How Protective is Your Protective Hairstyle?

Protective Styles

Protective Hairstyle are all the rave and design to give your hair much needed rest. And protective styles should do just that! PROTECT your natural hair. Protective hairstyles can grow your hair and aid in getting your hair to a healthier status when used correctly. With that said, protective hairstyle can be damaging. Oh, the horror!

What are protective hairstyles?

Protective hairstyles include braids, cornrows, crochet braids, weaves and wigs.

BRAIDS

Braids are singular, individual plaits that are extended using a variety of hair types to lengthen hair. There are a number of different style names depending on the size of the braid: like micro braids (very small plaits), box braids (vary in size), knotless braids (extensions are braided under or further down the hair to hide the loop where extensions are added) and many more  This style is versatile and can be styled in as many ways as you can imagine.

CORNROWS

Cornrows are a type of braid originating from Mother Africa. Hair is parted into strips and plaited closely to the scalp in a one direction or a variety of directions.

CROCHET BRAIDS

In the crochet method, the natural hairs braided into cornrows and extensions are added by crochet hair being looped under the cornrow with a crochet needle or hook and secured with a knot. The crochet extensions added can be loose, braided or faux locs depending on the style of choice.

WEAVES

Hair weaves are wefts of hair the are added to the natural hair in a variety of ways. The hair can be sewn in on a cornrow or attached with a glue or adhesive. Weaves are versatile and can be full or partial. A full weave involves covering the entire head whereas a partial weave is adding wefts of hair to only a portion of the head.

WIGS

Wigs are the easiest and most protective of styles! Lace fronts and full lace wigs are fyre! I was a wig DIVA!

All of these styles are beautiful and versatile; however, they can cause breakage and damage under certain conditions. The purpose of this post is to identify and prevent as many of those conditions as possible.

The number one reason that protective styles cause damage is tension or tightness. If the stylist installs the style to tightly it will cause breakage and damage. Queens please beware of this because we are led to believe that the style being tight means that it will last longer and while this may be true the damage is long lasting as well.

If your skin is creased, white bumps or redness is present and/or you can’t move your head or face freely then the style is too tight. If braids are too tight let the stylist know as your hair is being braided.

Most bald spots due to tight styles are caused by damage to the hair follicle and while the hair follicle cannot be destroyed, it can take up to SEVEN YEARS to fully repair! That is up to seven years of time and attention to fix a problem that could have been avoided. Is a cute style for a few weeks worth it? I think not. Also, be careful when styling your protective style.

Even if your installed style isn’t tight, you can cause damage by pulling into tight ponytails, pinups, etc.

Dryness of the hair and scalp in some protective styles cause damage. Be sure that you can get to your scalp to moisturize it and the root of your hair. Before installation, be sure to use a leave in condition so that you have some protective between your natural hair and the extensions. Always use quality extensions as some types dry your hair out and lead to breakage.

What Protective Styles SHOULD Do

Protective styles are designed to give your hair a break from styling, but you also have to give your hair a break from protective styles. Be sure to give your hair a break after every protective style. If you often wear braids or weaves switch to a wig for a month or so to reduce tension on your natural tresses and DO NOT glue them down. I know that many of you use glue to secure your lace wigs and I in all the years I wore wigs never, ever glued mine’s down because wigs are designed to be taken off.

Allow your scalp and hair to breathe. Every 3 months or so, instead of a wig or weave, deep condition your hair and style it naturally in styles like bantu knots, puffs or twists. This will give your scalp and hair time to breathe.

Also, wig caps can cause breakage because hair gets tangled into the mesh of the cap. Wig caps are used to try on wigs but should not be used under wigs. Remember that it’s yours so you don’t need a protective barrier between your hair and your wig.

Another cause of protective styles causing damage is that they are left in for too long. Most styles should be kept for eight weeks maximum. Try choosing styles that allow you to wash and condition your hair with them installed. When I wore braids, I washed and conditioned my hair while my hair was still braided.

Lastly, product build up from gels like edge control can clog pores, dry out hair and cause damage due to ingredients like alcohol. So, the less you use the better or try using natural gels like flaxseed gel to control your edges.

We all want beautiful healthy hair whether we wear it long or short. Healthy hair is well cared for by both you and your hair care professional/stylist. Be sure that your stylist is also a hair care professional because there is a difference. Your stylist should thrive for their clients to have healthy hair beneath any style and do no damage to your hair. Some stylists only care about the look of the finish product and not the natural hair. Your stylist should also advise you on damaging styles and how to keep your hair healthy and growing.

Start keeping a journal of everything you do to your hair. Examine your hair after taking down protective styles. Note the condition of your hair and scalp. This will help you to determine if that style is helping your hair.

That’s it for now beautiful Queens and remember to LOVE your hair and yourself.