Woman gets hair braided on beach holiday but people warn her of easy mistake

When you're heading on holiday somewhere hot, you know you need to be sensible and slather on your SPF to protect your skin. However, sometimes, certain areas of the body are missed, and you may have regrets if you burn in those spots. Hettie, who posts on TikTokas @hettsjc, explained she was on holiday, on the beach, and was going to get her hair braided by a lady working on the beach.

In the comments, though, people were quick to warn her about a "mistake" they'd made in the past when getting their own hair braided.

Hettie explained she can't do her own hair "for s***" so was going to go to the "lovely lady" on the beach in San Antonio in Ibiza while she sipped on a "little wine".

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She explained to the woman what she wanted and then sat in the chair as she had her hair expertly braided.

Hettie shared they "pull very tight," but the braids are extremely secure. They do, however, leave a lot of your scalp exposed, which is what many women were warning her about.

When she looked in the mirror at her half-braided hairstyle, she said she thought it was "giving," saying she could "work with this for tonight".

In the comments, though, people urged her to put suncream over her exposed scalp.

One woman wrote: "Don’t forget to put sun cream on your scalp! Made that mistake before."

Another echoed: "Put sun cream on your scalp! One of the worst places if you burn."

"I had this [hairstyle] when I was like 10 and literally burnt my scalp to bits, put sun cream in between [the braids]," a TikTok user recommended.

Somebody else said they should "learn" from her "mistakes" and use an SPF spray.

Many hair and scalp SPFs can be purchased online from various retailers, and non-greasy ones are available, so it doesn't ruin your hairstyle.

According to GoodRx, if you do burn your scalp, there are measures you can take to help.

You should stay out of the sun as much as possible by putting on a hat to cover your scalp, making sure you're under an umbrella, or staying inside.

Don't shower in hot water, as this will irritate your scalp, and avoid sulfates, as well as fragrances. Minimise hair styling, and apply moisturiser that contains aloe vera or soy to try and calm the area.

Finally, you can take over-the-counter pain medication if the burn is really bad and causing you discomfort.

The discomfort should go away within three to five days.

But the best thing to do is take preventive measures so none of this happens. Even if you get your hair braided and then put on a hat so it's covered until the UV is lower in the evening and you don't need sun protection, it's better to be safe than sorry.