Hair & Scalp Health
What’s actually pressed against your scalp for six weeks? And the expert trick braiders use to eliminate the itch
01 / 06
By now, you know the routine: day one might be OK, but by day three your scalp is itching like crazy and you’re patting your head in public so nobody notices.
Now you’ve probably been told “it’s just normal for sensitive scalps.” But here’s the truth:
It’s your skin reacting to a residue on the hair.
02 / 06
Most synthetic braiding hair leaves the factory coated in an alkaline chemical residue – just to keep it glossy on the shelf.
How can you tell if your hair has it? It’s that sharp chemical smell that hits you the moment you open a pack.
That’s the culprit of the itching. And our scalps hate it.
03 / 06
A protective style is supposed to protect. But that coating is pressed against your scalp 24 hours a day.
Through every wash, workout, and night’s sleep – for the entire month-plus you wear them.
This is how the itch can become bumps, the bumps can become scabs, and why some women take down an install that isn’t even a week old.
04 / 06
Recent independent lab testing of some of the most popular beauty supply store braiding hair brands has revealed harmful toxins such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury.
The scary part? These are the ones you can’t see, smell or feel.
05 / 06
Ask an experienced braider and they’ll tell you an open secret: soak the hair in apple cider vinegar before you install it, to strip that chemical alkaline coating off.
It does work – but it’s a 30-minute job kneeling over the bathtub, and most women never knew it was a step at all.
06 / 06
This is where it gets easier. Gyal Braids comes pre-rinsed in apple cider vinegar before it reaches you. We call it Clean Therapy: the coating stripped, the prep already done.
And the rinse doesn’t leave it dry or rough. Thanks to premium Japanese Kanekalon fibers, it’s softer, lighter and smoother than beauty supply store hair, without that chemical smell.
Plus, Gyal Braids has been independently tested by SGS (one of the world’s largest labs). No lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury or benzene were detected – the exact things you’d never want sitting on your scalp for six weeks.
“I hadn’t braided in over 20 years because the hair always made my scalp itch, red and sore. I’m overwhelmed with the results. My scalp doesn’t itch, it’s not red, not flaky.”
Tonya F Verified
Grab your shade whilst stock lasts
Pre-rinsed, ready to braid from just $3.75 per bundle.
The popular shades sell out fast, so check yours before it’s gone!
0.0%
of Gyal Braids customers reported less scalp irritation vs their old braiding hair
Consumer study, Jan 26
Rosalind Wynne
Sensitive scalp · 3 weeks in
I will never buy beauty supply hair again. I thought it was me being tender headed the reason why my scalp would itch to the point where I could only wear braid styles at the most 3 days it was unbearable.... Gyal braiding hair was a game changer for me. It smelled clean, it was soft, and easy to braid. I have had my hair braided now for almost 3 weeks!
Tonya F
Seborrheic dermatitis · braiding again after 20 years
My scalp is very sensitive due to me having a skin condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis. I haven't had my hair braided in over 20 years due to the hair made my scalp itchy, red, flaky and sores. I found this hair online and I am overwhelmed with the results. My scalp doesn't itch, it not red, not flaky.
Lovely
7 weeks of wear
For years I've been looking for braiding hair that does not itch, not break my hair off. Then one day about a year ago ive seen Gyal Ad on IG. I was in tears how beautiful my hair looked when it was done, it looked as I used human hair!!! It's 7 weeks later and my hair still looks like I just gotten it done, although its time to take it out now… my hair braider stylist…was in awe of the hair as well.
Sharon McDonald
Sensitive scalp · 4 weeks in
It's been 4 weeks since I've had my braids in and I'm still loving how they feel and smell! First, I've only washed my hair once, which is a big deal for me because with other hairs, I would've had to wash it two or three times because of the itch, build up on my scalp and smell. Second, the hair is still soft to the touch and does not itch when it touches my skin.
Eboni Harris
Reviewed with her stylist
My stylist loved working with this hair! She said it was soft, didn't tangle, was so easy to work with and it didn't have a smell. She is used to hair smelling of chemicals, being rough on her fingers, and hard to separate because it tangles so easily. She said Gyal braiding hair made her life easier and braiding went faster.
Most hair labelled “itch-free” still carries the factory coating — it’s a sticker, not a step. Gyal Braids is physically pre-rinsed in apple cider vinegar, so the coating is actually gone before it reaches you. And because it’s backed by risk-free returns, finding out costs you nothing but a click.
It looks it — until you do the maths. Each pack is 8 bundles of 90g hair (bigger than beauty-supply bundles), one pack covers a full head, and with buy 2, get 1 free it’s as little as $3.75 a bundle. Add in the vinegar, sprays and three-day take-downs you no longer pay for, and as one customer put it: “You get more hair for your money. It’s really worth it.”
Braiders love it. It installs like premium Kanekalon — one common review: “my braider couldn’t stop complimenting how it didn’t tangle.”
Those are exactly the women who write the most relieved reviews. “My 13-year-old has psoriasis… with these they don’t itch her at all — this is a game changer.” Risk-free returns mean you can find out safely.
It’s the opposite. The fibre is lighter and smoother than beauty-supply hair, so there’s less weight pulling on fragile strands and tender edges — one reason women who’d given up braids for years come back to them. Gentle enough for sensitive, mature scalps, and risk-free to try.
P.S. – The itch was never random, and it was never about being “tender-headed.”
It’s what happens when chemically-coated hair sits against your scalp for six weeks straight.
If you gave up braids years ago because of the itch or the damage, this is how you wear them again — without dreading day three.
You can soak every pack in your bathtub and hope it’s heavy metal free – or you can start with tested hair that’s already clean.
Backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee and a 4.8/5 average rating from 74,000+ customers across the US.
Independent laboratory testing has identified heavy metals and other chemicals of concern in synthetic braiding hair. Gyal Braids hair has been independently tested by SGS; lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and benzene were not detected in the braiding-hair fibre tested. Customer quotes drawn from verified Gyal Braids reviews and post-purchase surveys. Gyal Braids hair is pre-rinsed in apple cider vinegar to remove the alkaline factory coating commonly associated with scalp irritation and chemical odour. Gyal Braids is a hair product and makes no medical or treatment claims.