Cornrowing Grandson's Hair

Hello Everyone,
I'm new to this site and happened upon this site while searching for help to cornrow my grandson's hair.  I'm a 47-year old grandmother and I've been cornrowing his hair since late last year.  But I'm confused about what products I should use.  Would anyone please recommend a good conditioner I could use, and what should I use on his hair before cornrowing so that the cornrows are nice and straight and not nappy-looking.  His hair is natural.  Thanx in advance.  I'd really appreciate any advice.  Peace.

When braiding natural hair, I often use an activator gel (Long-Aid) because not only does it add elasticity to the hair strands to prevent breakage during braiding (and while taking them down), it adds a very nice sheen to the braids. It can either be applied from the tub or mixed with a leave-in conditioner and sprayed on. You might also try the Better Braids Spray after braiding if you dislike the sticky feeling from the activator.

Thank you soooooo much for replying to my post, and it couldn't have come at a better time, especially with the warm weather right around the corner.  I didn't have the Long Aid activator, so I used Care Free Curl and it softened up my grandson's hair very nicely.  Now I have to find the Better Braids product.  For his next wash, I'm gonna apply the activator before blow drying or air drying, depending on how much time I have.  Is there anything you can recommend to use on his scalp?  So far I've been using regular hair grease or hair food.  Once again, thanx for the activator tip.  I really appreciate it.  Peace.

Hey ehairexperts,
I just had a thought:  If I use the activator or Better Braids spray, I won't need to apply anything separate for his scalp b/c both of these products are moisturizers that will keep his scalp moist, so if I use anything else, his hair will be too greasy.  Would that be correct?

This is correct. When using the braid spray or activator, that will be the only thing you need to apply. It should be applied as soon as the hair is braided and every 2-3 days (or as needed) afterward. Also, just before you remove the braids, spray them down again as this will keep the hair soft and manageable when removing the braids as well as prevent breakage.