You come home after a day of braiding. Your head still hurts. You thought your braids would eventually loosen on their own, but they’re just as tight as they are at the salon. Suddenly you wish you had the superpower to turn back time.

But you can’t, so how do you get rid of the pain?

There are ways to loosen tight braids. Ideally, loosen up the braids without destroying box braids, cornrows, or other cornrow styles that cost time and money. Here are some things that can help:

• Massage
• Shower
• A pencil
• moist heat
• leave-in conditioner
• braid spray

Lucky for you, there are ways to loosen up your braids. Just follow any of these tips below.

massage your scalp

The relief produced by the massage is not alien to us. By gently massaging the exposed areas of the scalp, we are removing the hair from the scalp and loosening the braids. However, try not to get carried away as you still want to keep those tresses.

get in the shower

Taking a shower immediately after installing the braids can make you question the longevity of the braids. But isn’t it much better to think about how long hairline it will last? Get in the shower and let it rain on your tresses. As the warm water runs through your hair, rub your scalp gently but not hard. You can apply a moisturizing conditioner at this stage. Pat your tresses dry with a towel and let it dry naturally.

Stick a pencil or other object into

To loosen individual braids, stick a pencil or something cylindrical and smooth down the center of each braid. Use a thinner object like a skewer for smaller braids. Alternatively, combs can also be used to loosen braids that are close to the scalp.

Get some moist heat

An effective way to loosen those tight tresses is to apply moist heat to them. By placing a wet towel with warm water, you separate the small braids that are very close to the scalp. Leave it on your head for an hour. Another way to do it is to apply steam directly on the head. You can do this by using a handheld steamer or by running hot water inside a closed bathroom and simply standing there. Make sure you save the water and use it for something else, like watering your plants or washing your clothes.

Apply leave-in conditioner

An easy way to loosen tight braids is to apply a leave-in conditioner. The conditioner will soften your hair and reduce the tightness of your braids. However, use sparingly. Too much will make your scalp oily faster and cause itchiness later.

Apply braid spray

Braid sprays come with many features. Some relieve the itchiness caused by maintaining the braids; others help in removing their tresses. Regardless of the type of spray you use, braid sprays will help smooth out tight braids by smoothing your hair. As the main function of a braid spray is to alleviate the negative aspects of installing braids, introducing a braid spray into your hair care regimen will ultimately serve you well.

The easiest way to prevent tight braids is to not let it happen in the first place. Don’t hesitate to tell your stylist that your braids hurt and are too tight!