How To: Maintain X-Pression Cuevana Bounce Crochet Braids

X-Pression Cuevana Bounce is the latest crochet braid innovation by Outre, featuring pre-styled perm rods set hair for your convenience. We asked Ashleigh Tribble, a full-figure fashion stylist and hair enthusiast, to try it out and share her experience with us. Here are some of her key maintenance tips:

“It has now been a month since I had my X-Pression Cuevana Bounce crochet hair put in, and after a little customization and normal wear the hair looks even more natural.

The installment process was fairly easy, quick and effective in creating a fun, flirty and full look for my Spring/Summer 16. This is my first time using Outre hair for crochet braids and the fact that it was pre-curled made the process a lot quicker than usual. The hair is also very light.

Now, here comes the fun part: maintenance. Caring for crochet braids is easier than a lot of people think as you are giving your natural hair a break underneath, while still making sure it’s clean and moisturized, and at the same time making sure that your Outre hair is clean as well.

Step 1: It’s getting very hot out and a lot of dirt and sweat can get trapped in the hair so it’s best to use a small brush (I used a toothbrush) with shampoo and scrub the hair where it connects to your braids.

Step 2: Then, cowash the braids and scalp underneath softly with your fingertips, put the hair up in two buns and let the conditioner sit for a bit while in the shower.

Step 3: After about 5 minutes, wash both out and make sure to air dry your hair after toweling it off. You don’t want to manipulate the main part of the hair too much as you could lose definition in the curls, so make sure you only clean that part when absolutely necessary.

Optional: The hair should “bounce” back to somewhere near its initial state, but you can always take this time to re-curl the strands by putting perm rods in, and dipping them hot water.

For nighttime maintenance, make sure you find a bonnet that is big enough for your hair and is silk on the inside. If you can’t find a bonnet, a silk pillowcase will work just fine. Even with daily manipulation my curls still look pretty fly and I’ve received so many compliments by people who want to know more about how to achieve the style! This is the perfect low maintenance, easy and stylish way to try a new look this summer!”