After years of doing protective styles on my hair I have finally learned the hard way which styles work well for my hair and which ones cause me more problems. Some protective styles are great for length retention but others have caused me breakage or an increase in single strand knots.
5. Yarn Braids
I really enjoyed yarn braids and they were so convenient. So why are they last on my list? Well, they can be tricky to care for. I did great with caring for my scalp and edges with the braids but I failed to moisturize the ends of my hair well enough. As a result, when I removed the braids my ends were extremely dry and very close to the breaking point. I had to handle my hair with care and deep condition well for a few weeks after removing the braids.
#naturalhairtip: When using any type of synthetic hair to protect your hair or grow your hair out keeping YOUR hair properly moisturized is key to getting most out of the protective style.
4. Tucked Styles
I see a lot of tutorials on Youtube for some really cute tucked natural hair styles and a few of them are on my list to try. With the hair being up and protected from clothing and the outside elements, tucked styles are great for protecting your ends but there is a downside. With tucked hair styles, most times there is a requirement to manipulate the hair daily. I learned the hard way (through some breakage) that my hair does not like to be manipulated on a daily basis when in its natural state.
#naturalhairtip: When manipulating your hair daily be sure that your hair doesn't feel dry - handling dry brittle hair leads to breakage.
3. Mini Two Strand Twists
Two strands twists (TSTs) are the easiest style for me to do and since I also have a desire deep down to loc my hair they do help quiet that want for a little while. However, the ends of my hair are extremely curly so when I do mini twists my ends curl up and create single strand knots. After my Jan 2010 twists challenge I ended up having to do a trim all over to remove the influx of SSKs.
#naturalhairtip: TSTs need to be kept up off of rough clothing just as any protective style.
2. Updos
I LOVE my updos and the only reason that they are no. 2 on this list is because of time. Creating updo styles take a little more time than any other protective styles that I like to do on my hair.
#naturalhairtip: When doing updos on damp hair, your hair can start to dry before you finish styling. Keep a spray bottle with water close so that you can re-wet each section as you go.
1. BUNS!!!
I can't say enough about how much I love to bun. Bunning for me started off as a challenge and after a while bunning became a habit. I can't stop. During the challenge I took a tip from someone to take my bun down nightly so that I would not experience breakage. Guess what? Taking it down nightly actually caused breakage. I style my buns on wet hair only and I don't place my ponytail holder on my hair tightly. I now change the position of my buns twice a week (shampooing or cowashing each time) and it works great for me.
#naturalhairtip: When bunning change the location of the bun at least weekly to prevent weakening of the hair in one hair.
#naturalhairtip for all protective styles: A protective style will not do your strands any good if you do not handle your hair with care, moisture properly, and use a heavy oil or butter to seal. Always sleep on a satin pillowcase, in a satin bonnet, or (like me) both.
Hi, my name is Tia and I am addicted to protective styling...
Got protective questions, comments, or tips? Please leave them below.
(If the formatting in this post is a little off - blame blogger.)