Chilly Processed Stem Cell Serum.
• Protecting clear: If you cannot wait till wash day, TPH By Taraji’s Grasp Cleanse Scalp Shampoo and Hydrating Hair Rinse is designed with a tri-touch applicator for direct-to-scalp cleaning. The design prevents disrupting the hair, whereas the components, together with tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and witch hazel water, assist rinse away build-up. African Satisfaction’s Black Castor Miracle Braid & Scalp Cleaning Rinse can be beloved by the braided. 
• Stopping frizz: Cleansing the scalp and hair is one of the simplest ways to maintain hair wholesome and moisturized, however we perceive the need to fight frizz, too. Although your hair will not look the way in which it did on the day if you left the salon, resetting your coronary heart cornrows is simple and yields nice outcomes. To reset and hydrate braids after washing, I apply Mizani’s 25 Miracle Milk Warmth Protectant Go away-In Conditioner (I choose a twig leave-in with braids), The Doux’s Mousse Def Texture Foam on the braids, and a gel, like Eco Fashion’s Olive Oil Gel, or an edge management, like Sample’s Edge Management, to put down my edges. Lastly, I tie my hair down with a satin or silk scarf. If I am residence and never touring, I am going to sit underneath a hooded dryer.

The Last Takeaway

Coronary heart cornrow braids are a enjoyable manner so as to add oomph to a standard protecting model staple. The important thing with this model is to let your child hairs hang around to forestall breakage and make sure you’re maintaining your hair well-moisturized pre-installation, and throughout the weeks (not more than three!) you will be rocking the model.