If you've just had your hair did, you've probably forked out hard earned cash on those braids, weave or relaxer. So the last thing you'll want is to cause unnecessary damage and waste it all.

Braids
When your stylist is braiding your hair, make sure they're not too tight, as this may cause Traction Alopecia, which is hair loss mainly around the hairline area caused by pulling the hair out at the roots from the constant tugging of too-tight braids.

Shampoo your hair every week, as the scalp and hair still need to be kept clean. Heidi recommend's Dark and Lovely 3 in 1 Shampoo, R24.99, that you can dilute in a jug of water to make the application easy and to avoid excessive scrubbing when shampooing – which may loosen the braids. Also condition the braids to nourish the hair.

After shampooing, make sure your braids dry well. If they remain damp for too long, they could become mouldy with an unpleasant odour. A great braid spray that contains apricot oil will polish them and prevent your braids from drying out. It will also refresh and moisturise the scalp.

Weaves
When buying a weave, it's always best to get the best quality human hair that you can afford. This will enable you to wear versatile hairstyles as this hair can withstand heat from hair dryers and flat irons.

Shampoo and condition your weave weekly taking care to be gentle so as not to put stress on the hair underneath the weave. Treat it as if it was your own hair.

It's best to sleep with a silk scarf layed flat on your pillow to allow for slip and ease of movement without creating tension on the roots of your hair or the weave. The daily application of product is unnecessary when wearing a weave, as it will look greasy and loose its swing.

Relaxed hair
Treat your hair in place of conditioning once or twice per month using Dark and Lovely Anti Breakage 5min Repairing Treatment, R31.99, which penetrates into over processed brittle hair shafts to restore strength, body and bounce.

Never relax and colour on the same day. Wait two weeks after relaxing before you apply colour to your hair. Heidi recommends relaxing your hair every eight to ten weeks to allow sufficient regrowth to apply the relaxer to, without overlapping the application into previously relaxed hair. If overlapping occurs, the hair will be considerably weakened.

Dark and Lovely products are available to leading retail stores and pharmacies nationwide.