How to care for your hair in loc maintenance styles, low-maintenance braid styles, and more.
Whether you're wearing loc maintenance styles, braids, or a sleek twist out, the term low-maintenance can be misleading. The truth is: Hair needs care, regardless of how effortless the style may look.
In fact, neglecting your hair in a maintenance style can lead to dryness, breakage, buildup, and even scalp issues. Keep reading to learn what “maintenance” actually means, which styles are truly low-effort, and how to keep your hair healthy and thriving while it rests.
What Does Maintenance Mean for Hair?
Hair maintenance is about preserving the health, shape, and integrity of your strands between major services. Think color touch-ups, protective styles, or big chops. For natural or textured hair, that looks like balancing strength and moisture, managing frizz while maintaining volume, preventing dryness and product buildup, and keeping the scalp clean and balanced.
Think of maintenance like skin care. It’s this behind-the-scenes care that makes styles last longer and look better. Just because you’re not wearing makeup doesn’t mean you skip cleanser, toner, and moisturizer, right? The same principle applies to your haircare routine.
What Is a Maintenance Haircut?
A maintenance haircut is a trim or shape-up that keeps your ends clean and your style intact. It helps prevent hair woes like split ends, knotted or fraying curls, and loss of shape in layers, fades, or curly cuts.
So, how often should you get a maintenance? Every 6–12 weeks, depending on your style and texture. And if you’re wearing low-maintenance loc styles or natural curls, trims can actually enhance manageability by removing damaged ends that contribute to tangling or frizz.
What Hairstyle Is Easiest to Maintain?
There’s no one-size-fits-all here. The easiest hairstyle depends on your hair type, lifestyle, and how much daily manipulation you're willing to do.
Here are a few options that often work well with minimal upkeep:
- Low maintenance braid styles like large cornrows and halo braids
- Twist outs or braid outs
- Loose buns or top knots
- Layered curly cuts that grow out well
- Low maintenance loc styles like retwisted roots with updos or barrel rolls
Whatever you choose, the key is to find a style that works with your texture, not against it.
How to Maintain a Hairstyle
Even low-maintenance styles need a few non-negotiables. First and foremost, cleansing. Use Cécred’s Detoxifying Shampoo when you need to eliminate extreme buildup, sweat, and environmental debris. If your style has limited scalp access, this is even more essential. Between wash days, be sure to spritz Cécred’s Scalp Refreshing Spray to soothe, neutralize odors, and maintain a balanced scalp. Hydrating Shampoo and Hydrating Conditioner should be your go-tos for regular washes, since these formulas replenish moisture without leaving behind residue that could weigh down your style.
For nourishment, apply Hair & Scalp Balm to relieve style-related tension and lock in moisture. No matter the style, no one wants dull, lifeless stands, so during your next wash day do a nourishing hair treatment with Cécred’s Oil Ritual. It adds shine, supports hair strength, and creates a barrier against dryness, especially if you’re planning to go back into a protective style or wearing locs.
Maintenance styles are designed to give your hair and scalp a break—but they still rely on you to keep them healthy. With the right tools and a bit of consistency, even the most effortless styles can support long-term growth and hair health.
*Protection Collection is not for use while in extensions, weaves, or wigs bonded with any kind of adhesive or synthetic wigs, synthetic weaves or synthetic extensions